My 2023 Book Club Experience

"Books are something social. A writer speaking to a reader. So I think making the reading of a book the center of a social event, the meeting of a book club is a brilliant idea" - Yann Martel 

I’ve never been in a book club before, so this has been quite the experience for me. Not only am I in one, but I just recently joined another. The first book club is through my work. After some discussion last fall, our head cataloger in our Collections Management and Development department decided to form a book club specifically for our department and Outreach. The other is a book club through one of our local churches that a co-worker invited me to, so for this assignment I’ll be taking a look at both.

For my work book club, our head cataloger, Ashley, is our leader and will lead the discussion by asking if we’ve finished the book, and then asking for our thoughts and opinions on the book. It’s an open discussion, and we each take turns speaking. The first book we read, The Last Flight, had discussion questions at the end so we used those as a guide to open and lead the discussion. Our most recent book was a legal thriller by Graham Moore, The Holdout. Up next for us is The Maid by Nita Prose. Moore’s book did not have guided discussion questions so that discussion was a bit more open ended and freeform.

All members of book club actively participate, and no one takes over the spotlight. There may be some overlap if we all agree with what the other person is saying or, if we disagree, there might be a bit of interruption but it’s generally one person speaks, the rest of us listen, and then offer our opinions and discuss.

Questions sometimes involve yes or no answers, but we encourage each other to elaborate. Most of us are also very opinionated and outspoken so a question typically leads to more discussion rather than just a simple yes or no answer. We ask about the book, who’s read it, who hasn’t finished it, was there a particular part we enjoyed over another or didn’t understand, needed clarification on, etc.

The atmosphere of the book club is lively, with open dialogue, casual, and freedom to openly speak and express our opinions. We decided to meet once a month, focusing on a new book each month. Books that have been discussed thus far have been fiction and crime fiction, as that is a particular genre we all enjoy reading. Any genre or author is up for discussion. Except for James Patterson. We meet during the lunch hour in the breakroom, though this time can vary depending on the availability and who is in the office. Snacks and drinks are typically provided. In fact, for our department, snacks and drinks during book club are an absolute must! We are firm believers in that food brings everyone together and book club is not book club without snacks and drinks.

The second book club is the Northview Women’s Book Club through Northview Church. This book club is different from the one I am in at work in several ways. The first is that it meets once a week every week for 10 weeks instead of once a month. The other difference, from my understanding, the book club is also seasonal, meeting during the spring and fall, and taking a break during the summer because of numerous activities within and outside of the church. Another difference is that the group focuses on one book each ‘semester,’ and each week they discuss one or two chapters, or a certain number of pages. Sara will choose the book each time the club meets, and from what I have gathered from my co-worker who has been in the club before, the books will all have some type of Christian element and will be non-fiction.

Though the book club appears to be more structured, the atmosphere is relaxed, open, and welcoming to all women. It takes place within the community room at the church, and unfortunately no snacks or drinks are provided unless you bring them yourself; there was discussion among my group that we designate a snack person for each week we meet. Nothing was ever finalized, though.

As of right now there are 16 members. We’ve been divided and assigned to two discussion groups that we will belong to throughout the 10 weeks that the club meets. The first night that the group met, our leader, Sara, had us go around and introduce ourselves to one another, how we learned about and came to be in the book club, what we hope to gain from it, and what we’re looking forward to. She indicated that there would be an agenda and discussion questions each week for us to focus on during our groups, and there would be visual elements as well in terms of either a PowerPoint or video, as well as some audio elements with a podcast that accompanies the book. She also had us go over some ground rules such as what is said in group stays in group, we are there to support one another and help each other grow, keep the discussions within the time frame with 10 minutes per person for each question asked, etc.

We come together as a group in the beginning, and then Sara leads us in a quick prayer before dismissing us to meet within our discussion groups. Each group has its own designated leader, and there are set discussion questions provided to us for each time we meet. The questions range from what part of the chapter or chapters resonated with you most, what did you learn, was there something you disagreed with or found confusing, compelling, something you wanted to learn more about, etc. During the last few minutes of the group, we are brought together again and given the next week’s reading assignment and final notes and the opportunity to ask questions.

Though each of these book clubs are different, I do feel as though they will have and are having a positive impact. I’m reading genres that I know and love, and a genre that I have never read before. These book clubs allow me to connect more deeply with my co-workers, and with women who are different from me that I do not have any experience or dealings with. What was interesting to me about both book clubs though is that the women range in ages from under the age of 30 (our youngest in the church group is 28, and I am the youngest in the book club at my place of employment), but the majority of them are mothers with children or empty nesters, and a few are women who have never participated in a book club and are looking to branch outside their comfort zones to find and make new connections within a community. They are looking for community.