Dabbling in Discourse -- 'The Onion' goes Booksmart

It's sometimes daunting to join a new book club without knowing exactly into what sort of controlled chaos you're wading. Discovering whether the vibe of the group and its choices will mesh with yours is sometimes a long, occasionally embarrassing process. This, in part, is why book clubs flourish so beautifully online. Yet, web-based book discussion groups have their pitfalls, too: as open as they are to wanderers-in is as vulnerable they are to flamers, trolls and spam. What might begin as a tasteful discussion of Michael Chabon might devolve into a flame war in the blink of the refresh button.

That's why I'm glad to see the vivacious, creative discourse going on at the most unlikely of sites: The Onion. Surprised? Over the last decade the Onion's sister site--the Onion AV Club, made up of media nerds dedicated to parsing every last happening on page and screen--has upped its game and transformed itself into a formidable place for news and discussion. Their author interviews are often more illuminating (and refreshingly casual) than anything you'd read in the NY Times, and their new monthly book discussions--"Wrapped Up in Books"--have a high rate of participation and perspectives.

August's book is the incomparable Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. An apt choice, since Mitchell's newest book--The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet--dropped only a month ago and Atlas is referenced in nearly every review. Grab a copy, speed through and join the diverse conversation over at the AV Club!