by Leah DeCesare, award winning author of Forks, Knives and Spoons 

Of course, I’m a book addict—I’m a writer! But I’m also a bit of a book club addict. I’ve been in a book club all of my adult life, except for perhaps a few years when I was neck-deep in babies and toddlers. Though, now that I think of it, my friends and I did discuss books. We’d chat about the the Vicki Iovine Girlfriends Guide series and any book on how to get a baby to sleep longer. So informally, that could count. It definitely ticks the socializing-over-books box.

At any one time, I always have at least one audiobook and one other book (either e-book or hardcopy) going at the same time. Often, I’m reading three—one in each format. It’s not usually a problem to follow each story, though there have been times when two books have a similarity, and it takes me a moment to orient myself back into the action.

Much of my reading is dictated by what my friends are writing so I’m able to support them and champion their work. Other times, my reading is dictated by the selections of my book clubs. That’s one of the reasons I’ve loved my groups—to read picks I may otherwise not have. Sometimes, I get to check off two things with one book, like reading something I’ve been wanting to read, or that I already own.

Deadlines are another reason I love my book clubs. Having a read-by date somehow gives me permission to sit and read without feeling like I’m playing hooky. I know it’s unneeded permission, but as a high-energy, over-achiever, I like to have purpose to how I spend my time, and reading for a discussion gives me that.

And of course, I’m in book clubs for the friendships, the connection, and good ol’ socializing fun.

In examining my book clubs, I’ve come up with three classifications.

The No-Book Book Club
In our neighborhood, our book club is really just an excuse for getting together. A spattering of people read the book, there may be a three to five minute mention of the book, then we talk about everything else in our lives while sipping wine. This style is a step-up in reading level from a summer book club that has since fizzled, from which I swiped the name—The No-Book Book Club. Clearly, this book club is a wine club. We used to joke that when people asked what we were reading in our NBBC, we’d tell them THE FOUNTAINHEAD or something as lofty. This one’s about friendships and community, not so much about literature.

The Half and Half
In my next book club, we have a set six women. It’s been the same six of us for eight or more years. We call ourselves the Panera Book Club because we meet at—well, you get it. We were very clever in creating our moniker. In this group, we pick the next book and date at each meeting, we’re pretty casual and flexible. Usually everyone has read the book and we do talk about the book—for at least a little while. In this group, we’re quite easily distracted from our book chat. We like to cast the books we read, which leads to talk about movies, and to finding a date to see the movie made of a book we’ve read. We like to compare and contrast the book to the film, and we have favorite authors who we always return to (Jhumpa Lahiri and Celeste Ng, we’re talking to you). I always feel inspired and uplifted after my time with these women. They’ve been my early readers and my greatest cheerleaders. And we’re a smart bunch — no one cleans their house. We just show up, nibble cookies, and close down Panera.

The For-Real Book Club
My third book club is the most committed. We’re called Reading Between the Wines—so of course there’s that—and the hostess of the month selects the book and leads the discussion. Our discussions are lengthy, solid, and thoughtful. We visit over wonderful appetizers and drinks then get to business and move from the kitchen to the living room to dive in. We’re not rigid about format but we dig deep in our talks and have a for-real, serious book discussions.

The Bonus
When my girls were younger, I was in mother-daughter book clubs with each of them, in addition to my grown-up groups. I loved those years! (Here’s a post from long ago on the benefits of mother-daughter book clubs and how to start one: http://motherscircle.net/mother-daughter-book-clubs/)

And so that’s why I’m in three book clubs. Each group gives me a little something the others don’t. Each one is a happy spot in my life.

How would you classify your book club?