How in the world do you find your book people? It’s hard. Book clubs are great if you can find one – it’s more than just a group that reads the same book. Do you click with the people you’re meeting each month? So many of them are more about social hour, which is awesome if that’s what you’re looking for in a book club. I dream of finding a group that I can just sit in the sun with, laugh, and talk about the books we’re reading. Will that happen? I doubt it. But I sure can dream about it!
Finding your people
Bookstores are a great place to find people! Many of the big box stores have book clubs, but if you’re lucky enough to have independent bookstores near you, these are an excellent place to find other bookish people! What makes these opportunities even better is that they’re run by the bookstore so nobody has to host, nobody has to lead, and nobody has to take responsibility for the group! They pick the book each month, all you need to do is secure the book, read it, and show up!
No Local Options for Book People
If you’re not in a big city or a larger suburb, a bookstore might not be an option for you. That’s okay! There are so many online options for bookish people out there. Let’s talk about one of my favorites.
TikTok
I’m a late joiner to TikTok and especially BookTok, but it’s become one of my absolute favorite places to find books. Of course, finding your kind of people can take some time and some patience!
Let me be totally honest, BookTok is a giant cesspool of opinions, some good and some not so good. I tried delving into BookTok more than once and walked away frustrated because the only people I could find were people who loved and hated the same ten books.
The last time I looked bookstores carried more than ten books. Even being generous and realistic, most of the top layer of BookTok reviews the same 100 books. Someone told me you have to take your time and keep digging, peeling away the layers until you find your people on BookTok.
So I kept with it, and I finally found reviewers who talked about more than the latest 100. From there, I found people who shared a similar taste in books. What makes this so exciting is that I find more books to read and am more apt to trust their reviews because I’ve already determined that past reviews align with my reviews.
Now, what’s really cool is that many of these BookTokers are on Fable! Have you heard of Fable? This is where you will find online book discussions. I joined my first one in February 2024 when someone decided to host a virtual book club for Lonesome Dove on Fable. Well, this was on my TBR, and it was my goal to read it this year, so what perfect timing!
The discussions were broken up by chapter and we posted thoughts and opinions about what was happening and we could respond to other people. This is a GREAT way to meet people who share similar book interests!
Facebook and Instagram Are Still Applicable in Finding Your People
I have joined so many Facebook groups for readers – some general, some genre specific. It’s like throwing spaghetti at a wall. Join a bunch and see what sticks. My all-around favorite is a very small group, less than 500 people and we don’t all share the same tastes, but we all love to read. Most important, we don’t stomp out someone else’s excitement over a book we might not have liked. Here’s the deal, books are art and art is subjective. Just because I don’t like a book, doesn’t mean you won’t like it and it doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just not my kind of book.
Within that community we have a monthly book club community too and we vote on the book to be read, once it’s narrowed down by the moderator, and we discuss it in our Facebook group all from the privacy of our own home.
Finding your people, whether in real life or on social media is important because you can build your community. With that being said, be careful not to try and be too inclusive!
Virtual Book Clubs
The one thing Covid did for us is help all generations become more comfortable having virtual meetings. From office meetings, to parent teacher meetings, to book clubs and a myraid of other social clubs. We have learned to adapt
Virtual book clubs are still around. A Google search will lead you to them and some people prefer this way of meeting over in person anyway. It’s a great way to get your feet wet meeting new people. And if you’re too far away, or can’t get a babysitter, this is a wonderful opportunity to still find your book people.
Jump In to Book Groups
It took awhile to find my people and over the past few years, I have found people in person that I can reach out to when I need a suggestion, or online when I need something to read. Not every book is a hit, there are some terrible misses, but I’m also learning to DNF (do not finish) a book when I don’t like it. So, it’s okay to start a book, decide it’s not for me, and to move on.
But, I’m finding my book people. And you should be looking for yours too. Be patient and keep trying, keep digging in any of these places:
- Facebook groups
- Goodreads
- TikTok
- Discord