What’s better than curling up with a good book? Maybe getting to talk to people about the book.
Around the region, there are plenty of book clubs to join, whether you’re looking for something virtual, something educational or you’re looking to start something of your own!
Read on to learn about some of the unique book clubs across Northern Kentucky.
Fort Thomas Book Club
The Fort Thomas Book Club’s Facebook page has nearly 1,000 members.
Pam Schultz, who runs the group, said she started it in 2022 to get recommendations for new things to read.
“Well, I really didn’t need new books, because I have plenty I haven’t read, but it was just a way to gather and get new recommendations,” Schultz told LINK nky.
She said she started the group and invited some friends, who invited their friends, and it started to grow. While it is named the Fort Thomas Book Club because Schultz is a resident, and she said when she named it, she had a “lack of creativity,” she said everyone is welcome.
“People will get on there and share memes or just funny stories or book recommendations and just say ‘hey, what did you think about this book?’ or just give their opinion,” said Schultz.
The group meets in person on the first Wednesday of every month. The meeting location changes; it is often at Hidden Chapter Bookstore in Fort Thomas, but they have also met at Fort Thomas Coffee and Grassroots and Vine. “We’re just trying to spread the love to our independent business owners in town, we make sure to order drinks and food and tip well,” said Schultz.
While the Facebook group is large, Schultz said about 15-20 people consistently meet in person to discuss that month’s book. “We learn a lot about each other and our takes on the book, and how we have different impressions of the book, it can be quite eye-opening,” said Schultz.
“It’s almost like a group therapy session.”
In the past, Schultz said they picked titles off a running list of recommendations, but she said after they hit 75, “we realized we’d probably never get through them all.” So now, group members pitch books, and if their books are picked, they’re assigned to it for the month, and the person who pitched kicks off the discussion with questions and talking points.
While the discussion starts out organized, Schultz said it’s not so academic that it’s boring: ” We laugh, we can be obnoxious and sometimes inappropriate, but it’s a really good time.”
Learn more at the Fort Thomas Book Club’s Facebook page.
Roebling Books and Coffee
Roebling Books and Coffee is a combination coffee shop and bookstore with three locations throughout NKY: Covington, Newport and Dayton. Last year, the popular local chain started book clubs.
Roebling Event Director Jaiden Bolin told LINK nky that the response to their clubs has been great, one of their four groups, Reading is Fundamental, has really taken off “it’s our queer club and they have become such a sucess that we can’t allow more people to join, it’s amazing.”
In response to that group’s popularity, they started the A is for Activism Book Club. They also have a Thriller Book Club and a club “all about Japanese fiction that purrs,” according to Bolin, called Matcha & Meow.
Bolin said that a unique feature of Roebling is that they offer both private and public book clubs.
At least seven members are asked to attend the public groups. The host gets a free book, a free drink and plenty of Roebling swag. While members don’t have to buy their books through Roebling, Bolin said that they get a discount if they purchase through them.
While there is a seven-person requirement for public clubs, Bolin said they’ve had up to 20 attendees at clubs. However, he said he likes to cap it off there because “I just want to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.”
Bolin said they have around six private clubs that meet mostly at the Newport location in the afternoon. These clubs are not open to the public; however, anyone can start one.
“We just want people to come and have a safe space to gather and really get to know one another over a great read,” said Bolin.
For more information about Roebling Books and Coffee Book clubs, visit roeblingbooks.com.
Kenton County Library Book Clubs
What better place to find a new read than at the library? The Kenton County library has some great programs for all bookworms.
Bookies Book Club meets once a month at the Erlanger Branch of the Kenton County Library. Program director Mary Burkey picks a book for the group to read and discuss each month.
“We generally read things that have some sort of critical acclaim,” Burkey said. The books range in genre from mysteries to memoirs to sci-fi, romance and more. Burkey said she also often tries to pick works with local ties and books that coincide with author visits.
Also at the Kenton County Library is the Book to Art Club, where participants read a book in advance, but rather than just discuss the book, the group participates in a creative project connected to the book.
All book clubs at the Kenton County Library are open to the public; you don’t have to be a member or even live in Kenton County to join in.
Bookies, Burkey said, has a core group that consistently attends every month, including 90-year-old Sue and a mother-daughter pair who’ve been attending for years, plus a rotating cast of participants.
“It’s really nice because everybody catches up with one another,” Burkey said. “It’s a lot of catching up on how people have been, how their families are, and what’s going on in people’s lives, which is really nice, because it is a group of people that probably wouldn’t encounter each other otherwise.”
If you’re looking to start your own book club, the Kenton County Library offers book club kits to any library cardholder, which include 15 copies of over 200 titles.
Find more information about Bookies and other Kenton County Library programs at kentonlibrary.bibliocommons.com.