Why I'm Glad I Joined a Book Club

October book club.

This past spring, I decided to join a neighborhood book club that had just started up. I haven’t been in a club like this one since my first attempt around 20 years ago, when my kids were still toddlers. I left that one disappointed because I had shown up alone, having read the book, only to find out it was more of a social event than a book club. It discouraged me from joining any others, and I decided to just read for pleasure on my own. 

Since I work from home, I’ve been trying to get out at least once a week for a social engagement so I don’t hermit too much. I attended the first book club meeting in March, and we read Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. The book was not on my radar, but I was happy to find it available on the Libby app so I could read it for free on my Kindle in plenty of time before the meeting. Our small group had a great discussion on the book , which is a modern-day family drama in the vein of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. One person at the meeting did not like the first few chapters, so she stopped reading it. In fact, at each of our meetings, there are one or two people who either give up on the book or can’t finish it. Attendees are welcome whether they finish the book or not, and it’s refreshing to hear all perspectives. 

The next book we read (we try to meet every other month) was None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, a suspense/thriller that drew a lively discussion. I offered to host the next meeting, and I happened to mention how much I liked the book The Guncle by Stephen Rowley. The group decided they wanted to read it, too, so I spent more time on refreshments since I'd already read the book. I set out a brunch theme and might have gotten a little too carried away with the mini quiches, muffins, fruit, and mimosas, but I saved the leftovers and had plenty to munch on the rest of that week. 

From there, we ventured into Weyward by Emilia Hart, and the strong themes of feminism inspired the group (we mostly have women and one man in the club). We decided to meet in September and October so we could do a spooky theme, and again the group selected a book I had already read so I got off easy! We met last week to discuss The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix which again had a strong feminist theme (and a lot of body horror!) 

Here are a few things I’ve noticed since joining this group:

1. I’ve read such a great variety of books, not only in our selections but in other ones that come up in conversation, such as The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Without being around other readers I probably wouldn’t have explored these other titles on my own. It’s been nice to broaden my horizons. 

2. There’s one book that keeps coming up as a possible choice, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, but there are a few members who are convinced it is some sort of octopus love story (it is literary fiction). I read it and loved it, but I still laugh every time someone brings it up and it gets shouted down. 

3. I think we may have scared a new member off this past month. It was her first time attending, and she tentatively asked if we often read titles like The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires or if it was selected specifically for Halloween. We assured her most of the books we read won’t cause you to have nightmares full of cockroaches, rats, and vampires. 

4. You can put out all the snacks, desserts, mixed drinks, and charcuterie boards in the world but nothing disappears faster than the bottles of red wine at book club. 

5. If you’re savvy, and in more than one book club like one of our members, you can double dip your titles and read the same book for both. This has happened to her twice and she felt like she hit the book jackpot.

Another added benefit of my book club is that I attracted some new listeners to my podcast! 

Do you belong to a book club? How do you select your titles? What do you like or not like about it? I'd love to hear your stories!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and aspiring novelist who also produces the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.