I’ve been trying to think of ways to expand my social life and I’ve seen some posts online promoting local book clubs.
I’m tempted to check them out but I actually have no idea what to expect since I’ve never heard anything about them other than them being mentioned in sitcoms and stuff.
Has anyone here attended a book club before? What was it like? What do you even do at a book club?
by Yeastov
12 Comments
At the one I belong to through work, we take it in turns to select a book each month. The chooser then prepares a few questions or topics for discussion, and we sit there for an hour having a chat. And that’s it basically. It does get me reading some books that I wouldn’t normally try.
You discuss interpretations of narrative books, as well as lessons learned from non-fictional. Discussions will really differ based on the nature of it!
I think what has always detracted me from book clubs, however, is the fact that it sort of places you into a position to have to read a certain book. They’re great for those who need that extra motivation to try more books, but I tend to like what I like.
I am part of a bookclub that meets once a month and I love it.
Do I love the books chosen? Not really, but for me, discussing the book often helps me understand it more and makes it memorable. I would probably be able to talk more intelligently about an average bookclub read than a 5 star read of my own choosing! The social aspect is also really nice, it’s a fairly low effort commitment and has been a more comfortable way for me to make adult friends.
It varies a lot so if you want to join one, make sure you get a feel for the style first. Some book clubs are basically just excuse to get together and socialise and actually reading the book and/or discussing it in any real detail is optional. Others might take things a lot more seriously and turning up without having done the reading and having something to say about it would be a faux pas.
Similarly, some book clubs focus on different kinds of books. If you want to read light-hearted romance novels but the rest of the club are really into postmodernism, you’re not going to have an enjoyable time.
They’re awkward weapons to wield but the extra chance to cause papercuts helps a bit.
I’m part of two and they’re both different. The first is a remotely run by my job through Teams. There are two main organizers and they select a handful of genres. We vote on genre and once genre is selected we recommend books, and then vote on book. We meet for about an hour every 4-6 weeks and give our overall opinion (thumbs up/thumbs down) and then the organizers ask discussion questions.
My other book club is just a small group of my close friends, we take turns recommending and choosing books. We also meet every 4-6 weeks, usually for brunch. We don’t prep questions or anything, it’s more of a social gathering, sometimes we talk a lot about the book and sometimes we only talk about it for five minutes. My mom is in a similar book club but with a larger group of ladies, and they usually meet for dinner every month. They elect a person to pick a book each time, whereas my ladies group is more democratic – we pick what we want but once in awhile someone will go “hey we haven’t picked my book in awhile” which is helpful when we struggle to decide which we often do.
I’ve also been part of a book club in the past that took turns hosting and did themed meals based around food in the books. That was cool but some of the main hosts moved/had babies/got busy and it fizzled because nobody else was that committed.
I’ve been in the same book group for 18 years now (just did the maths and realised how old we all are!). We meet up at one another’s houses in turn and have snacks and wine. One person chooses the book and researches the author and does a little presentation and then we all discuss it. Afterwards, we chat – and we have one meet up a year which is just social with no books! We all have different taste and there’s never an absolute consensus (except with one or two that everyone hated). It’s interesting
I’ve seen lots of new chapters of the Silent Book Club pop up. You meet at a restaurant and bring whatever book you’re reading. Mine has a silent hour of reading and then you introduce yourself and tell what you’re reading. Maybe see if you have one near you!
Otherwise I’ve joined a few in person and online.
I’ve never been part of a book club, but as an author I’ve been to speak at them. They sort of dissect character motivations and scenes, discuss imagery. I find some are more literary than others – some are just a group of people drinking wine and talking about a book they read and what they liked/disliked about it.
My library system has several different book clubs that meet online via zoom. Maybe something like that would be a good way to try one? I’ve been tempted to join, but I’m shy and think I’d feel under pressure to come up with something to say.
I’m in a book club with some coworkers, and we keep it pretty low-key: we eat some snacks, discuss the book we all (or at least most of us) read, then talk about other books we’re reading, then throw out some suggestions for the next book. Later that week, one of us makes a Google form and we vote on the next book. Some book clubs are much more formal and go into more analysis, though.
I said this before: even if you like being with the people in your book club, it can still be a challenge if (1) the types of books they’re reading are radically different from your preference and (2) the type of discussion isn’t what you like to do. If you don’t enjoy the book the club is reading, you will have less time to read what you enjoy.