TLDR Book Clubs

the why & the how

remember the reasons…

People generally start book clubs to get together with friends (or potential friends), creating an intellectual and cultural exchange from a solitary experience.

The website Libromaniacs has a great article: 10 Key Benefits of a Book Club (and Why Book Clubs Are Worth It).  

Here’s a Too Long Didn’t Read (TLDR) take away:

  1. the people
  2. the food
  3. the conversation

If you were born before the 2000’s you probably used Cliffs Notes in school.  These were our versions of TLDRs.

3 reasons why book clubs fail

It starts to feel like homework.
Modern life is overwhelming.  Folks can’t find time to read, plan, host, or even find the energy to be with other people.  We feel guilty and we stop participating 

The bulk of the work falls on the few.
Do you ever feel like this problem is everywhere?  Because it is & is by design: the system creates isolated people, & isolated people are easy to target.    

It stops being fun to be there.
Most people join for good conversation and connection.  We have less and less ways for us to do just that.  Let’s preserve the intention of book clubs but make it easier! 

how to tldr a book club

divide the work smarter

Working, taking care of our families, and households is exhausting (and yes, this is by design).  There are those of us who are:

  • great readers (although, I am not one of those)
  • amazing hosts/coordinators (food? location? communication?)
  • great facilitators (encourages folks to participate, have a voice, & manage time)

Find 2 (or ideally 3) people to coordinate between each other for each focus.  Then start with an easy book.  Build from there. 

make it consistent 

Every day seems to be the same different chaos these days.  Many of don’t have consistent schedules or anything to anchor ourselves to.  

If you can make your club meetings consistent and predictable, it will be easier to allow people to make it a priority. 

be inclusive & accessible

Food, childcare, & transportation can add enough friction for folks not to be able to participate.  Is there someone with a teenaged kid who can babysit the younger ones for a few hours?  Is there someone who loves to cook and feed others?  Can there be carpools?  Imagine a village–it doesn’t have just one kind of person in it and an inclusive TDLR book club doesn’t have to either.

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