What do celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Dua Lipa, Laufey and Kaia Gerber have in common? A shared love of reading and book clubs that extend that passion to millions of readers.
Book clubs are growing in popularity nationwide. According to CNN, book club event listings in the United States increased by 24% from 2022 to 2023. The New York Times estimates that nearly five million Americans currently belong to a book club.
If online reading communities are included, the numbers grow even larger: Goodreads.com reports more than 40 million members, with over 19,000 groups tagged as book clubs.
The appeal of book clubs goes beyond celebrity influence. Members interviewed for the article “Women’s Groups and the Rise of the Book Club” cited the same primary reasons for joining: “They wanted to read more, and they wanted to read books they wouldn’t otherwise pick up. For many, reading more is a noble cause in and of itself. But book clubs provide more than exposure to new texts. They offer a social space in which individuals learn and grow through collective intellectual engagement.”
According to Psychology Today’s article “Why Book Clubs Are Good for Your Mental Health,” participating in a book club offers a variety of benefits. Book clubs foster connection and create a sense of belonging among members. They can boost social skills, self-esteem and confidence by encouraging members to share their thoughts and opinions.
These groups also provide safe spaces to explore current events and social issues. In addition, discussing books helps develop critical-thinking skills. Of course, sometimes the appeal is simpler: a book club can be an excuse to get together, connect and enjoy good conversation.
For those interested in starting a book club, Madison College Libraries offer helpful resources. The NoveList database can be used to find curated reading lists or to search by “media mentions,” allowing users to filter by well-known book clubs, including celebrity-led selections such as Laufey’s Book Club.
Booksellers like Barnes & Noble also provide book club recommendations and discussion guides, making them valuable tools for new and established groups alike.
Whether motivated by literature, community, or both, book clubs continue to prove that reading doesn’t have to be a solitary activity. Madison College Libraries would like to invite current students who are interested in being part of a student-led book club to fill out a short survey: https://madisoncollege.libwizard.com/f/Book_club.