Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
4. Gushing about book clubs
12 Plays4 months ago
Episode 4. Gushing about book clubs
Bookish Moments:
· Blue House Books in Kenosha hosted an author event with Mary Kubica, moderated by Jeneva Rose.
· Schaumburg library is hosting an afternoon with Kate Quinn on February 15
Currently Reading: It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica
Deep dive topic: Book clubs
· New friends
· Experiment
· Where to find them
· What might you get out of them?
Reading intentions:
· Book club at Read Between the Lynes on February 16: It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica
· Book club at About Time Bookstore on February 18: Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Find me on Instagram: @Kristinsnextchapter
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Kristen's Next Chapter
Current Bookish Experiences and Reads
00:00:04
Kristin Paulin
Hi, I'm Kristin, the host of Kristin's Next Chapter, a podcast to help you find your next read and introduce you to debut authors. Today I want to have a chat about book clubs, but first I wanted to share some recent bookish moments and what I'm currently reading. So
Author Events and Highlights
00:00:19
Kristin Paulin
earlier this week, I went to an author event hosted by an independent bookstore called Blue House Books in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to help celebrate the release of Mary Kubica's newest thriller, It's Not Her.
00:00:31
Kristin Paulin
I feel like I won the lottery with this particular stop on the tour because the discussion was moderated by another one of my favorite thriller authors, Jeneva Rose. It was such a fun evening. If you've never been to an author event like this, it starts out with a stage event where, in this case, Jeneva asks Mary various questions about the book and her process, and then the audience gets to ask their questions too.
00:00:57
Kristin Paulin
You learn things like, what podcasts the author listens to, spoiler, Mary really likes Morbid, and how they name their characters, fun details like that. And then after the big stage event, the author, or in this case, both authors, stick around and they'll sign their books. So for book nerds like me, this is like meeting a huge movie star. It's so fun to meet the author and have your book signed.
00:01:22
Kristin Paulin
And somehow I'm lucky enough to be attending another author event next weekend, this time hosted by a local library. And it's going to be an afternoon with the author Kate Quinn.
00:01:34
Kristin Paulin
She's among my favorites as far as historical fiction. Her novels tend to focus on the role of women in a particular role in history. My favorite is The Rose Code, which is about a group of women code breakers during World War ii This event is going to be a few days before Kate's newest book comes out, which ventures into a completely different genre for her, and that's magical realism and fantasy.
00:02:01
Kristin Paulin
The book is called Astral Library. In the book, the main character discovers a hidden magical library that allows patrons to live inside the books. So it blends adventure along with a love letter to literature featuring a battle against a mysterious force. And this is a book that I'm planning on doing a buddy read with with my friend Jen. So I'm extra excited for it to come out.
Review of Mary Kubica's New Book
00:02:27
Kristin Paulin
as far as what I'm currently reading, I just started reading Mary's new book, and I'm loving it so far. The precipitating event happens right away, so it really drew me into the story from basically page one. I'm finding it to be a classic page turner. At the event, Mary mentioned the book is loosely inspired by the Keddie Cabin Murders, for any true crime fans out there. The dust jacket description of the book is, Courtney Gray's tranquil family vacation is shattered when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the lakeside cabin next door.
00:03:01
Kristin Paulin
There she finds the lifeless bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Her teenage niece, Reese, is nowhere to be found, while her nephew, Wyatt, lies asleep upstairs unharmed.
00:03:13
Kristin Paulin
As the police descend on the quiet resort town, disturbing secrets about Courtney's family start to emerge. When she learns that the town has secrets of its own, it makes her wonder if Reese is another victim in a brutal crime or if she's the killer.
00:03:28
Kristin Paulin
Courtney begins to unravel the terrible mystery, but everyone around her has something to hide. And the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to see. I just love thrillers.
00:03:39
Kristin Paulin
It can be so hard to put them down. And I'll let you know my thoughts about this one once I finish it.
Exploring Book Clubs
00:03:45
Kristin Paulin
Now onto our deep dive topic of the day, book clubs.
00:03:50
Kristin Paulin
I touched on this topic in episode two, which was about setting bookish goals for 2026.
00:03:56
Kristin Paulin
So I first started going to book clubs, hoping to meet new friends. And this is definitely something that I'm beginning to experience. but it didn't magically happen to me the first time I went to one. So if this is a reason that you are interested in book clubs, don't just don't get discouraged if it doesn't happen at the very first one.
00:04:15
Kristin Paulin
You need to experiment. One thing that I've learned is that book clubs vary a lot. You'll need to experiment and find what's the best fit for you. You may also find yourself a bit like me. i have my favorites, but I still like to flirt with other book clubs.
