a guide to every wretched book club in your area
too poor for a city with a lit scene, but too snobby for your hometown? browse this handy guide to find out which semi-local or chatroom-based book club you'll visit for two sessions before you give up and go back to reading in your room for another five years
the 4 gregs
fare: classic fantasy, recent fantasy but never romantasy, some weird fiction, some classic sci-fi. they also have a pathfinder game if you're interested
pros: very accepting of your mental illnesses and other quirks that continue to alienate others from you
cons: maybe too accepting. there's a guy who's been making everyone uncomfortable for over a year, and has yet to be called out in any way that will change him
the knitting circle
fare: cozy mysteries, generational sagas, books about quirky little shops or cafés, cleanish romances, recent popular nonfiction, older self-help
pros: someone here is a glad hand with homemade baked goods. you get to hear gossip that doesn't involve you or anyone you care about
cons: everyone here treats you as only semi-domesticated--like a kindergartener, or a feral cat
this club is for the girls
fare: booktok, recent popular nonfiction, austens and brontës, occasional graphic novels
pros: one member has encyclopedic knowledge of lesser-known women writers
cons: things will get uncomfortable when someone brings up harry potter
the NYC guys
fare: /lit/core novels, ancient and medieval texts, european novels, some university's english lit curriculum from the 1930s, counterculture novels and essays, the fascist canon
pros: smarter than average, and strictly anti-censorship
cons: after a while you'll be creeped out by their lack of principles beyond the pursuit of status
the one that will die
fare: literary prize nominees, non-slop genre fiction, older classics your public high school curriculum didn't cover, some excellent nonfiction, novels from the 80s that don't deserve their obscurity
pros: someone in this club can afford the fruit and cheese platter from the luxury grocery
cons: by the time you get there, the couple who started the club are well into the 'rocky' stage of their open relationship. the group will cease to exist before you really get to know any of the regulars. weeks later you will find the instagram of the person you think you clicked with, but you will not have the courage to DM them, because they are too busy and too interesting