Writing Dailey

Psst! Don’t have time to read? Listen instead!

As a reader, 2023 was a pretty big year for me. Despite being an introvert, I pleasantly and unexpectedly got enmeshed in two distinct book club situations.

If you work from home like I do, with limited face-to-face contact with the outside world, or are shy and reserved and find socializing a little challenging, then a book club may be perfect for you, too.

For someone who verges on the homebody-hermit lifestyle of regularly staying in, joining two social clubs in the same year was a very extroverted step. Yes, these clubs involve the solitary activity of book-reading, but they also require making yourself presentable, going out in public, and sharing your opinion in a group setting.

Presumably, most are familiar with the book club model: a group of people come together, select a book to read, go their separate ways for roughly a month, ensuring you make appropriate page progress while apart, then regroup at a predetermined location to discuss said selected book. Refreshments are not required, but if there aren’t any nibbles or drinky-drinks, it’s kind of a buzzkill.

Now, sometimes book clubs have themes or areas of focus, such as a preferred genre or author, or it can be a complete free-for-all, with each month offering up a wild deviation from the last assigned reading. Honestly, a book club is probably the only type of group project or group assignment anyone wants to be involved in because if a member doesn’t do the work, they only hurt themselves, not everyone else. How refreshing, right? So, without further ado, allow me to introduce my book clubs, AKA my group projects of choice.

Breakfast Book Club

I got invited to this book club in late 2022, but my first meeting was in January 2023. The friend who had brought me into the Maasverse extended the invite. We had connected over our shared inclination for fae romantasy, so I was brought further into the fold—into the inner circle that is Breakfast Book Club.

Every month during the school year, we meet at an agreed-upon breakfast joint where we spend a solid hour-and-a-half whispering about spicy scenes over our steaming cups of coffee and tackle life’s challenges while devouring delicious AM fare. It’s a great time, full of giggling and sometimes scathing reviews of long-awaited books.

Our reads aren’t always fantasy-related, but they must include romance—that’s the main stipulation. Joining this book club and embracing the romance genre even helped inspire my first dip into the realm of Harlequin and Avon romance reads that has been twitter-pating grand dames and family matriarchs for decades.

Arriving at the present day, for the summer months of 2024, we have elected to meet during Happy Hour time slots for dinner, drinks, and dishing, which is a fun switch-up for all of us. Regardless of meeting time, I still refer to this as Breakfast Book Club, and once fall sets in, we will resume our early morning meetings of the mind at our favorite establishments (The Bistro, Maple + Batter & Cafe Santé). Until then, though, we’ll continue adding extra spice to our evening gatherings.

July Read: A Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde

Lit w/ Literature

The second literary club I added to my monthly lineup came around in November 2023 via a text invite from two friends I met during my brief tenure in fashion retail.

During content creation shoots, we’d discuss the books we were reading, planning to read, and what books we’d recently added to our TBR stacks. One friend was an avid reader, consuming books at a pace that made my head spin. The other had yet to be converted to a full-fledged reader—he participated in our on-the-job conversations but believed us to be book zealots. But how things have changed, as he, and even my boyfriend, are right there with the rest of us voracious readers.

In the fall of 2023, Muskrat Distilling of Boyne City established its boozy book club—Lit w/ Literature—featuring fantasy and sci-fi reads, exceptional themed beverages, and a fun, welcoming atmosphere. Reading lists are posted on the club’s social media accounts, and on the first Monday of every month, a group discussion, complete with thought-provoking and entertaining questions, occurs with a rotating crowd of attendees inside the bar.

As a general rule, and because humans are creatures of habit, my friends and I always attempt to claim the same table each month. More often than not, we are successful, but sometimes, much to our chagrin, we get displaced. A better record is that we haven’t missed one event yet, and we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of Lit w/ Literature.

With this being a public book club setting, I usually feel hesitant to share my opinion, especially when the karaoke microphone gets extended in my direction. I don’t relish speaking in front of a crowd, but as a personal goal, I strive to speak up at least once at every meeting. It’s a challenge for an introvert, but it’s fun to prove to myself that I can do it and that I have valid thoughts, ideas, and critiques that could connect with others or motivate someone else to share.

July Read: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book Club Review

So, yes, I participate in two different book clubs: one typically in the morning and the other in the evening. One has caffeine, and the other has alcohol (or mocktails, if you prefer). One is an intimate gathering of friends, and the other is a public forum for anyone to attend.

What these somewhat opposing book-centric activities have in common, though, is that people with similar interests and a passion for story and the written word are gathering, communing, and decompressing together. We’re deepening community ties, strengthening friendships, and realizing that even though we may consume the material in different ways, via Kindles, physical books, or auditory options, we’re still experiencing the same creativity and connecting over it.

I may be a self-proclaimed introvert, but these clubs and the people I share them with make braving the public, weather, and traffic always worth it. So, if you’re looking to connect with people but aren’t sure if a book club is right for you, I suggest starting your own or giving Lit w/ Literature a try—no one will hassle you if you sit back and quietly observe. And if you feel inspired to speak up, go for it. I love hearing other people’s thoughts when it comes to books.

Coming up next:

August — A Bookish Experience