Welcome to Writes & Bites — a series where Creative Writing MFA student Arianna Gundlach will periodically review a place in New York City you could write at and tackle a writing topic that has been weighing on your mind. This week we look at the Book Club Bar located at 197 E Third St. in the East Village.
Hello, darling readers and writers. I’ve been expecting you.
With finals and projects and the fall semester all wrapping up this week, you deserve a special treat. This is the last Writes & Bites of the semester, so I better make it a good one. Thank you for reading, enjoying, and playing along with my writer antics, and with that let’s get into what you’re really here for.
While the Second Avenue station on the F line doesn’t smell delightful, push yourself to climb out of the subway (instead of going right back home) into the winter air that’s starting to smell like snow, as Lorelai Gilmore would say. I hope you have your hat and gloves handy. Make your way to East Third Street and find the small-town-vibe wooden sign that marks the spot of Book Club Bar.
The black-and-white storefront welcomes you in with a dose of holiday cheer from the giant red bows on the long, frosted windows to the lit-up garlands and wreaths at the bar and along the bookshelves. You would expect “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to be playing, but surprisingly — though not disappointingly — there are revving guitars and drum solos belonging to alternative, punk, and indie styles instead.
Book Club is a café, bar, and bookstore all rolled into one — which is a lot to pull off, but the venue certainly tries. When you step inside, you’re met with the bar, which seats about ten with plush burgundy stools, and two high tables to the left. Wander farther in and discover the bookstore-living room section complete with comfy armchairs, oriental rugs, piled-high bookshelves, and even a reading nook bench in the far-right corner.
I’d recommend the leather armchairs for sinking into a good book, a stool in the front at a high table for conversation, and one of the small round tables in the back for honing in on your work. The bar is a viable option, but it’s a little too up close and “peopley” for me. Seating is limited, so don’t pass up the opportunity even if there’s only a middle table left in the back, and you have to squish onto a stool between the people on your left and right.
And if you’re willing to brave the weather, there’s seating outside the storefront and through the back door in their garden area. Keep in mind all books taken outside must have already been purchased at the bar.
After you’ve secured a seat with a coat or a bag, you can head to the bar to place your order. Purchases in the form of food, beverage, or books are required to stay in the space. Book Club offers a standard selection of coffee, tea, some soft drinks and juice, beer, wine, and literary-themed cocktails (e.g. “Murder on the Orient Espresso Martini”). You can pair one of these beverages with a snack, including croissants, scones, muffins, cookies, brownies, and chips — most have tasty variations to choose from.
Before you pay, the barista takes the time to make the drink in front of you, adding a personal touch that chains like Starbucks just don’t have time for. For coffee, they pour the steamed milk impressively high like Moroccan mint tea and then drizzle it low into a foamy leaf that’s worthy of a picture. Drinks come in solid, white cups with saucers and pastries come on saucers of their own with a folded burgundy napkin. This is not a place if you’re just looking for something to go, and if you are, I bet spending some time inside will change your mind.
When you return to one of the small tables in the far-left, red-brick corner, because someone beat you to the last cozy armchair, you realize there’s barely enough room on the table for your food, drink, laptop, and elbows. I believe this is by design, especially with Book Club’s laptop policy: “No laptops after 6pm. Please share the space! Limit laptop usage to 90 minutes. Please note there is no public WiFi.” And as you might have guessed, there are no outlets in sight either — however, according to Book Club’s website, there are limited outlets around…somewhere.
But don’t let that discourage you. This policy provides a unique opportunity to unplug from your devices and get back to writing by hand, reading a physical book, or catching up with a friend face-to-face.
To preserve this atmosphere, the whole store is set in a warm glow that puts you in the mood to read a book, which I imagine is very intentional since there are gorgeous books on every shelf just waiting to be bought. If you’re indecisive, check out the staff recommendations or take a chance on one of the blind date books. The fiction section is the largest, but there are so many genres to explore — I’m sure you’ll come away with something.
And if you’re not coming away with a book, maybe you’ll pick up some cute merch among the tote bags, candles, beanies, puzzles, notebooks, and mugs.
