Reading is one of my favorite hobbies because it’s cheap, it’s fun, it’s enriching, and it can be turned into a social activity via a book club. There are several book clubs in my small town, so I’m sure there are some in your community too.
To find out about book clubs that are already established, try asking the librarians at your local library as they will likely know of at least a one or two. In fact, some books clubs are even associated with the library. You can also find out about existing book clubs by asking in local Facebook information groups.
But if you find that you don’t fit in with the clubs that already exist in your town, perhaps starting your own book club is a good idea.
My book club.
The book club I am in just got started last summer when a friend from high school posted on Facebook that she was starting a book club and was looking for members. She and I messaged back and forth about it a few times and then I agreed to join her club. Since then we’ve met monthly to discuss the book we’ve all read, eat yummy snacks, chat about life, and select a new book for the next month.
Luckily, all the members of this book club already knew each other and so we are quite comfortable discussing books that sometimes contain sensitive issues and topics. We are also brave enough to state our true opinions about things, where in some groups I may not feel comfortable disagreeing with the opinion of others on sensitive topics.
Our group always meets in the same place, but we take turns providing snacks. This gives us another topic to discuss as we all usually enjoy the snack and end up asking for the recipe or instructions. One month we even roasted marshmallows over the fire pit in the backyard and made s’mores! That was probably my favorite meeting.
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By taking turns with the snacks and drinks, it cuts down on the costs to be involved in the group. I also try to check out our monthly book from the library or borrow it from a friend so I don’t have to spend money on buying the book.
Benefits of being in a book club.
The book club also pushes me to read things I might not otherwise pick up and read on my own. I’ve read more non-fiction and some different genres and authors, some of whom I’ve never even heard of. To pick the next book, each member brings suggestions and then we try to pick a book that sounds interesting to everyone. The book club is pretty small, with only 5-6 members, so we don’t usually have too hard of a time deciding what to read next.
Overall, being in a book club is a fun way to be social without spending much money, and I’m always looking for more ways to have fun and be with friends without spending a lot of money.
Have you ever participated in a book club?
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