Try as I might, I can’t ever seem to be involved in a book club. Whether it’s online or in-person. 

It’s not that I dislike them. I mean, I love the idea of a book club and everyone reading a book together and discussing it afterward. I’ve tried several times to get involved in one, and even started one at one time, but I failed at being a book club member.

What are my downfalls, exactly? For one, there’s the fact of me being a mood reader, and… well, that’s pretty much the base of it. It affects my ability to be a book club participant in two different ways. The first one being that I’m most likely not in the mood to read the book that was picked for that month for whatever reason. It’s not even that it’s a book I don’t want to read, I’m just not in the mood for it at that time. So then I have to avoid the discussions and I don’t get the enjoyment of reading the book with my club members. This is all on me, obviously.

The other reason, that sort of pertains to my mood-reading, is that the club chooses a book that I have no interest in, which I’m sure happens for a lot of book club members. I get that book clubs can be a way to expand our reading horizons, but there are just times when you’re not into a book. This tends to happen a lot for me because I’m kind of a picky reader – I stick to my favorite genres (though I have been getting more into fantasy). 

Lastly, there are some times when the book that’s chosen for the club is something that I have read before. And the weird thing is, it always seems to be a book I read recently (like, within the last couple of months). On one hand, I can at least participate in the discussion, but it’s usually more fun to read along with everyone else.

Still, this hasn’t stopped me from trying to be an active member in a book club somewhere. I’m sure someday I’ll find just the right one. I was a part of one that’s for ages 25+ and older – not because of the content, just because it was for adults that have been adults for a while – and I really loved it, but it grew so much that I can’t keep up with the discussions anymore. 

Hopefully, I’ll find (or start) a club that works out for me with the book selections, and isn’t that huge of a group. 

Are you a part of a book club? Or are you like me and have trouble finding the right one?