
I’ll be linking up with the 2025 Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight!
My topic was formulated in my brain when I failed to be able to participate in a Read-Along for a challenge this year, after I enjoyed the one for the White Trash Zombie series so much last year.
See, I have never wanted to belong to a book club, because it seems like whenever I look at what they’re reading it’s usually not a book I have any interest in reading. And I’ve always been someone who reads what they want to read, even if it’s not popular or what everyone else is reading. As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten even more set in my ways with all the books I still want to read but haven’t had time to get to.
There was a time before I worked at a bookstore that I used to reread books ALL THE TIME! I didn’t have an endless TBR. This was before I began blogging as well, and social media for following my favorite authors. Not to mention before I began my path to becoming a school librarian and finding so many more wonderful books were out there for kids and teens compared to what I’d had as a teen myself.
These days I have tons of books I bought with my wonderful bookstore employee discount (not to mention the freebie stripped cover copies I still have). I have so many from author events where I am the kind of person who sees that pretty cover and then get sucked into to talking to the author at a table and feels like I have to buy something! Not to mention ARCs from publishers and Book Expo America before I started keeping my blogging/review calendar and I didn’t have my act together to keep on track of them. I’m also so much more likely to DNF a book I’m not enjoying sooner rather than later these days, due to knowing how many books already published I want to read as well as how many more will be coming!
I feel like maybe I’m getting off track here. Anyway, when I still thought I might get to be a middle school librarian, I had an idea for one of the after school groups to be a book club. But we wouldn’t all have to read the same book. The kids would come and talk about either the book they were currently reading, or the one they just finished. We’d have snacks, and then they have quiet time to just read with no worrying about homework, having to babysit younger siblings, do chores, etc. I never got to do that sadly. And I always feel like that would be the kind of book club I would enjoy. A meeting once a month to talk about what we’d been reading, so we could recommend and get new ideas. Then some snacks, then just sitting in a comfy area reading quietly with other people. I’m just all about everyone reading what they enjoy and enjoying their time reading. Not having to struggle to read a book just to keep up with what someone else wants.
So, do you belong to a book club?
I belonged to a couple of book clubs but they were problematic. I’ve tried both in persona and online. They often chose books I didn’t want to read. I did find with COYER I tried some books I wouldn’t have read on my own and really liked them though. So it’s kind of a crap shoot for me. There are so many things I really want to read and I’d mostly rather read them. Luckily some of my buddy readers are willing to let me choose more often than not.
I really enjoyed the read-along with you guys last year, that’s why I’m so disappointed I couldn’t get into these books. Maybe another series down the road!
I have never been in a book club either for the same reason mainly. If the book isn’t one I want to read, I don’t want to waste time reading it. But then I also have the issue of if I already read the book. Or if I read it for book club, finish it early and then don’t meet for awhile and then I’ve read 2 other books prior to the meeting and forget everything about the book we were there to discuss! I’ve always loved the idea of book clubs but could never get myself into the execution of it well! Lol.
I LOVE your idea for a book club to just come in and talk about whatever we are currently reading or just finish! That actually sounds like fun! Then having time to read for awhile and snacks of course! I would totally join that club and I totally would have joined that club if it had been offered when I was in school. I don’t think book clubs were a thing for me when I was a student for students. If they were as I got older it was the strict here’s what we are going to read kind of thing.
I wish I was in a school where I could do a book club like that. Where I am we had a couple kids interested in a book club that was listed as something we had with me in charge WITHOUT the admin asking me to do it. It’s hard to stay late where I work because I live about a 30 minute drive away and there’s no one to let my little dogs out unless I ask my mom to. Oh well.
I was in a book club for years, and it was fun but there were often books I had no interest in reading (we took turns picking the book of the month) On the other hand, I got to read books I loved and never would have known about if it weren’t for the book club😁
I mean that is one thing, that I might read books I wouldn’t have otherwise. But most of the books I see read are ones I’ve heard about and have no desire to read instead of the books I already have on my TBR. I use blogs like yours to get me interested in books I don’t always hear about otherwise. 🙂
So you’ve completely given up on the rest of the series? I’ll miss see you in the discussions.
I don’t belong to any book clubs for basically the same reasons you list. I don’t generally have interest reading the books my IRL friends do. And I’m a scheduler, so I need to know months in advance to fit in a book typically. (I am trying to be more flexible… we’ll see). I do love the idea you mentioned. We sort of did something like that for the COYER holiday party – we each talked about a favorite book we read in the past year. I enjoyed that a lot because it gave me some new books to read.
Well, I know I’m not going to listen to them, and I’m too booked up with review books to get to reading the ebook, so doubt I’ll get to them at all sadly.
I like your idea for a book club! Sounds wonderful since I like to read what I like as well. Sorry the books didn’t work for you this time around!
Yeah, just don’t think I’m going to be able to jump back in and catch up to participate. Hopefully a future book or series!
I never joined a book club either for the same reasons you described, I usually don’t rad the same books as others might read and I am quite the mood reader and have plenty of review copies to go through. I do like to fit in a buddy read now and then or try to read a book I saw someone else read as I sometimes miss being able to discuss the books i read. I like the sound of that book club idea you had where everyone reads they book they want and then just chat about that. That sounds like the type of book club I would want to be part of.
Yep, even when I sign up to try to read the same as others, I might not be in the mood at the time. In fact I have an ARC right now I did tell the publisher they could send me when they asked, but I’m having trouble getting into it, and actually picked up an e-galley a publisher sent without asking and got hooked into it!