Book Club for Introverts

Being part of a book club has always sounded like a wonderful thing to do – something in which the ideal version of myself would undoubtedly partake. I imagine sitting in a circle of fellow bibliophiles, thoughtfully discussing ideas encountered within fascinating pages, feeling especially intellectual…and even better if there’s a cozy fireplace in the room and mocha on the table beside me. Sigh. Sounds LOVELY.

When I was a bit younger, I did participate in ladies’ Bible studies with my church, where we would read chapter by chapter through a book about Christian womanhood, marriage, or spiritual growth and combine and compare it with correlating Scripture verses. My favorite Bible studies were those hosted in a friend’s cozy dining room over breakfast and tea while the morning sun streamed in the windows near her rose garden. In another state and another stage, a mentor held a Bible study in her cozy living room and set up a playpen for my baby twins so I could focus on the conversation and coffee while my older children played outside with the other ladies’ kids. During one exciting chapter of my life, I even teamed up with a neighbor to form a Wild + Free homeschooling mom’s group and opened it to the public. We’d meet monthly at local natural food co-op and sit around a small table for a couple evening hours, conversing about our current read and sharing encouragement with whoever happened to show up.

Alas, between being an introvert and a stay-at-home mama of six, I would be hesitant to commit myself to a book club in this season of life. It’s kind of ridiculous how difficult it can be to get myself out of the house. While I DO enjoy spending time with people, my heart is at home and I’m loath to tear myself away. Additionally, this lifestyle of homemaking, homeschooling, and tending to a currently-two-year-old little love can easily occupy me all day, every day. But even if a book club isn’t on my immediate list of priorities, I highly value having someone with whom to talk over the books I read.

When I moved away from Northwest Washington, I continued to keep in touch with my friend Molly, who is a content creator, through regular video messages. Somewhere along the way, we developed our own version of a book club. It’s just the two of us, and we’re separated by over two thousand miles, but we are ALWAYS going through a book together. We take turns choosing titles, and then read at our own pace. As we finish chapters, we send video messages sharing the parts that we particularly enjoyed or that made an impression on us. It’s interesting because we rarely note the same things, and hearing what stood out to the other person gives a broader experience to each of us. Deeper conversation is often sparked by topics in our books, and we’ve certainly grown in our understanding as a result. This rich literary experience is tucked conveniently into pockets of time in our days, whenever we have the right moment to read, to share, or to listen. Little by little, we’ve made our way through classics like Sense and Sensibility, devotionals like Gospel-Centered Motherhood, parenting books like Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad, biographies like Joni and Ken: An Untold Love Story, and fun books like Forever Chic. While we’re usually also reading other books independently, it’s such a pleasure to have this point of connection over literature.

Are you a book lover, but too busy or too introverted to join an actual book club? I encourage you to give this very low-commitment arrangement a try! Find one of your friends or relatives (even one who lives far away) with similar interests and a love for reading, and propose enjoying a book together with no set deadline, discussing the chapters as you go along – whether by text, voice message, video message, phone call, or whatever means works for you. If the friend is local, you could even meet over a cup of coffee. This practice is delightfully enriching, allowing you to have accountability in your reading habit, explore ideas from another person’s perspective, and grow in your relationship in the process. 🌿