00:04:30
Kristin Paulin
sometimes based on the book pick and sometimes just to try a new club. So where can you find book clubs? I'm sure there are more ways, but I have found four ways that work personally well for me.
00:04:44
Kristin Paulin
One, make your own. for at least 10 years now, a group of friends and I have had an ongoing book club. We rotate who picks the book and we meet virtually as I'm in the Chicago area, one friend is in Boston area, and then another two are in England.
00:05:01
Kristin Paulin
And then I have another friend one that's newer. in my experience, some friend book clubs last longer than others.
00:05:08
Kristin Paulin
But even if you and one friend read a book together and discuss it, as far as I'm concerned, you'll get plenty out of that. And then another location is libraries.
00:05:18
Kristin Paulin
Now, in my experience, these are at like 10 a.m. on a weekday. and this prevented me from going to any at libraries until a few years ago because I'm a 9-to-5 worker.
00:05:30
Kristin Paulin
I decided to try one out at my local library as my lunch break. And I didn't know if it would be kind of the older retirees or stay-at-home moms. well, in my case, it was retirees.
00:05:46
Kristin Paulin
I was significantly younger than any of them, but you know what? This didn't matter to me at all. I have friends much younger than me and much older than me. I don't attend this book club regularly anymore because I found some that are in the evenings and that just works better for me.
00:06:05
Kristin Paulin
Another location where you can find book clubs are bookstores. Bookstores around me all host various book clubs, usually by genre. This means you can still flirt within one bookstore. Near me, genres include fantasy slash romanticy, sci-fi, romance, thrillers, general fiction, history, progressives, which is a nonfiction one And more.
00:06:32
Kristin Paulin
So over time, i have settled into ones that kind of are the best fit for me. And here's where I am meeting some people that I would refer to as friends. And of course, I'm still flirting with other book clubs at the stores when I see a title that I like.
Virtual Book Clubs and Their Benefits
00:06:48
Kristin Paulin
finally, another place that you can find book clubs are from podcasts or other virtual book clubs.
00:06:54
Kristin Paulin
There are a lot of virtual book clubs when you start looking or ones that you may naturally find when you're following your own book interests. So my favorite virtual book club is through the podcast called Bad on Paper.
00:07:09
Kristin Paulin
They have a monthly book club selection, and this is not interactive for me. I read the book, and then the hosts are discussing it on that podcast episode. But they do have an opportunity for listeners like myself to chat about the book within their social media groups, which is a nice opportunity to interact with people, and it it gives you sort of low-key way to get involved in a book club without the pressure of feeling like you need to say anything in the moment.
00:07:42
Kristin Paulin
So what might you get out of a book club? Like I said earlier, i first started going to book clubs because I wanted to meet new friends, but I discovered so much more.
00:07:53
Kristin Paulin
in a discussion, you gain other perspectives you might not have thought about. It is so common for me to leave a book club thinking, wow, and sometimes I even like the book more.
00:08:05
Kristin Paulin
And book clubs can expand your reading interest areas when you read something that you wouldn't otherwise pick up. As I've said before, some of my very favorite books from 2025 were books I read because of book clubs, and I wouldn't have otherwise picked up those books.
00:08:21
Kristin Paulin
And book clubs can take a solo hobby and make it social. Reading itself is an analog habit that is so important in this digital era. When you add the social element of a book club discussion with other people, you have added another important aspect to analog habits.
00:08:38
Kristin Paulin
I hope something in here has inspired you to check out a book club at least once, or maybe you have different thoughts about them yourself, and I'd love to hear what those are.
Upcoming Book Club Events
00:08:49
Kristin Paulin
I wanted to end this episode just talking a little bit about my reading intentions until the next time that we meet.
00:08:56
Kristin Paulin
It is also very much related to the topic of book clubs. So I am attending two book clubs at different bookstores for the benefit of anyone who's local on Monday, February 16th. Read Between the Lines in Woodstock, Illinois is having a book club discussion about Mary Kubica's new book. It's not her.
00:09:15
Kristin Paulin
And then that same week, on Wednesday, February 18th, at About Time Bookstore in Libertyville, Illinois, there will be a book club discussion of
00:09:25
Kristin Paulin
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. This book falls under science fiction, but it is a story in a story, so it's about the main character's life and a science fiction book that she writes. So it's a bit of general fiction too. And I'm going to be moderating that discussion, so I'll need to spend some time preparing thoughtful discussion questions after I read the book.
00:09:50
Kristin Paulin
And that's it for today. Thank you for listening. If you liked this episode, please tell a friend. In the meantime, you can find me on Instagram at kristinsnextchapter, all one word. I'd love to hear from you.
00:10:02
Kristin Paulin
Do you like going to book clubs or do you prefer reading solo? Whatever you prefer, happy reading.