While Book Club’s shelves are spilling with tantalizing new reads, you’re bound to run into some old favorites. You’ll smile at the picture book you asked your parents to read you over and over again, night after night. You’ll pick up the high fantasy book that you escaped into during every free minute of middle school and still feel the same spark just by running your fingers over the raised metallic lettering. You’ll side-eye that one will-they-won’t-they YA book (you know the one) that made you tingle inside for the first time, your cheeks blushing and your eyes darting away nervously.
All these books are a part of you — your story — your textual lineage. And you can make them count as a writer if you know how.
A common sentiment among us writers, especially those writing for children and teens (like me), is the want to make readers feel the same way we did when we first discovered one of our favorite books. Or we want to write the book that our younger self needed, whether this means diverse representation, a reaffirming message, more or less spice, or just a completely enveloping escape from reality.
We want to do the same for our readers because they deserve the best after all. To accomplish these sentiments, you have to examine how the author accomplished making a book your favorite. Maybe you really resonated with the protagonist, or the world was somewhere you always wanted to be, or the love-triangle trope had you swooning page after page. Regardless, the how is very important.
At the very least, there are four areas of the how to consider: characters, plot, worldbuilding, and genre. Starting with character, was it the protagonist that sucked you in or was it the side character like the charismatic best friend or the irresistible love interest? If it was the protagonist, dissect the perspective: was it written in first person or close third? Did the protagonist have a physicality that resonated with you, or was it their interiority?
For me, a good book has a strong mix of compelling plot and character. I can’t suffer through stubbornly character-driven literary fiction, and I get lost in the twists and turns of severe genre writing that neglects its characters. I know not all of you are plotters; some of you find it thrilling to write into the unknown, but maybe the unknown at least has some blurry shapes and edges.
So when examining plot, think about how high the stakes are. How soon into the book was the inciting incident (the event that disrupts the status quo)? Where were the rises and falls, and how are these built up or let down? Pay attention to the rest time in between and how long the author sits in the climax. Did the ending leave you on a cliffhanger or give you a resolution in some way? Most importantly, think about how these maneuvers made you feel and if they felt predictable (in a satisfying way or not).
Worlds are mostly determined by the genre you’re writing, whether it’s speculative (fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian), contemporary, or historical fiction — which I consider a whole other kind of beast to write and research. Even if the world was speculative, did it have touchstones from the world we know? And even if the world was contemporary, how was it defined and differentiated from what you consider the everyday world? The little details that sharpen the world are what count the most.
Of course, consider the tropes you love (or perhaps the tropes you can’t stand): enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, the love triangle, the chosen one, good vs. evil, and all that other good stuff. Don’t shy away from using these in your work because they’re now part of an oversaturated market. Think instead about how you can lend a new perspective or add a new twist.
So when you find yourself at Book Club Bar, pick up a new read but also revisit some old favorites. Remind yourself what they did for you at the time you first came to love them. Jot down some notes to that effect, then whisper a little thank you before returning them to the shelf.
And don’t worry, I won’t be gone for long. Writes & Bites will be back in the new year. Until then, keep writing, my darlings.
Book Club Bar
197 E Third St.
(646) 678-4160
| Commute 25 minutes from the UC via subway (F). | Hours Sun-Wed: 9 a.m.-12 a.m. Thurs-Sat: 9 a.m-1 a.m. |
| Tech Laptop-tolerant with exceptions (see “Be Aware” below). Laptops permitted Mon-Fri. No Wi-Fi. Limited outlets. Accepts credit cards and tappable pay. | Layout Outdoor seating in the front. Indoor seating by the bar/at the bar and in the bookstore-living room area. More outdoor seating through the back door in the garden area. Bathrooms are downstairs. |
| Gems Bookstore-café-bar combo; open late; literary-themed cocktails; cute merch; attractive selection of books; evening events. | Noise Level Somewhat noisy. |
| Atmosphere Limited indoor seating – may need to be willing to squish. Alternative music set at reasonable volume. Warm, intimate lighting that will make you want to pick up a book. | Rating 2/4 Stars – based on New York Times star system: “ratings range from zero to four stars. Zero is poor, fair or satisfactory. One star, good. Two stars, very good. Three stars, excellent. Four stars, extraordinary.” |
| Be Aware No laptops after 6 p.m. Laptop usage at tables is limited to 90 minutes. Purchases are required to stay in the space. No outside food or drink permitted. Chilly inside with the front door cracked and ceiling fans running. |