It’s often been said that reading is an adventure. Books can take you places you never imagined, from the dark heart of Africa to a space odyssey. Oak Harbor readers have chosen a book for “Oak Harbor Reads” that reflects that sense of adventure in the retelling of one of the greatest explorations in history.

“Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West,” by the late historian Stephen Ambrose will be the topic of several community book discussion groups over the next few weeks.

Linda McNamara, co-chair of the Oak Harbor Reads project, said the book was selected by popular vote late last year. Other choices suggested by the committee were “All Over But the Shoutin’,” by former New York Times reporter Rick Bragg; “Bean Trees,” by Barbara Kingsolver; “Duane’s Depressed,” by Larry McMurtry; and “Bell Canto,” by Ann Patchett.

McNamara said several hundred ballots were returned in the second annual event, an indication that interest in the mass reading group is growing.

Sponsored by Sno-Isle Library Foundation, Friends of the Library and Island Thrift, Oak Harbor Reads was modeled after a similar event in Seattle. Now, community reading groups have sprung up all over the country.

“Last year was wonderful,” McNamara said. “There were more people involved than we expected.”

Last year’s book was “Bellwether,” by Connie Willis, who capped the event with an appearance and book signing at the library.

“Undaunted Courage” is a challenging book, McNamara said, and she confesses she is only about half way through it.

“It seemed very, well, daunting,” she said, “but it’s excellent. You can really imagine yourself on the expedition.”

The selection was also timely, as this year marks the 200th anniversary of the seminal cross country exploration.

Friends of the Library donated 40 copies of the book to the Oak Harbor library to supplement the 20 copies already on hand.

Librarian Mary Campbell reported that all copies are currently checked out.

Perhaps people are still making their way through the epic tale of the epic journey, as only a handful of people showed up at Thursday’s first book discussion at the library.

Participant Dorothy Naas said she read the book sometime ago, as she is an avid fan of the expedition.

“I’ve always been extremely interested in Lewis and Clark,” she said.

She liked Ambrose’s version of the exploration, and called it an interesting and well written book.

“There are a lot of details,” she said. She came to the group discussion hoping to meet people with similar interests. While the group was small, participant Leona McKee did share her interest.

She had also read the book prior to its selection.

“I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I’m a history buff.”

The discussion, led by librarian Chari McRill, ranged from how the exploration party treated Indians to the types of food they ate along the way.

McRill had a set of discussion questions ready, in case the conversation lagged. They included, “What are some of the elements that can make a nonfiction book ‘read like fiction?’ Does Undaunted Courage have those elements?,” and “Should the book have focused more narrowly on the actual journey of the explorers?”

These and other questions will be pondered and discussed for the rest of the month at subsequent discussion groups.

Talk all about it:

There’s still time to join the discussion of “Undaunted Courage.” Future discussions will be held March 10, 7 p.m. at the Oak Harbor Library, March 16, 2 p.m. at Solid Ground, March 17, 2 p.m. at Skagit Valley College Whidbey Island campus student lounge, March 24, 2 p.m. at Daily Grind, and April 1, 5:30 p.m. at Big Cup Coffee.

Ambrose’s daughter Stephenie Ambrose-Tubbs will speak on her father’s book Saturday, April 3, 11 a.m to 1 p.m. at a continental breakfast at the library, and at 7 p.m. that day at the Island County Historical Museum in Coupeville. She has also written a sort of modern-day sequel, “The Lewis and Clark Companion: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Voyage of Discovery,” based on the 20 summers her family spent retracing the famous route.