For many years, I shied away from in-person book clubs.

I did most of my reading alone.

During my reading, there was an ebb-and-flow of emotions that I really didn’t get to share with someone else.

Reading alone can be relaxing and mind-blowing.

But reading alone can also be a lonely event.

What if I…

I would share some of these opinions with my wife, who doesn’t read a lot, and she was usually a little bored with it all.

For years, that’s about as far as I went with it.

Others have felt a similar way.

In-Person Book Clubs After Covid

Then, after COVID, I decided to try an in-person book club.

Sure, there are on-line clubs, too. But I never really felt connected.

Different people showed up every week, and there were too many faces on my screen to keep up with.

While I was visiting a small, independent book store, I noticed they had a book club meeting at the nearby house of an older couple.

I read the book of the month and showed up.

Didn’t know anyone there.

I brought a bottle of wine, my reluctance, and my copy of the book.

1. Book Club People

The book club I attended ended up with about fifteen people (which has now grown to over 30), all sardined into a small living room.

Some folks had to set on the floor; others stood.

There were college students, retirees, Asian Americans, African Americans, straight and gay, and at least one representative from each of the major age groups.

That recipe alone would have been worth a bottle of wine.

But as the evening continued, it became apparent that almost everyone in the group had actually read the novel, and the cherry on top?

Each of them had something interesting to say about it.

One member taught psychology at a local university and added some mythological connections to the discussion.

Another member summed the book up in a single sentence.

A different member brought up an odd, thematic element that I hadn’t even noticed at all.

The entire time, I kept saying to myself that I really wanted to be part of this group.

It was so fun and interesting.

Why hadn’t I done this sooner?

They were all so friendly and accepting.

When was the last time, in adult society, that you read the same novel as a group of other people, and then got to talk with them about it, in depth?

For me, how ‘bout never.

What about you?

Be honest.

Wouldn’t you enjoy talking with a group of people who you had something deeply in common with?

And guess what?

I still attend that book club.

What book club is it? Where is it located? What books did I read there? Paperback or E-books?— I could tell you.

But you’d be missing the point.

2. Book Club Books 

In my book club, and I think in most of them, the group votes on what books to read next.

And most people go along with the choice, if for no other reason than just to widen their reading horizon.

When I scanned the list of books that had already been selected by the group, I didn’t recognize one single book or author.

But this excited me.

If this is what other serious readers had selected, by vote, then for me, all these reads would be something totally new.

Many times, when I’m selecting my next book to read, I just default to the same old authors I’m already familiar with.

What about you?

A book club will definitely nudge you toward different pages than you’re used to, toward new ideas, toward incredibly new and interesting voices.

So far, I’ve liked all but one of the books we’ve read in my book club, and I would never have read most of those books any other way.

Here’s a sample:

3. It’s Easy to Keep Up in a Good Book Club

Strategic Library says that book club participation increases with age and that two factors are responsible:

• Time
• Desire to connect

Many book clubs are run by local libraries or book stores. Statistically, many of the participants are in the sixty-five-and-older category, and most of them are women.

But wait!

Don’t let those statistics stop you in your tracks.

The statistics go on to say that most of the men in book clubs wanted to be in a club that has a mix of people.

Listening to other people comment on a book is an act of connecting:

But the most delicious part of the experience comes after the meeting is over.

4. The After-Party at a Book Club

Don’t be swayed by that introvert voice inside you.

Don’t head for the door faster than a jack-rabbit on fire.

Most club members enjoy lingering behind after the meeting is over, hoping for just a little more interaction with friends.

Don’t know what to talk about?

Don’t connect well at social events?

Check out this superior idea for Introverts starting a book club!

Me, too.

But it’s not that hard to connect.

Really.

Why?

In other social situations, how many people in the group would have even read a book? — that’s one reason it’s so hard, and why you’re afraid you’ll fail.

In a book-club scenario, everyone loves to read as much as you do.

And, they just got through reading the same book you did.

How much easier could it get?

Ever gone to the same movie with a group of people?

How easy was it to talk about the same movie, afterwards, at a restaurant?

Still not sure?

Here’s some good starting point for talking:

Maybe reading alone isn’t the only way!

[Featured Image  by Jack Hishmeh on Unsplash]

 Go Even Deeper at FaulknerFiction

• Start looking here for an In-Person Book Club near you.
• Check out the synopsis for my latest novel. Maybe you could use it at your next Book Club meeting.
• Tell us below in the comments what book you’re reading now, and why it might make a great Book Club read.
• Can’t convince you do to do it in-person? Check out Khamosh Pathak‘s post: Use These Apps to Find an Online Book Club.