Disclaimer: This is all in good fun. I am not being mean or bashing book clubs. This is a discussion post, and I love that we all have different thoughts and ideas. It's what makes the world go round.
The Good Side To Books Clubs
It helps you get out of your reading comfort zone.
Getting out of your reading comfort zone can be scary. When you have friends that enjoy the same books you do, they can introduce you to new genres. You know you can trust their taste so it makes it easier to give it a try.
You get to try a book you might have never picked up for yourself, and love it.
There may be a book that you haven't heard of. Sometimes a member will pick an old hidden gem, and you wouldn't of known about this amazing book if it wasn't for them.
You get to talk books with friends!
I mean there isn't much to say about this but YAY
You meet new people that you already have something in common with.
The only person I have in my life that loves to read is my husband and its great, but with his job he doesn't get to read much. Being a member of a book club allows me to meet new people, and we already have reading in common. Finding friends that love to read is hard for me. Meeting other bookworms is a win in my book.
Making Time For Yourself & Your Hobby
It's hard making time for yourself, I know a lot of us struggle with it. Most of the time I don't realize how desperately I need some me time, until I am yelling at no one in particular about why I cant find my favorite pair of socks. Yeah it happens right? Being a member of a book club enforces you to take time to read. When you go to the meeting it gets you out of the house to discus something you enjoy.
When The Book Club Isn't The Right Fit.
Here are some of my PERSONAL problems I have had lately with the book clubs I am in,
No One Ever Wants To Pick YA
Well no one EVER picks YA. When it was my turn to pick a book I picked a YA read., The person over the book club asked me to pick another one. Why is it that I must "broaden my horizons" but people refuse to read a "younger" genre?
We Are Suppose To Pick Different Types Of Books Right?
Everyone pretty much picks the same genre. It's either A.) a thriller or B.) historical fiction. I understand that these are great books to pick for a book club. These genres have great conversational points, but they start to feel repetitive to me.
When You Never Get Into The Book
Do you ever feel like you never enjoy the book? I understand it could be because of the reasons above but it's really discouraging. Honestly I like when there are different opinions, and I think it makes for great debate. Here's the bad part though, I don't always want to be the negative Nancy. I do feel like if there was more diverse in the reading I would enjoy it more, but so far no such luck.
It Gets Real Awkward When You Want To Leave The Group
I want to be clear I have one Facebook club that I LOVE. The books are pretty diverse, we usually area lucky enough to have the author join the group and discus the book. Yeah it's as amazing as it sounds! So that group is seriously a field of daisies.
Then I have another book club and it's a field of tumbleweeds. They stick to the same type of books, and this causes most of the people in the group to not interact. The host gets frustrated and I can see why, but I mean if there isn't diversity what do you expect? I do want to leave this group, but every month I wait to see if there is a different genre picked, and nope of course not. I want to leave, but there are only around 13 of us, and if I leave that's going to be pretty noticeable. I really do like the host and don't want to hurt her feelings. So that means this girl is stuck right? I do plan on talking to the group again and seeing if we can make some changes.
As you can see there are great reasons to join a book club, and I do recommend it. I have met some of the best people through book clubs. I just believe you have to find the right fit for you. Make sure your book club is diverse. Don't be afraid to dislike a book and have opinions. When there is a pattern of not liking the books it may be time to find a new club, but try to talk to your group first. They may not realize the pattern, and there may be others that feel the same way as you. Speak up and hopefully changes can be made, If you are in a great book club make sure you appreciate it. Maybe thank the leader of the group and/or thank the other members for giving you a safe place to discus books.
I would love to learn your thoughts on book clubs. Have you had any luck with them? What do you think is the best and worse part of book clubs? Do you have any advice on having a successful book club?
I hope you guys have an amazing Friday!
