If I had the power to influence you to do just one thing, it would be to join a book club. As someone in not one, not two, but three book clubs, I feel as if I have become a bit of an authority on the many merits of belonging to them.
First, did you know that reading for pleasure in the United States is at a historic low? An August 2025 study conducted by the University of Florida and University College London found that, “reading for pleasure in the United States has declined by more than 40% in the last 20 years”. Reading itself has a number of benefits including boosting mental health, sustaining and cultivating empathy, increasing curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning. Yet many who haven’t picked up a book in a while have no idea where to start. Joining a book club can be the perfect remedy for accountability and community.
In fact, that’s how the SideBar Book Club got its start back in 2020. Some friends and I were all hanging around the pool one day when someone asked one of my favorite questions, “What are you reading?”. It was the kind of discussion I had been longing to be a part of again after social distancing had isolated me from most of my friends. Long after the conversation subsided, the coziness of it lingered and I wasn’t the only one who thought so–that night, my friend announced he wanted to get back into reading more regularly and the idea of creating a book club to encourage us to keep reading and get quality time on the calendar once a month had formed. Though there were just three founding members, our club has expanded to seven members and has celebrated three weddings and welcomed a baby into the world.
Our club rotates its host every month, with the person hosting selecting two books that the rest of the group votes on. In the event of a tie, the host will choose between the two. In our five years as a book club, we have read 37 books together, meeting all over the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Not only have we read some incredible books (aaaand some truly terrible ones too), but it has guaranteed that quality time that I don’t get to have with so many other friends because we are able to ‘set it and forget it’ on the calendar.
My other two book clubs are sponsored by local libraries, which have offered an opportunity to engage with members of my community I otherwise would never have met. Though both are library-sponsored, the two book clubs could not be more different.
The Agawam Public Library hosts ‘Read with Pride’ for members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. Not to be too on the nose, but I was so very proud to join this group! Unfortunately, my town is extremely conservative, so the fact that my library was willing to run this club was HUGE. I remember making sure I was at the first meeting just in case someone from the town tried to cause trouble. Luckily, this awesome group of queer folks and allies has kept on keeping on for the last two years with minimal incidents!
Every six months, we submit ideas for books and movies to the incredible librarians that run our group. From there, we vote for our favorite picks and then the list is released for our next six months of choices. I would say for every four books or so, we pick a movie, which can be fun as well!
Overall, I enjoy this club not only because it can be hard to make new friends as an adult, but also because it is one of the only identified safe havens in my town for queer folks.
Finally, the West Springfield Public Library hosts ‘Books and Brews’ at a local brewery for the beer lovers with book problems! This club is a great place to meet new people, as it often boasts 20+ attendees in only its second year. More on the informal side, this club doesn’t mind if you didn’t read the book, use raised fingers to show star ratings, and often is accompanied by the din of the other bar flies. Books are chosen at the end of each meeting, as members shout over each other to offer their recommendations.
At this point, I don’t have to sell you on why I’m a fan of book clubs, but that everyone should be. Beyond the friendships, the local connections, and the beers, book clubs constantly expand my worldview. Books are windows and mirrors into different human experiences and hearing my peers’ reflections helps me see beyond my own echo chamber. In a country divided by politics, plagued by misinformation, and comment sections full of misspelled vitriol, I truly believe book clubs have the power to change minds and hearts. As Mark Twain wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” In these financially trying times, I would assert that, for those of us who cannot afford a quick trip overseas these days, reading together is equally as powerful.
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