Introducing Jersey Collective Reads

and our selection for January!

Introducing Jersey Collective Reads, a monthly “book club” featuring work set in or about New Jersey. Book club is in quotes because the program is designed to be as easy and as low-stakes as possible. We will feature one selection a month–sometimes a book and other times essays, longform journalism pieces, or short stories–and host a virtual event with the author. 

You won’t have to read the books ahead of time to enjoy the events (but of course you’re encouraged to)! We’re hosting Zoom-based events to keep it accessible to all, no matter where you’re based. We will also host  some in-person casual meetups and outings that pair nicely with book selections throughout the year, so you can connect with other New Jersey booklovers in person. 

Jersey Collective Reads will promote homegrown books and authors. The books we’ll feature will be a mix of fiction and non-fiction, new releases and backlist titles, on a variety of subjects, from presses big and small. I have very eclectic tastes, but I’m not choosing the titles alone–I’ve teamed up with Courtney Preiss, an Asbury Park-based writer and creative director. Her debut novel WELCOME HOME, CAROLINE KLINE is about baseball and recovery on the Jersey Shore, and is forthcoming from Putnam/Penguin Random House next year. You can find her on Twitter + Instagram: @cocogolightly.

You already know I’m into books—I edited one!—but you may or may not know that I’m a full time public librarian. I have years of experience hosting author events and book discussions, and I’ve experienced them from an author’s point of view, too.

I’m really excited to bring you a series of New Jersey-themed literary events this year. If you’ve never attended a literary event before, all you need to know is we’ll be asking questions and talking to interesting people who made some kind of work about our state. Even if you think you don’t like reading or talking about books, I think you’ll be interested in these conversations, which are going to be casual and fun and enlightening.

Our January selection

Our first pick for January is THE SHORE by Katie Runde!

Why we picked it

Kerri says: I like the idea of talking about THE SHORE in January, because you might hear the title and see the cover and think it’s a “summer” book, but if you’re looking for something breezy and unchallenging to read on the beach, this isn’t that kind of story. THE SHORE tells the story of the Dunne family–Brian, who is dying of brain cancer; his wife Margot, who is trying to balance managing their rental properties with care-taking and parenting; their eldest daughter Liz, who is navigating a summer fling; and their youngest daughter Evy, who is harboring some secrets. The New York Times Book Review says, “The Shore is never sentimental; it is absorbing, lucid and true. Anyone who has lost someone by inches will recognize the struggle to push through despair and affirm the dogged endurance of love."

Courtney says: Katie Runde accomplishes so much with one novel, one summer, and the perspectives of three New Jersey women. THE SHORE is an unflinching examination of family, illness, and grief braided with some of the most electric descriptions of youth, first love, and the Jersey Shore I’ve ever come across in fiction. I claimed page 48 of the novel as my unofficial song of summer last year, but my fixation with the Dunne family wasn’t just a seasonal fling. The unforgettable heart in this book and the disarming tenderness of these characters have stayed with me long past Labor Day. 

Attend our chat with the author

Register to join us for a fun discussion with the author on Zoom on Thursday, January 19 at 7:00 PM EST.

If you want to read the book before hand, get it from your favorite New Jersey bookseller, from Bookshop.org, or borrow it from your local library.

If you don’t have time to read it but want to come a little prepared, learn more about Katie Runde and the book by watching this News12 clip or reading this interview.

Since you already get our newsletter, you are now on the JCR list! (You can manage your subscription settings if you don’t want to get JCR emails, but I hope you’ll stick around.)