There really isn't an order as to when I post my Confessions - I kind of come up with them when an issue arises or a thought pops into my head. Ergo, there could be one a month or there could be a few a month. It just all depends on what's going on in the book community or how I feel.
HCL Confession on Bookish and Non-Bookish Friends
I'm sure we've all been there. You just finish an amazing book, and you just want to talk about it with someone face-to-face. But there's just one problem... You don't have any bookish friends. It's one of the scariest things for a book nerd, especially if you're a person who loves to interact with people in real life.
We all know that social media is a great way to make bookish friends. I've made so many just on Twitter and Goodreads, and while I really do appreciate every single one of them, it's not the same as being able to sit in the same room with someone and gush about favorite books, genres, characters, settings, or the infamous ships.
So... are there solutions to this problem? Of course there are! And honestly, you don't even really have to look that far to find real life bookish friends. Below, I'll give some examples of where to meet and keep real life bookish friends.
- Join a Book Club
- Look Online - There are so many different ways to find a book club, and one way is to actually start looking for one online. I've found a few local book clubs on groups section of Goodreads that I've "joined." Now... I've never actually attended a meeting because the few that I've found on Goodreads are on the other side of the city, and I don't feel like driving that far for a book club, but I look from time to time to see if there are any that meet closer to me.
- Check Local Coffee Shops and Cafes - Books and coffee. Books and tea. Some things just go together, and a lot of people associate hot drinks with reading because it makes for a relaxing atmosphere. Some book clubs are more keen to meet at cafes, especially because a lot of book clubs are formed through social media (see above). If you're looking for a book club, check the bulletin boards at local cafes. You might find a group worth joining, and meeting in public is a lot safer than going to a stranger's home.
- School Sanctioned Book Clubs - Most of you already know that I'm a substitute teacher (still hoping for a classroom of my own!), and I've been noticing a lot of book clubs in schools lately. These are usually sponsored by one or two enthusiastic English teachers and a few bookish students. I've noticed that most clubs read one book a month and meet a few times each month to discuss the books. If you're shy or at a new school, this is a great way to make new, bookish friends.
- Talk to a Friend
- Some of your friends might like to read, but they might not let everyone know. This is what I like to call a "closet bookworm" I've never really been one, but I realize that some people still think it's "uncool" to read. A easy way to figure out if a friend is a closet bookworm is to ask a question as simple as, "Hey, have you read any good books lately?" The question just might get your friends to start talking, and you can start talking about books with your friends.
- Recommend a Book to a Friend
- A lot of people aren't readers because they haven't found the right book yet. It's up to us book nerds to help our friends find the right books. How can we do this? Just pay attention to your friends! Figure out their likes and dislikes. Maybe they like history. Maybe your friend likes science fiction movies. Maybe your friend is a fan of music. If you know your friend well, you can make a really good book recommendation. You can either tell your friend about a book or you can give the book as a gift. Either way, your friend might really appreciate the fact that you spent so much time figuring out the perfect book for him or her.
Your HCL Confessions
Do you like to surround yourself with bookish friends in real life or are most of your bookish friends online? Have you ever joined a book club? Did you ever discover that you had a bookworm for a friend and never realized it? Have you recommended a book to a friend that they've ended up loving? Did any of your friends hate any books that you've recommended?
Feel free to let me know in the comments. I'll be sure to reply as soon as I can because I'm sure there are probably going to be some great confessions from everyone today!
Most of my bookish friends are online. Hence why I LOVE social media! I love when a friend recommends something I enjoy. I've recommended a few to online friends and they've loved most of them... it's always so fun to add more pals to the fandom! ;)
ReplyDeleteI ended up creating a book club on Meetup.com! It's been really great so far and I've had a good turnout. It ends up being kind of pricy, unless you charge fees, but I told my group that once we had enough genuinely active members we'd move it onto Goodreads. (Saves money!)
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of Meetup.com. I'll have to check that out and see if there anything cool is going on in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you about wanting to save money. Every penny counts these days. :)
Most of my bookish friends are online too, especially now that I'm a few years removed from college.
