So You Want to Join a Book Club…

But what book club is right for you?

You’ve probably guessed by now but I love a good book club! To gather together, have some drinks, and discuss books sounds like a great time to me. Whether you are looking to join an existing club or start your own; the key point to consider is what type of book club you want. You mean there is more than one type of book club? Indeed! And while I’m sure there are many more models than the three I’m going to discuss, we’ll consider these the basics.

The Traditional

This is the kind of book club everyone knows about. Structured around a central text, this club meets regularly to discuss a selected book. This is what most people think of when they think of a book club, hence the name. I however, have not had much luck with this design. The few times I’ve tried to start a book club with family, friends, or colleagues, the enthusiasm usually runs out the moment people don’t finish the book in time.

That is generally the barrier to entry for someone looking to join an established club. “What if I haven’t read/finished the book?”, is a common concern and in many traditional book clubs (I assume) it is a valid one. Now, I’m not putting down traditional book clubs. I have many friends who are in successful clubs where they have met new people and had a great time. However, I can only speak from my experience, which has been a failure or persistence more than anything else.

The Book Swap

Ah the book swap, my favorite type of club. I am also biased here as I regularly attend one. The premise is that you read a book (or two, or three, or…eight), bring that book to the book club where you talk about it, then into the pile it goes and you can snag a new book in return. Hence, the swap. These are very easy to join all you need is a book to contribute. Then on your next meeting you bring back any books you’ve read and/or contribute more. And on it goes like this.

What I love is the casual nature and free spirit associated with this club. I have shown up toting along 6 or 7 books and I have rolled up finishing the only book I read that month while walking up to the meeting. I also have an entire shelf (IRL and on goodreads) devoted to my book club books as I can never take just one! But how do you have discussions? Great question! More often than not someone else has read the book you brought and discussion blossoms organically around that. The discussions and feeling of friendship at my book club were a huge inspiration for me to start this blog.

The Round Robin

Think of this as the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants of books clubs. Each member starts out with a different book. They then inscribe their name in the front of the book in a specific color ink and proceed to markup the book as they read using that color. This is a reading practice known as marginalia, that has been around for centuries (check out this great article from The New Yorker). Once they are done, they send that book along to the next person and receive a new book from someone else, complete with all the notes from previous readers.

This is one club I have yet to participate in but I am eager to try it out. In my opinion, this kind of club is ideal for fiends who can’t meet in person (even in non COVID times) but want to share their love of reading. However, in this day and age, virtual meetings are always possible. So if you decide to try out this club, think about adding a monthly check in and a final (maybe in person) meeting to talk about all the books before selecting the next set.

So How Do I Decide?

You try things out, do what feels right for you, and most importantly have fun! There is no wrong way to book club. I have a cousin who is reading one book with her friends and they discuss a chapter each week; and I am hoping to start a “webinar-style” club at work, where I will sit in discussion with colleagues while people tune-in to listen. If you are having a good time and talking about books it’s a book club. And if you bring books to talk about and end up drinking wine and talking about life for 90% of the time then it’s still a book club. I say on the about page of this blog that I believe literature brings people together and can act as a medium to find greater understanding. This is the fundamental basis for any book club; common ground, a lively discussion, and maybe (usually) a bottle of wine.