Joining a Book Club–A Great Decision for So Many Reasons!

Several years ago, a good friend of mine invited me to do something I had never considered doing. She invited me to join her book club. I have always enjoyed a good book but was never a voracious reader. What exactly I was thinking at the time I don’t remember, but I took her up on her offer and haven’t looked back!

Why I am discussing this here and now? This isn’t some bizarre, esoteric activity. It does, however, tie in to my current goals and themes of making life better. The purpose of this blog has morphed into a “things I do to help create a full, healthy life.” Certainly I want these things to include strange, unique, new, and challenging activities. Nevertheless, there is a big role that the seemingly more “mundane” activities can play in our lives on so many levels

The book club has changed a bit over the years, mainly due to the pandemic. Initially, one member of the group would choose a book, and a different member who happened to be working at one of the local libraries would pick up a “book club kit” which would include multiple copies of the book as well as a discussion guide. We often would have the book chosen before meeting to discuss the previous book, so that at each book club gathering, we would get a copy of the next book.

My community is very fortunate to have a library that strongly supports book clubs. (I have benefitted from my library in multiple ways over the years. Check some of them out. These include a TEDx event, learning about foreign policy, and more.) It has many titles available in multiple copies for just this purpose as well as the related discussion guides. Occasionally a member of the group would “go rogue” and choose a book not from the list. The challenge would be getting copies through inter-library loan. It always worked out. The available books have changed over the years. This has been great because, honestly, there were some books on the book club shelves that I simply had no desire to read.

When we would meet for book club, we actually would discuss the book. Of course, we did have snacks and beverages, but that wasn’t the whole thing. (My kids loved it when I hosted because they knew that they would get access to the evening’s treats.) It always made for a great night.

When the pandemic hit, things got tweaked. Book club continued, but, honestly, (for obvious reasons) it wasn’t the same. We moved book club onto Facebook. The woman who took charge of continuing the club would post a choice of two books (with some description) each month. We would vote, and whichever book got the most votes was the winner. Some of us would read the actual paper book. Some checked out the e-book version, and others listened to audiobooks. Our discussion was on-line. Although I frequently read the book, I did not always participate in the on-line discussion. Honestly, typing in my thoughts felt like work more than fun.

Now that we are leaving our homes again, book club is back in person. We initially just met and spaced ourselves out in backyards, but now we are back to more normal gatherings (which is a good thing since it is winter and I live in the Chicago area.) I am always looking forward to book club where we still talk about the books as well as eat snacks and talk about whatever else comes up. It’s a nice balance of book talk and whatever else comes up talk.

Why does this matter? There have been so many benefits to participating in a book club, and I highly recommend that you try joining on.

Through book club, I have read books I would never have otherwise chosen. This has completely taken me out of my previous reading habits. Most of the books I have read are those I would have never previously considered such as “Honor” by Thrity Umrigar and “This is How it Always Is” by Laurie Frankel, two completely different but amazing books that allowed me to see things from a completely new perspective. Admittedly, there have been some books that I simply decided not to read. For example, sometimes when one of the choices would deal with a family tragedy, it would just be a hard pass. There would be times when of the two choices of books, I would read the one I preferred despite which one won the vote.

By participating in a book club, I have been exposed to completely new sets of adventures, experiences, and ideas. Not all of the books have been winners (even the ones no one liked led to good discussions), but there have been so many that I REALLY enjoyed that I would have never previously even noticed or considered. (As a bonus, my book club friends have provided great recommendations for other books to read when we are between club books. Some of the most recent ones I have read on their recommendations are “Going Zero” by Anthony McCarten and “The Maid” by Nita Prose. Some people use Goodreads to help choose books; I just ask people I know for suggestions.)

Book club helps me stay on track with reading on a regular basis. There is a deadline—the day we meet for book club! I always enjoy going, but if I don’t want the end of the book ruined, I need to finish it! There have been some books where I realized that I didn’t care enough about it or enjoy it enough to bother completing it. One perk of a book club is that it is OK not to finish! There is no grade. There is no formal responsibility. I don’t HAVE to read the book. Admittedly, I have gone to some of the book club gatherings solely for the socialization. I also have not gone a few times because I really wanted to read or finish a book without it being ruined. This most recently occurred for the book “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus (great book!). This was not part of the library’s book club selection. By the time I was able to get hold of a copy, there was no way I would be able to finish it in time.

Of course, one of the highlights of book club is the social aspect. When I joined the book club, I knew some of the women (with a few husbands there occasionally). I have since had the chance to enjoy meeting and spending time with some new, wonderful people. We see each other on a regular basis and always have something to talk about! (How often can you say that about some of your other friends.)

Not only have I met new people, but participating is simply a nice way to get out of the house and do something just for fun. It’s a nice reprieve in a crazy world. With our busy schedules, I really value the opportunity to put something on my calendar which is for pure, simple, easy enjoyment, plus reading the book provides additional enjoyment between get-togethers.

As opposed to when you just read for yourself, when you read knowing that you will discuss, you are more likely to think more about what you are reading (but in a low stress, there-is-no-paper-to-write kind of way). The actual discussion also helps you think about the story in different ways by hearing and then discussing others’ input and thoughts.

Without a doubt, participating in book club in good for the brain on so many levels. As mentioned, I have expanded my horizons when it comes to book topics. I think more about what I am reading. Discussions are active, not passive endeavors. Plus, through these books, we simply learn new information. This information may be basic facts. It may be understanding new perspectives. We have the chance to experiences different times, different places, different cultures, different viewpoints, and different possibilities (especially with some of the science fiction books).

Sometimes the books even inspire us to learn more about a topic mentioned in the text. One of my favorite books we have read (I am still patting myself on the back for this because it is a book I chose for the club a few years ago) was “The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” by Jonas Jonasson. While reading, I was frequently looking up information on topics mentioned in the book. (It is a good thing I wasn’t reading on a beach because I was using technology a lot to look stuff up. Sand would have gotten in the way.)

The most recent book we read was “The Violin Conspiracy” by Brendan Slocumb. This book is actually part of this year’s One Book One Community program. The idea for One Book One Community is to bring together many readers in the community who utilize several area libraries and encourage them to read the same book and attend related programs. These programs include book discussions, movie screenings, other talks and presentations on related subjects, and even an in-person author event! (Although I am not available to attend most of the related programs, I am really looking forward to attending the author talk with some other members of my book club later this month!) I am a big fan of lifelong learning!

What have we learned here? Being part of a book club has multiple benefits:

First, it’s fun! I enjoy being a part of one; that is the main reason I actively participate.

It supports our social/emotional health. (With some of the tasty snacks, it may not be quite as good for our physical health.)

Our brains are challenged; participation helps keep many areas of our brains active. It expands our horizons.

It can even help us organize our time since deadlines (in a low stress setting) are involved.

If you have not done so yet, I highly recommend joining a book club. It is an activity that just about epitomizes low risk with high reward! I would love for you to reply and share your thoughts and experiences with a book club!