The Joy of Joining Book Clubs

About National Library Week and this year’s theme of finding your joy.

Why do people join, and more importantly, stay in book clubs? Obvious reasons include social connection (belonging) via a shared interest (plus snacks), exciting or interesting discussions, reading material outside of one’s usual fare, and/or reading focused on a particular interest. The reward is not just having read and discussed, but deriving joy from doing so. All of this helps create fulfilling meetings that will make you look forward to the next encounter (and the next snacks).

It’s joyful to dive into niche topics with likeminded folks

An American tradition for centuries, there are now dozens if not hundreds of types of reading groups, held privately or open to the public, all with vastly different goals and content: from the introverted silent book club made up of strangers reading in the moment (and discussing if you have the battery), to small gatherings of folks who know each other well, book clubs deeply focused on classics read one chapter at a time, gender-specific groups, clubs for quick and tasty popular reads, the multipurpose AV book club, and everything in between. You can even have a group dedicated to a single book! Connecting with others with similar interests, even in person, has never been easier. These groups with a narrow focus may in fact be the most successful long-term, as everyone is presumably on the same page. In time, you may develop genuine, lasting friendships in such a scenario.

If a specific group doesn’t exist near you, try contacting your local library to see about starting your own!

It’s joyful to turn your phone off and be with others

Of the stated reasons, social connection is arguably the biggest motivator for enduring book club membership (remember the virtual book club boom during pandemic times?). I have sometimes said, reading is better done together. Why? It may not be true for everyone, but reading and discussing gives you new perspectives on what you read, leading to deeper understanding or at least a greater awareness of other interpretations.

Dedicated, focused reading also offers relief from world events, infinite scrolling, and other passive forms of entertainment, while reminding us of the fundamental things that bind all us humans. An hour of real focus, even with a fairly unremarkable book, will do you more good than an hour of forgettable scrolling. Screentime is stealing our attention, so turning your phone off at the start of a meeting (if you can) will allow your brain the freedom it needs to fully absorb itself in the here and now and really think about something in depth (keeping these muscles working is essential for our long term mental and brain health, especially as we age).

Something obvious but overlooked is going on in book clubs: when our enthusiasm is shared, whether it be for art or learning, joy is a natural byproduct that keeps members invested. How often does scrolling give you true feelings of joy and connection?

It’s joyful to do the long-term work

If it isn’t joyful, people will not return. Without a sense of joy, meetings may start to feel low energy, even obligatory, and this can lead to members avoiding the reading, last minute cancellations, and a decaying reading group. Success takes intentional effort and cultivation, like many good things. Long-term investment is where the true gains are made. Yes, joining a book club is joyful, in the same way that a New Year’s resolution gives us momentary energy and resolve. From the outset, we are starry eyed with new possibilities. But if you’ve ever tried to keep a resolution, you know that the true test is how you’re doing in July. What happened to your early January optimism? If we expect too much too soon, our initial positivity is outmatched by the reality of long-term commitment and the joy may be hard to sustain.

It’s joyful to exercise your right to intellectual freedom

Reading freely, and the open discussion of it, is not a universally accepted right. But people’s hunger for knowledge and art is universal. If you consider the long history of censorship, reading and open discussion groups are normal where freedom of thought flourishes. Conversely, reading groups can operate within restrictive societies, albeit they may be underground. For example, in a time when women were denied structured, formal education, reading groups emerged in places as a crucial means for having an intellectual life. The book club itself is an expression of intellectual freedom. In this sense, book clubs may seem like an informal sort of civic duty, but an essential one, as club membership in general has decreased over recent decades, leading to feelings of less community in general. It feels good (one might even say joyful) to mindfully exercise this basic right with your community.

Keep it joyful, keep it going

It is possible to keep your book club fresh and strong for many years to come. One thing to remember, and this sounds obvious, but keep the material interesting yet relevant to the group. Is it time to switch up the genre, the format, or perhaps take a little break and focus on something a little less or a little more intensive?

One reason book clubs fail is that one or two people keep the thing going. That can lead to disillusionment if one person starts to feel running it is becoming at all burdensome. You can change this dynamic by striking agreements with your group, sharing essential duties like scheduling, rotating discussion leaders, and keeping the choices in line with people’s actual interests in the moment.

That doesn’t mean you have to be in love with all the other members, but it can’t be a bad idea to have regular meta-discussions on that which brings you together: the literature! During these discussions, ask what has worked and what hasn’t, what logistics need changing. Is yours the sort of book club that can’t appreciate a less-than-stellar book, even for the sake of discussion? That is useful data to have and will enable you to move forward without frustration. Or, perhaps your group derives a lot of joy from excoriating bad literature — I know I do! There is no right answer here and no stereotypical book club we all must strive to be like.

Make sure that quieter members have the opportunity to pick shared readings. If something hasn’t been working, collectively agree on a new way forward. That said, there is no reason to continually force something that isn’t meant to be, and it is fine for your book club to have a natural life span. Letting go can be a joyful reminder to strike out on a new adventure of your own. Wherever you go, and whatever you choose to read together, don’t forget the snacks.

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Ready to embark on a new book club adventure? Your local library is THE place to start. In Colorado, most libraries have access to the Colorado Book Club Resource, a collection of 1,400 sets we lend out across the state. Each set contains eight or more copies of the book, plus discussion materials, which are loaned out for eight or more weeks at a time. We partner with participating local libraries and use the statewide courier service to provide (for free) the materials book clubs need! Find out all about the program.