Book Club Blues

I have always loved the idea of a book club. I mean, I love books and I love talking about books. What could be better than a club specifically designed for reading and discussing books?

Unfortunately, I just haven’t found one that suits me.

Of course there are countless on the internet. Literally countless. I just…don’t seem to fit into any of them. For multiple reasons.

First, I am particular about what genres I read. I love romance and erotica, but not the majority of the subgenres that are currently popular. Alpha males and Bad boys? Gag me. Billionaires? Oh please. Anything that has to do what “one true mates”? I’d rather read the constitution.

It doesn’t help that I can also be moody when it comes to reading. Just because this novel sounds fascinating one day doesn’t mean it will sound interesting the next. I find myself doing this a lot with contemporary romance. A synopsis will sound exciting, then coming back to it a couple days later I find myself wondering why it ever sounded interesting in the first place.

Most book clubs also are geared towards general fiction. You know the type, deep meaningful books that make it lists and are recommended by Oprah. There is anything wrong with these novels. In fact, they are usually great books. 

Just not the kind I am interested in.

Second, I also don’t like being told what to read. Many clubs vote on what book they are reading next. While that’s a better, being told to read to read a specific book within a specific time can suck the fun out of it. It could be a book that, had I chose it on my own, would have been one of the best I have ever read.  The moment you put criteria on that, I become defiant, like a 2-year-old without a nap.

Not to mentions, sometimes I just don’t have the time. I do a lot of beta reading, ARC reviews, and review tours on top of being a full-time travel nurse. There are some months where I legitimately just do not have the time to read just to read. While I never become involved with a book I am not interested in, concerning ARCs, betas, etc., anymore that tends to be all I read.

Now I know that I could start my own book club catered to the books I want to read and take away the limitations so as not to restrict those in the group.

But it’s not that easy. It takes a lot of work to run a book club, even one that is solely online, especially if I want it to be successful or at least draw in active members. The end goal would be to create a group of fellow readers. That could take a lot of time and dedication, both of which I don’t have.

The bottom line is, I love the idea of a book club. To belong to a group of like-minded people where you can discuss your favorite hobby is a dream come true. Maybe one day, I will find the perfect one for me. Until then, I’ll just continue lurking in the groups for book lovers on FB.