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With so many chilly days ahead, many of us would rather curl up with the latest Kristin Hannah or Stephen King novel than head out to attend a community gathering. Whether we’re trying to dodge the flu, awkward conversation, or being forced to wear something other than our favorite fleece pajamas, reasons abound for staying home with a good book.
And yet, even the introverts among us know we need a little socialization. That need grows as we age. According to the National Institute on Aging, the health risks of prolonged social isolation are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
If that statistic doesn’t make us want to get up, get dressed, and go talk to some people, I don’t know what will. The good news? You can bring your book!
While they have become increasingly popular in the last few decades, book clubs have been around since the 17th century. Later, they began forming in the midst of a salon culture that excluded women. Female pioneers hosted their own conversations when the intellectuals of the period left them out, and have driven social engagement with literature ever since.
Modern book clubs are for everyone, however, and it has never been easier to join. It is estimated that there are over five million book club members across the country. Small groups still mingle in living rooms to discuss bestsellers, but offshoots of the original book club model are giving people opportunities to meet online, discuss genres that are of specific interest to them, follow book picks of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey or Reese Witherspoon, or gather at public locations within their communities.
Some book clubs are designed especially for older adults. On AARP’s Senior Planet (seniorplanet.org/category/features/bookclub/), club members vote on the book they will read together, meet on Zoom to discuss it, and share feedback in between on a public comment board. In case technology is a barrier for participants, AARP hosts Zoom classes, tech tips videos, and one-to-one tech tutoring.
Many large library systems across the country also host senior book clubs that meet online. Some, like the Chicago Public Library (chipublib.org,) offer sign language interpretation and other accessibility assistance for each club meeting.
Locally, Rockbridge Regional Library hosts a book club for adults called Books and Brews. This group meets at Blue Ridge Taps in Lexington on the second Tuesday of the month and will discuss “Seeing Without Eyes” by Joe Koury in January.
Maybe you have a group of lit-loving friends and want to start your own book club. Bring them together for a planning meeting, determine when and where you’ll meet, and pick some titles, keeping in mind friends who might benefit from access to audio texts or large print books. Rotating club moderators helps keep everyone engaged and can create richer discussions.
Rockbridge Regional Libraries offers book club kits to help you start or enhance your club. Each kit comes with five paperback copies of a title, instructions for starting and running a book club, title and author read-alikes, and discussion questions. Search the library catalog for “book club kit” to see available titles.
No matter what kind of book club experience you choose, there’s an upside to connecting with others. You’ll fend off midwinter boredom and blues, boost your cognitive abilities, keep up with current events, and expand your social network. So, put a book club on your January agenda and reap the benefits all year long.
Editor’s note: Leigh-Anne Lees is the VPAS community relations director.
