It’s interesting how a book can bring a group of people together.

This past Sunday, I joined the Books & Brews book club at Cottonwood Public House. The monthly book was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

The fiction novel is a popular one. It’s a part of the Reese Witherspoon book club, was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for weeks and is set to be adapted into a film sometime over the next year. The story outlines the life of Kya, a young girl who lives in the marshlands of the North Carolina coast and has a dual plot — Kya’s coming of age and a murder mystery.

A group of about 12 women of all ages sat around the couch and lounge chairs next to the dartboards and distilling equipment at Cottonwood. The group introduced each other and exchanged small talk until Lorelei Books owner Kelle Barfield got us started on the discussion of the novel. An added perk was getting 10 percent off your food or beverage order with a receipt for that month’s book from Lorelei Books.

Even though I only knew a couple of the women in the group, the common discussion of the same novel seemed to bring us all together.

I was reminded of why I loved AP English in high school as the group discussed themes in the book, whether or not the plotline was realistic and what we wished a character had or had not done. Another perk of this book club, unlike high school English, is you can still come and enjoy the discussion even if you have not finished the entire novel.

Next month’s Books & Brews novel is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. The book, also a New York Times Bestseller and film, is “a powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice – from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.”

I have not read the book yet but I look forward to getting a copy and diving in. The topic is interesting and relevant, considering the chaos and emergency situation surrounding Mississippi’s broken prison system.

For those interested in reading the book, or joining us at next month’s Books & Brews, copies are available at Lorelei Books as well as the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library.