So, what do we think about book clubs? They must basically be a ‘good thing’ I feel but going further into it maybe becomes a little complicated.
The first and indeed only book club that I have ever belonged to, contained myself and a couple of friends, all aged about 7, and I think we called it the Ladybird Club. Fairly obviously it was purely about Ladybird books and between us we did indeed have many of them. We would meet in someone’s sitting room, swap our books and talk about them. Job done. It was fun!
Since then I have had the opportunity to belong to a book club but have never joined. I am not a natural joiner! My main problem is that I don’t want to be forced to read books that I feel I won’t be interested in or won’t like. The opposite side of this is that I might of course find reading that I wouldn’t otherwise have met. And still I don’t join.
I hear about book clubs from friends. Some are held in pubs and become far more than a couple of glasses of wine, others are run by someone who definitely wants to be in charge, whilst others find that their views are not particularly welcome in their group. Obviously there must be very many book groups that are enjoyable, democratic, supportive and interesting. And still I don’t join.
Just before the pandemic I was about to start my own book club. The room was booked and I had begun to advertise the meetings. Then came years of lockdowns and covid hesitation and when it was all over I’d changed my mind.
There are very many novels based on book clubs; just Google it. I understand why authors like to use this device. It offers a group of disparate characters who nevertheless have something in common. They can have a unified experience but also stories of their own. A great structure on which to write a novel.
If you are a happy book clubber, well, I’m pleased for you…and just a little bit jealous.