A small Kitsilano book club, matched by taste.

Kitsilano reads more than its beach reputation suggests. The Kitsilano branch of the Vancouver Public Library sits on Macdonald Street just south of Broadway, and West Broadway carries two good bookshops: Kidsbooks, a Kitsilano fixture since the 1980s with a generous adult section behind the picture books, and Tanglewood Books near Vine, a used shop for first editions and out-of-print finds.

Further west on 4th Avenue, just short of Alma, Banyen Books & Sound has been part of the street since 1970, and Kestrel Books, a few doors along, keeps tens of thousands of used and rare volumes and a shop cat. An afternoon spent between the two is a fair way to choose a circle's next title.

For meeting, the options are easy. The library and the Kitsilano Community Centre on Larch Street are simple landmarks, Kitsilano Neighbourhood House on West 7th anchors the community, and in dry months the grass above Kits Beach or a bench in Tatlow Park works just as well. The 99 B-Line runs along Broadway and the 4 and 84 follow 4th Avenue, so most members can cross the neighbourhood without a car.