Is a book club (or more than one) a part of your life? If not, you’re missing out on being part of the resurgence in book clubs. As writers, we embrace the idea of others coming together to discuss books they’ve read, especially if one of those books is ours!
But the best news about this resurgence is that younger generations are finding the joys of book clubs. Recently I read two articles that explain why that’s the case and some new shapes their book clubs are taking.
Why book clubs have become a draw
An article in Dazed, a British publication, reports:
In years gone by, the phrase “book club” might have conjured up images of middle-aged women congregating in dusty, musty rooms, swigging sauv blanc and giggling over Fifty Shades of Grey, but times are changing. Book clubs are currently having a revival, with young people driving their renaissance. Gen-Z-friendly book clubs are popping up all over the world.”
In-Person Connection
The Dazed article expands on the rationale for the upswing in book clubs by offering one obvious reason: “It’s no secret we are online too much, spending an average nine hours a day looking at a screen. In addition, research published by the Prince’s Trust in 2022 found that one-third of young people say they don’t know how to make new friends while 35 per cent say they’ve never felt more alone. With this in mind, it tracks that we’re feeling drawn to in-person meet ups such as book clubs which offer us a chance to share our love of books and foster genuine connections offline.”
It’s Free, and It’s Fun
Founders of a popular book club society in the UK explain the flocking to book clubs in a straightforward way:
It’s easy, fun, and free. Plus, it’s a good place for people to meet, hang out. People wanted this. Writers want to read. It’s a nice party, primarily. It’s kind of glamorous.”
New-Fangled Ways to Do a Book Club
Some clubs are forming around topics. For example, readers who are tired of reading alone dire books about the climate crisis have formed a club with 200 members called The Hothouse Club. They tend to meet in libraries, which have become a favorite place for young people to gather, and to read a variety of books sharing opinions on ways to address the climate issues.
Celebrity Book Clubs
Of course, online options for book clubs exist as well. The popularity of BookTok has helped to spawn these book club iterations. And youthful celebrities are drawing together clubs, too.
A Mashable article on two such newly-announced book clubs points to the growth of celebrity book clubs. Model and actor Kaia Gerber formally named her club Library Science recently. Having informally started the club during the pandemic, she is adding heft and considerable personal attention to the book club through her Instagram account.
The author of the article, Meera Navlakha, reports: “…Her bookshelf has comprised of Oscar Wilde, Jia Tolentino, Marguerite Duras, Jeremy O. Harris, Kiley Reid, Tennessee Williams, and Ling Ma, encompassing genres from plays to memoirs to poetry. She has conducted interviews with writers and public figures like Lena Dunham, Jane Fonda, and Emily Ratajkowski, which have been broadcast to thousands on Instagram Live.”
Also forming an online book club is pop star Dua Lipa. She hosts “a similarly thoughtful monthly book club through her site Service 95, where she has interviewed literary noteworthies like Khaled Hosseini, Patti Smith, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,” writes Navlakha.
These two online influencers join the ranks of such popular clubs as Oprah’s, Reese Witherspoon’s, and Emma Roberts.
Book Clubs and You
Now, back to you.
Do you belong to a book club? If so, what sort of books does your group tend to choose? What makes your club unique?
If you don’t belong to a club, what do you think about forming one? You, too, can join the resurgence.
Image by Mirko Stoder from Pixabay.
Sometimes I amaze myself
at the fortitude it took
in not walking to the shelf
to take a club to hated book,
like those I was forced to read
by sadists in my middle school
who had an existential need
(and thought it would be really cool)
to foist Capote on our hearts
(In Cold Blood is not child’s play!),
and, of course, the Bronte tarts,
who’d, sadly not Wuthered away
from the literary scene,
and kept me from MAD magazine.
Very clever play on “club,” Andrew. Thanks for the smile today.
Thank YOU, Janet…and may I ask for your prayers? We have a second Great Dane coming home tonight, two in less than a month.
I belong to a book club that started a year ago. Ages range from 25 to 80 and lots in 30s there are 20 members and any given month about 12 to 15 come. We’ve read one of my books and a lot of different genres I haven’t been exposed to. The discussions can be lively and interesting or downright boring. Depends who shows up. A couple of people come whether they read the book or not for the fellowship and a couple of moms for the night out.
How did it go when the club discussed your book? You chose to be vulnerable on that one!
Thankfully they liked it. Asked lots of good questions and had a different take on some of my characters. It was the first time I’d had in person feedback. I talked about the process and took some of the yarn I’ve spun and discussed Spinning wool into yarn and ideas of my heart into stories. It went well.
Well, I used to belong to Stephanie Rische’s online book club, but she hasn’t posted for a bit. I really enjoyed the books that she picked. I haven’t picked up another book club that is in person, but I do love chatting about books with the teens that we work with at camp! It is always fun to hear about what they are reading.
Teens seem to exist in their own private sort of book club, reading material most adults don’t, and that the teens won’t once they mature.
Over 10 years ago a friend and I posted an invitation in our church bulletin to anyone interested in forming a Christian fiction book club. Nearly two dozen women responded! We meet monthly and have introduced each other to many new-to-us authors. We read one non-fiction book a year.
That’s a great way to start a club, Stephanie. Congrats on the longevity.
I belong to a book club that’s been in existence for 30 years; I’ve been a part of it for 20. We’re quite an eclectic group, and we read widely, both fiction and nonfiction. And LOTS of books we never would have thought to read until a member suggested it to us.
I’m way behind in reading and responding to this post. Yes, I actually host a Christian/clean reads book club in my home each month. We always invite the authors to Zoom with us and this has made the book club very popular. It’s so fun introducing these amazing authors to my friends and being able to promote Christian fiction. I’ve made some wonderful friends, too.
Thanks for filling us in on how your book club works, Kelly.