Introducing the No Name Book Club

One of the most exciting things to do as an avid reader is to become a member of a book club. Finally, you’re able to rave about the books you read with other readers without encountering uninterested stares. However, I’ve never been in a book club before, so you can imagine how I felt when my friend approached me with the idea to start one. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always dreamt of starting a small reading club, but since I’m somewhat of an introvert and am super awkward, I sort of gave up on that goal. Nonetheless, my friend— who has a passion for reading, but could never manage to actually finish a book— was eager to awaken the bookworm spirit inside her. How awesome is that? So, after spending a few hours perusing the book section at our local Target, we eventually agreed on our first book for our teeny-weeny club. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Here’s the interesting part. Given that we both have never participated in or hosted a book club, we didn’t know exactly how to proceed after purchasing our books. We’re total newbies at this. We weren’t sure what type of discussion questions to ask or if we should even ask any to begin with. We were completely lost with when or where we should meet, and clueless as to what the title or theme of our club should be. I know what you’re thinking— a simple search on Google would solve everything. I’m sure there is a myriad of articles on how to start a book club, but the one thing we both agreed on is that we didn’t want to follow any set of rules on how our club should be. This is why it’s been almost two weeks since our club has started, and we still haven’t come up with a cool name. No pressure.

Now, because our club is a bit more unique than others, my friend and I decided to start our first meeting with a day full of activities. We stopped by a garden shop in Wynwood and bought some pretty flowers, visited a cute juice bar and enjoyed some tasty refreshments, and picked up a bottle of wine along with some of our favorite snacks at our local grocery store. Our first meeting was quite brief but super funny. We couldn’t stop laughing at how nervous we were but we eventually were able to share our thoughts and have fun. We learned a lot from each other on how we interpret things and the way we connect with a particular paragraph or character. On top of that, since alcohol will be consumed at our little gathering, we agreed that it would be best to host our meeting on Fridays instead of Mondays.  

Basically, the old cliché holds true: there is nothing more comforting and relaxing than curling up with a good book. The purpose of our club is simply to enjoy each other’s company while encouraging each other to read more. Although our club is a bit small, I think we both wouldn’t have it any other way.

Do you think it’s important to have discussion questions or for all members to express their thoughts freely? Let’s start a conversation in the section below.

As always, happy reading!