In recent years, reading among young people reading has drastically increased, largely due to the influence of TikTok (more specifically, BookTok) and a general movement toward reclaiming highbrow cultural aesthetics through trends such as Dark Academia.
As many recent graduates struggle to find their place socially after university, in-person group activities such as run clubs, craft circles, and book clubs have likewise gained popularity. But what makes book clubs so appealing to these groups? Are they really worth the hype? Well, from a 23-year old currently in two book clubs, here are seven reasons why you should join book club in your twenties.
1) Meet new people
One of the most significant benefits of joining a book club is that it provides an opportunity to make friends outside of a work setting. A massive challenge for many recent graduates and young people who find themselves moving to a new city is learning how to make friends and create connections in a non-structured environment.
We become spoiled by the ease of having a built-in community of other students of a similar age and often with similar interests during our school years. It is therefore difficult, and can feel nearly impossible, to know where to start once you’ve graduated and are suddenly left to fend for yourself out in the wild that is “normal adult life.” Joining a book club is a great way to meet new people and bond over shared interests. And the bonus is that it doesn’t involve running.
2) Structure your free time
Another problem that countless 20-somethings seem to have is learning how to structure time as a working adult. Adjusting to a 9-to-5 after university can be jarring; some feel that it is much more taxing than having 15-20 hours of class per week, while others feel that they have too much time on their hands without hours of homework and readings to pour over outside of classes.
Whichever camp you find yourself in, I think we can all agree that it’s difficult to figure out how to structure your time. Either you’re so exhausted from the long days and repetition of the week that you lose motivation to do activities outside of work, or you feel like you have so much free time that you’re overwhelmed when deciding between options. Adding enjoyable-yet-structured activities to your weekly routine can be the perfect solution. It’s something that your mental health and social life will thank you for, even if it’s challenging at first.
3) Accountability
Let’s be honest. In today’s world, where we have immediate access to mindless forms of entertainment at all times, it can be easy to forgo reading after a long day and instead pick up a phone or turn on the TV. Even as a self-proclaimed bookworm, I have found myself reading less and less in recent years compared to when I was younger.
Despite my perpetual goal to read more, I often find myself reaching for my phone after a long day instead of for the book I keep on my nightstand. This is largely due to burnout; burnout from university-work (which, for many, primarily consists of reading) but also burnout from the overstimulation and chaos of everyday life in the modern world. However, it is also due to a lack of accountability when it comes to my reading goals. Participating in a book club provides a deadline as well as an incentive to read thoughtfully and critically.
4) Challenge yourself intellectually
This brings me to my next point: Joining a book club encourages you to read like you would in a classroom setting, ultimately allowing you to gain more from your reading experience than you would as a passive, leisurely reader. While there is certainly a time and place for both mindsets, it is important to continue pushing ourselves intellectually even after university.
The old adage of being a “lifelong learner” rings true. It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that intellectual growth stops once you’ve graduated from university. But, the reality is, we can and should be taking advantage of the wealth of information at our fingertips.
You don’t have to pay $100k and pursue higher education to learn. Reading widely and often is one of the best ways to develop critical thinking skills and continue engaging with the world. Even more importantly, participating in discussions around what you are reading will make you a more thoughtful and critical reader, and this practice will creep into your leisurely reading as well.
5) Expose yourself to new genres and ideas
In a world where it is so easy to find yourself in a complete echo-chamber, and where unsolicited opinions are valued and spotlighted more than ever through social media, it is crucial to have real-life conversations with people whose opinions vary from your own, even if those opinions are about something as seemingly-unimportant as a book.
Having conversations about the cultural content with which we are engaging is the best way to open up your own worldview, and also to gain a deeper and more comprehensive perspective on the books we are engaging with. Book clubs also often feature a variety of genres, writing styles, and authors, leading readers to engage with books, themes, and ideas they may not have chosen on their own. This is also so important for becoming a more well-read individual and challenging yourself to better-understand your own aesthetic preferences.
Who knows, you just might find yourself falling for authors or genres you would never have imagined loving.
6) Engage with third places
Book clubs often meet in communal spaces such as libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, community centers or parks, and are therefore a fantastic way to engage with third places.
“Third places” is a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his book The Great Good Place, used to denote spaces beyond the home (first place) and the workplace (second place). Oldenburg argues that, in order to live a happy and balanced life, individuals must engage in all three realms. In an increasingly-individualized and efficiency-driven world, third spaces have begun disappearing as a core component of everyday life. This is thought to be largely due to the lasting effects of the pandemic, as well as the growing cost of living (discouraging going to bars and coffee shops) as well as the growth of social media and the ability to socialize online. The result, however, is the loss of third spaces and increasing loneliness among young people. Taking advantage of these third spaces by using them to host events such as book clubs contributes positively to one’s community, and increases individuals’ sense of belonging to that community.
7) Try new things
As simple as it sounds, it is so important to try new things and, if you’ve never been in a book club before, this is the perfect place to start. Doing new things can sometimes feel stressful or not-worth-the-effort, but it is integral to our personal success and fulfillment. Trying new things makes us happier, more interesting, and more interested people. It’s easy to fall into routines and to begin closing-off our world view to those routines as a coping mechanism, to begin to feel content with the familiar. While there is nothing wrong with building a routine, getting too comfortable in the familiar can also lead to boredom and apathy. Trying new things reminds us of all of the possibilities the world has to offer, even within the small scope of our own community.
What are you waiting for?
So, whether you’re a recent graduate, have just moved to a new city, or are a young person simply looking to try something new, starting or joining a book club in your community just might be your next best move.