ReplyDeleteI love getting and making recommendations to my friends, especially when it turns out that they love the book. It's such a fun way to really connect with people. :)
I've made bookworms out of two of my friends, so I text them pretty often or we talk about books during lunch. I haven't joined a book club, but I love discussing with bookish blogger friends via twitter and text :)
ReplyDeleteThat's so awesome that you turned two of your friends into bookworms! One of my friends enjoys reading, but she's more of a fantasy person.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you're coming from, Alejandra. It's hard when fans aren't on the same level, and it would make talking about anything, especially books hard.
ReplyDeleteI recommend books to people but they never want to talk about them :( they just tell me if they liked them or not and then think I'm crazy when I ask follow up questions! I have the same problem with TV shows lol
ReplyDeleteYour post has totally reminded me to check out a book cafe I keep seeing whenever I'm on the train though. I've been thinking about driving out there for a while but never remember when it's convenient to go.
This is a great post because I used to struggle with having a "bookish friend" to talk with. Now, I can turn to bloggers on twitter. However, I do know a few people I can talk to about books. My best friend is actually a huge book nerd and we do things like go on huge Barnes and Noble hauls together and we used to go to the library and come out with a stack of books. She does read books different from me but when we do read the same books, it's great to discuss books with her. I also have another friend who likes to read and I am constantly feeding her suggestions because she is trying to get into reading. It's fun to talk to her about the book when she is done read it because discussing books is one of the things I love about reading! Another place I like to find people to talk to books about is events. Sometimes I have conversations with random strangers who have read the book for the author we are at the event for. It's convenient because you have all these people you can talk to about the book, so why not take advantage of that? Usually i'm not that much as a social person but when it comes to book events, it's very hard to shut me up ahaha.
ReplyDelete~Kaitlin @ Next Page Please!
I have a few friends that read a few books a year, so I can always talk to them about the more popular books - usually the ones that are also movies! Other than that, I don't really have anyone in real life. When I was in high school, there was one friend who sometimes caught the same bus as me and one day I found out she was a massive bookworm and she loved the same tv shows as me too, so every time she caught the bus we would gush about our favourite books and who we shipped together and the latest episodes of tv shows. Those conversations were always great, and they were so different compared to online conversations.
ReplyDeleteI give out a lot of book recommendations, but it's not often that people actually take them. However I did recommend a book to a friend many years ago, and I lent it to her too. She ended up loving it and we talked about it to no end.
I'm definitely going to take your recommendation and look for some book clubs in my area!
Sorry for the long comment!
I hate that! I love asking follow up questions, and when people only provide answers like "It was okay" or "I didn't like it," I want to scream. I'd love to know why a person liked or disliked a certain book or show!
ReplyDeleteOh! A book cafe! That would be awesome. I've been meaning to check out this small bookstore that I found, but I think it's closing. I don't want to go, fall in love, and then have it ripped from me. :(
Thank you, Chioma!
ReplyDeleteYou're so lucky! A few of my friends are bookworms, but we all live so far away now that it's hard to make time to meet up, let alone talk about books. But I'm with you... I'd love to join a book club, and I think I probably will once I get myself a bit more established.
Being able to talk to other bookworms and bloggers on Twitter is fantastic. I've made so many friends because of it. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's such a cute story! I usually go to B&N with my sister, and it usually results in me buying her books, so we don't do that as often anymore. It would be so much fun to go to a bookstore with a friend regularly, though.
Discussing books is the best part! When I recommended that one of my best friends read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, she took it to the beach, read it, and we fangirled for months about the book. I even grabbed a few spare copies when I visited the English department office before I graduated so she could have her own copy (and one so that I'd have a spare.) But we still talk about it to this day. :)
First of all, never apologize for leaving a long comment. I love them. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you have a few friends who you can talk to about books! It's kind of a bummer that they are probably ones that you read years ahead of them, but at least it's something. :)
I know what you mean about people not taking recommendations because I am the kind of person who ignores recommendations from others. I feel bad, but I'm pretty good at knowing what I'll like, and a lot of the recommendations I get are not what I'd consider reading.
I hope you find some book clubs in your area. :)
I just found this blog, but I love it already! I wanted to say that you can find book clubs at meetup.com and also your local library. The meetup ones are have younger women and better drinks. :-)
ReplyDelete