The One Surprising Person You Need to Invite to Book Club

The Librarian

In a perfect world, librarians would be invited everywhere: football games, birthday parties, the opening of large glassy malls. They are wonderful, dedicated people—the spiritual cousins of teachers and bookstore owners. They tend to be spicy and passionate in their opinions—and they also read a lot. So if you've chosen a complex but totally fascinating book like Zadie's Smith NW, she or he might be able to share how this new classic fits into the author's other works, like White Teeth or On Beauty—all in voice guaranteed not to disturb the neighbors.