5 Reasons You Should Join A Book Club

After years of wanting to start or join a book club, I finally mustered up the courage to join one for the first time in 2020. That would be a tricky year as covid was in full swing by the Springtime and our in person meetings switched to digital. But we preserved and still managed to create a group of bookish friends. And then in 2023, I decided to join another book club hosted by a local indie bookstore, because the more the merrier. I think being a part of a local book club can be beneficial for any reason and if you haven’t joined a group yet. Here are some reasons I think you should.

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Being Able To Find Your Bookish Community/Make New Friends

I’m actually a pretty shy person so a book club was a great way to introduce myself to a new bookish community and it helped me to get over some of my social anxiety. I am able to meet new people that are local to my area and connect with those who have similar reading tastes and even some hobbies as well. Book clubs also a way to sit back, relax, and talk about a good book freely away from the day-to-day grind of our lives.

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You Read Books Outside Your Comfort Zone

Book club has definitely gotten me to read books I would even give a second glance to. I am a mood reader but am open minded to reading most genres. Even if I may not like a novel, I still appreciate the reading experience and getting to discuss it and the varying new perspectives it may give me. I think it’s always good to pick up a novel that you normally wouldn’t read because it gives you change to discover a new type of story.

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It Encourages You To Read More

Reading requires free time, and it can be difficult to have time to regularly sit down with a good book. Joining a book club, especially one with scheduled meetings or discussions, incentivizes you to make time for reading. It’s kind of like having a monthly TBR list with less books and a smaller reading goal to achieve every month.

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Better understand diverse perspectives

Reading has been proven to expand your way of thinking and engaging with different types of books, especially in a group setting can further expand your mind. Book clubs are somewhat of a literary discussion/analysis and having these conversations helps us to make connections between ideas from different worlds of thought. I have read books on topics that have inspired me to research things I had no prior knowledge of.

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Book clubs keep your brain sharp

According to a 2016 study, reading a novel actually creates actual changes in the brain that can linger for several days. I think reading is way to keep your mind active in a way that is stimulating but differs from the text we interact with on a day to day basis. Plus the more you read, the more neural activity occurs in your brain. This leads to more neural productivity while also strengthening the various pathways in your brain.

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What are some reasons that you joined a book club? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.