The act of reading is often solitary in nature, but it need not be. Reading books together can help forge connections and build a sense of community. Two upcoming events in Charlotte underscore how reading can be a social experience. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Book Club Madness month-long event provides Charlotte’s many book clubs with an opportunity to participate a community-wide competition, and the annual Read Aloud Rodeo helps children experience the joy of hearing picture books being read aloud.
I contacted Maggie Bean, the Director of Marketing and Communications with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, and I asked her for more information about Book Club Madness. Here is what she sent to me:
This March, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation is once again turning page-turners into point-scorers with the return of Book Club Madness, a free, community-wide competition that transforms local book clubs into friendly rivals.
Now in its fourth year, Book Club Madness runs March 4 – 24 and invites book clubs (and even solo readers) across Mecklenburg County to compete in library and reading challenges. Participants earn points by visiting Library branches, checking out books and e-books, engaging with Library staff and completing themed activities. Scores are tallied as two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws, with even a playful “technical foul” in the mix.
Members must register online by March 2 to participate.
Grand prize winners will receive a table for up to ten at the Library Foundation’s annual Verse & Vino gala, as well as a group workshop package from SkillPop and weekly prizes from local bookstores Park Road Books, Main Street Books and Troubadour Booksellers.
And this year brings something new.
Responding to participant requests to connect beyond email and leaderboards, the Foundation is launching its first ever in-person Book Club Madness event: Not So Heated Rivalries, taking place Saturday, March 21 at 2 p.m. at SouthPark Regional Library.
The live event brings the March Madness bracket to life (but with books instead of basketballs.) Book clubs will go head-to-head in “book battles,” each team delivering a short pitch for a favorite title as audience members vote to decide which books advance. The competition continues until one champion is crowned. Attendees can expect audience voting, giveaways, refreshments and bonus Book Club Madness points.
Learn more at https://foundation.cmlibrary.org/events/book-club-madness/not-so-heated-rivalries/
The third annual Read Aloud Rodeo, a read-aloud story-time event, will take place at Park Road Books (4139 Park Road) from noon to 1:30 on Saturday, February 28, 2026. At the Read Aloud Rodeo, children’s authors, local educators and literacy advocates will participate in a marathon reading of picture books aloud to children.
The Read Aloud Rodeo is tied to the National Education Association’s Read Across America Week, which traditionally kicks off on the second day of March in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. For more information about Read Across America Week, please click on the following link: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/read-across-america
I invite everyone to participate in these book-related events. As I see it Book Club Madness and the Read Aloud Rodeo are but two of many ways in which the good people of Storied Charlotte can come together over good books.