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If you do a basic Google search about the benefits of joining a book club, you’ll likely already be aware that the reasons to join one are positive and plentiful. You get to meet people. You might expand your horizons by reading books you’d routinely not pick for yourself.

There might even be a bit of enlightenment of other points of view when a group discusses a book. Not surprising either is that the history of book clubs and book discussions in America goes back a few hundred years. In 1727, Benjamin Franklin created a literary discussion group, Junto, which was a group of 12 men, who met weekly for discussion of items read during the week, whether political, literary or philosophical. Women formed their own literary discussion groups not long after in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s meeting together to discuss their own writings, poetry of the day, and, eventually books.

So what can be done to shake up the format of the traditional book discussion group? What about those who already attend a traditional book club, but love the idea of a different and new kind of discussion. Well, here at the Granville Public Library, it was decided that the best way to make a book club even better would be to make the entire focus of the club to be on food! Instead of discussing the latest suspenseful novel, examine a new cookbook. And what is the best way to determine if a current cookbook is a good one? Well, testing its recipes, of course!

Wendy Bittel and Lucy Chin Parker, the Community Engagement staff here at the Granville Public Library, created Granville’s Test Kitchen. This new kind of book discussion group debuted during the month of January and was a tasty success. It functions like a book club but with salty, sweet, savory and spicy thrown in to jazz things up.

Here’s how it works. Each month, a cookbook is selected. The library gathers a number of copies of that title for those interested in attending the book club. The book is available for checkout the month before the book will be discussed. Each person planning to attend takes a look through that month’s book selection and makes one of the recipes in the book and brings it to the discussion. In addition to getting to try a number of the recipes in the book, the group discusses the merits of the recipes, the writing of the instructions and, for anyone who loves a good cookbook, if there are enough pictures of the recipes to make the book interesting. What results is a fun potluck where the attendees get to talk and try new dishes.

The book for the March meeting of Granville’s Test Kitchen is Milk Street by Christopher Kimball. Please ask at the checkout desk if you are interested in attending. It will be a delicious experience!

Anita Carroll is director of the Granville Public Library. Visit the library online at www.GranvilleLibrary.org and www.facebook.com/granville

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