Small Communities of Bibliophiles

Spreading Literary Joy

Through Book Clubs of Every Kind

by Patrice Doucet

Every time one of Katie Svenson’s children would graduate from high school, the stay-at-home mom would push herself to do something new, trying to keep her life interesting. “I wanted to remain engaged and do something psychologically stimulating,” she shares. After learning that a good friend, with whom she wanted to spend more time, was in a book club, Svenson joined to bring more reading into her life.

For the more than 5 million people in the U.S. who belong to book clubs, the only thing better than curling up with a good book is the joy of talking about it with others who’ve devoured its pages and are eager to hear perspectives different from their own, all while enjoying a sense of comradery.

Once a month eight to 12 book club members (mostly women) meet in the evenings at homes and other venues. While the landscape and focus of these groups have changed to meet the reading interests and busy schedules of members, the format is basically the same: The group decides on a book of the month; the host or facilitator designates a day and time to meet, usually about 5:30 or 6 p.m. There’s some socialization beforehand often including appetizers or even a meal and libations, and then an hour of lively discussion, some sidetracking and – depending on the book – laughter.

Always in support of women helping one another, Svenson says, “The book club helped me connect with parents from my kids’ school or people that I crossed paths with 20 years ago. Coming together on a regular basis helps deepen those friendships.” Another added benefit: The social aspects of book clubs have been linked to longer lifespans and reduced risk of memory loss.

Intimidated by the idea of reading a book in a given timeframe and being part of a discussion? Don’t be. Svenson says she, along with others, has gone to meetings having not finished the book. “It’s no big deal,” she assures. “Also many of us listen to audible books as well, while we’re on the go.”

The New Iberia native is also a member of another book club that she looks forward to attending, albeit once a year. “I have 41 close relatives, ranging from 10 to 70, and we go on an annual vacation, and reading is a common thread, so my sister started our family vacation book club,” she explains. “Several of us give our input on suggesting books, and when it’s chosen it’s posted a couple of months before the trip. We pick a day during the vacation to discuss it over coffee and cookies. Not everyone participates, but it brings us something to chat about as a family.”

For those who want to get out of the house but want to keep the focus on book discussion with socializing secondary, the library is your place.

Erica Romero, community relations coordinator for the Iberia Parish Library system runs the newest of the three book clubs at the East Main Street Library in New Iberia. The group, called What YA Reading?, targets young adults 18 to 25 and meets in a room of the library on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Having just started in January, there are a handful of members, but Romero, who is not concerned, notes, “Book clubs take a while to gain traction, but once people come, they don’t stop.”

As you would assume, librarians are a great inside track for the latest books. “We’re around books all the time, but we do take into account what members of our clubs want to read,” Romero notes “which has been trending towards fantasy, historical fiction, suspense and thrillers. The point is to read something that you might not normally choose, in addition to what you like.” Other advantages of belonging to a library book club: They obtain the book for you within the library system, and at the East Main branch, librarians have gone so far as to provide articles, from the database, relating to an event that may be the subject of a book.

Bookstores, where you can browse and chat with booksellers, are another good club meetup. Beausoleil Books, the brick-and-mortar store on Jefferson Street in Lafayette, welcomes members to their monthly book club, Book du Mois, which meets the last Saturday of each month in the comfortable, casual back annex of the store. The book of the month is always on display at the front of the store, and a list of the 2024 Book du Mois reads can be found at BeausoleilBooks.com

Apps and devices like Kindle, NOOK and Scribd have given rise to digitized reading and also online book communities like TikTok’s #booktok and Instagram’s #bookstagram that cater to readers from the comfort of their homes.

On Thursdays when Amy Bernard returns home from her work as a librarian, she fixes dinner, changes into comfy clothes, and then dives into a world of whodunnits through her online Mystery Readers Club. “I like the 24/7 option of chatting or texting online,” she says enthusiastically. “You can get a cup of coffee in your pj’s while the conversations about the book wander into deeper thought. There are about 100 members, but you can control how many people you speak to; I communicate with small groups of usually six. They’re a group of intelligent strangers (some use pen names) and it’s quite civilized – with no talking out of turn like often happens at some book clubs.”

The group chooses American and British crime novels based on their reviews, plots

and settings. “We’ve been leaning towards the British cozy mysteries, like the Hallmark murder

mysteries with not so much violence – but there are also American true crimes,” Bernard adds.

For those who are simply looking for the joy of communal reading outside of their home, there’s the Lafayette Silent Book Club. It’s an hour of silently reading the book of your choice, with other book-

loving people, at lectories like libraries, back areas of coffee shops and other cozy venues around Lafayette. There’s as much (or little) socialization as you want, but no discussion as a group.

All in all, there’s a book club for the Goldilocks in each of us. The ingredient that makes them a success – and the one that really counts – is great people, who give us a deeper appreciation of not only books, but of each other, while growing together intellectually.

Area Book Clubs

The Fortnightly Club, New Iberia and Abbeville

Afrikanah Book Club, Lafayette

At Libraries:

Main Street Book Club; The Ladies Who Lunch- New Iberia

The Page Turners Book Club- Jeanerette

South Regional Book Club; History Book Club and Classics Book Club – Lafayette (Johnston St.),

Fantasy Book Club; Sci-Fi Book Club- Lafayette (downtown)

Beyond Black History Book Club; Mystery Book Club- Scott

Milton Library Book Club

Finding Good Reads

NetGalley.com

BookBrowse.com

BookSeer.com

FantasticFiction.com

GoodReads.com

ReadingBookChoices.com

ReadingGroupChoices.com

Thought-Provoking Questions for your Next Book Club

What did you think of the beginning and ending?

Is the story believable; could this really happen?

Who is your favorite (and least favorite) character and why?

What was your favorite scene and why?

Share a favorite quote from the book. Why does it speak to you?

What ideas was the author trying to get across with the book?

What feelings did the book bring out in you?

Tip: As you read, mark the text that makes you think of a question.

Local Book Club Favorites of 2023

The Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates

Cruising in Your Eighties is Murder by Paul Jacobson

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover