Why I love Book Club

Have you ever wanted to be part of a book club?

Two years ago, my friend started her own informal book club and asked me if I would like to join. I jumped at the chance.

Our book club meets every two months and different members choose books for us to read. We are pretty informal and there is no stress or judgement if you miss a meeting or you haven’t read the whole book (or even started it.) We’ve changed meeting places a few times from the local pub, to coffee shops. A book club discussion is always better with a beer, wine or fancy coffee.

There have been so many benefits to being part of a book club. For me this has included:

• Getting back into reading fiction

In my busy schedule, reading fiction took a back seat. Joining the book club meant I had a commitment to read a book and reminded me how much I enjoy reading fiction and need to make time for reading for pleasure in my schedule.

• A reason to read and finish a book

Knowing the meeting is only days away is a great motivation to finish that book so that you can be a full part of the discussion. A little book club peer pressure can be a good thing.

• Reading books I would have never looked at

Having different people choose the books has been great. I’ve never been into science fiction or autobiographies, but having someone passionate about it pick the book and lead the discussion has expanded the books I look at and appreciate.

• I have discovered books and authors I love

Some of the books I enjoyed so much, I have been motivated to look up other works by the author. This takes me out of the rut of returning to books and authors I already know because I don’t want to waste my reading time.

• Recommendations of movies and TV shows

As I’ve grown to trust my book club buddies in their choice of books, I’ve also enjoyed their TV recommendations too. With so many TV show choices out there, it can be easy to overlook a real gem. We’ve also discussed how some of our favourite writers have been involved in different movies and TV shows.

• Had amazing conversations about authors, characters, genres and much more

We have a great group in our book club which leads to some awesome discussions. I love that different people will bring their knowledge and opinions to the discussion.

• Tips to access great reads

Buying every book for book club would get expensive. We have worked together to make sure everyone can have access to the books by lending each other copies, sharing borrowed books from the library and seeing if books are available on Audible and other online platforms.

Through book club, I learnt the benefit of downloading the community library app and borrowing eBooks for free. I use this all the time now and I love it!

• Made friends

It’s no secret that book club discussions often move beyond the book, and we have a great time talking to each other. Book club has been great for meeting different people who share a love of books and our friendships have grown beyond our meetings.

We also have a Facebook group for memes and thoughts between meetings.

• Book club movie nights

After reading “Crazy Rich Asians” in book club, we couldn’t miss seeing the movie together. We had dinner in the pub after and a great time dissecting the differences between the movie and book. We have other movie nights planned for the future.

Want to be part of the fun? There are many ways you can join a book club:

• Ask your local library

Community libraries often run book clubs, and my local library runs several at different times and days. For a small annual fee, the library provides the books you can borrow as a set, discussion questions and a meeting room.

• Independent bookshops

Independent bookshops are in the know about many things in the community and may have information on book clubs in the area

• Online book clubs

Don’t have time, babysitters or transport to get to get to a meeting? Try an online book club!

There are many different clubs out there meeting on different platforms.

Reese Witherspoon runs a book club called Hello Sunshine with regular updates, comments and author interviews through Instagram, Facebook and Goodreads.com. Reese always finds really interesting books and authors, including books she has made into TV shows through her production company.

Goodreads.com also hosts a number of book clubs including Emma Watson’s Our Shared Self feminist book club and Oprah’s book club (official.)

• Start your own book club

Grab a couple of friends who love to read, or put up a flyer on the community notice board or local bookshop. The great thing about starting your own book club is that you can set the tone and make it as formal or informal as you like. You can meet as often as you like and choose the meeting place.

If you love books and you love talking about books then book clubs are an amazing way to extend your interests and connect with other people. I look forward to each book club meeting and love having a reason to read some amazing books.