Have you ever been so invested in a story you get lost in the world of words, but no one else has read the same book? Well, the book club meets a few times per month to discuss the books they are reading or want to read. They talk about the good and the bad, and recommend books for others to read as well. Seniors Natalie Wilhelm and Jasmine Hicks founded the club out of a desire to share their love of reading with others. The club has since been described as a welcoming environment free of judgment. “It feels like a family because nothing is super organized. We can go with the flow and talk about whatever we want,” said Hunter Vann, 11th grade.

When asked about what she liked about the book club, sophomore book club member Ava Wilson responded: “I like that we don’t read one specific book. We are able to read different books and discuss them with everyone.” She is currently reading Candide by Voltaire, which essentially follows the main character’s quest for the knowledge of human nature as he travels to different lands with his travel partner. While exploring, they find that humans are greedy, like to fight with one another, and are very lustful. Ava expressed through book club that she enjoys reading that book because it puts reality out there and shows that we as humans are not perfect. “I like reading because I am able to imagine the world myself and come up with what the characters will look like and take what the author puts in words and make it into something that I imagine,” she stated. She is able to feel comfortable telling this to the book club because they are very inclusive and they understand that people like different genres of books and they don’t judge you for that. 

Avery Stepan is a freshman member of the book club and has expressed her love of books and their impact on her. Expressing her love of book club she said, “We are all a family of book readers even though we are all in different grades; we can still all share the same experience of reading.” She is currently reading The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, a story of two best friends that go on a trip to Italy but encounter death along the way. “I like the style of writing; you can always tell whether an author is good in just the first couple of pages by their writing style,” Avery claimed. She likes reading because of the feeling of enjoyment of getting sucked into the story and feeling like you are in the book, “I feel comfortable talking to the book club about this because we all read, and I know they understand; it is nice to talk about it, and it is nice to share that experience with people in other grades.”

Jasmine Hicks is one of the founders and leaders of the book club in the 12th grade. She likes how the book club is a close-net group and everyone knows who they are, their interests, and are able to be open about that. When creating the club she wanted to have a space where everyone could take a break from school to relax and talk about books, “I know not everyone has time to read books all the time, but I wanted to create a community where people can come together and talk about what they are reading.” She recently started reading the first Hunger Games novel based on a recommendation from the group and so far is really enjoying it. Other members in the book club have been able to recommend the series to her and she is excited to move on to the second book. She likes reading because of how calming it is and the feeling of escape from reality. When asked how she feels being a part of the book club she responded, “I feel like the book club is a great place where I can share how I feel about what I am reading and listen to what other people are reading.”

The book club is a group that fosters a community of readers and the freedom to to read and share your thoughts. Many members of the club have described it as feeling like a family because it is a non-judgemental and welcoming environment. If you have a book that you just can’t stop reading and really want to talk about or you are looking for your next book to read then the book club might be the place for you.