Book it to this new club: Bookish Club!

Bookish Club hosted its second monthly meeting on Jan. 19, where they discussed the club’s book of the month, “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman. Despite being a new club, the atmosphere was well-settled and friendly – students gathered in a small circle in the Professional Studies Building Literary Lounge with tea, pastries and various copies of “Neverwhere.” 

When asked who should join Bookish Club, President Kaitlin Norton said: 

“Anybody! As cliche as it sounds, not one member of Bookish Club is the same, and that’s what makes the club unique. We have students from a variety of educational backgrounds, gender and passions, so conversations are more than just a topic of discussion. There is diversity [of] opinions, and it allows you to open up to new ideas and views.”

Members attending the January meeting were happy to accommodate those who hadn’t finished or even started the chosen book. Discussions ranged from personal tastes in characters and story to social commentary analysis and overall writing style. Members started the meeting with a general rating of the book – which hovered around a 3 out of 5, following the website Goodreads’ rating system of 1 to 5 stars. 

Books are suggested by any and all members of the group at the end of each session. A synopsis of the book is read and – after all ideas are shared – members vote on the book they are most interested in reading for the next month. Any genre or length of book is welcome, though an effort is made to ensure everyone will reasonably be able to complete the book within the month before the next meeting. 

January’s book, “Neverwhere,” didn’t leave more than a mild impression on most members – proof that not every book has to be perfect and loved by all to be worth reading. With scores ranging from 2.5 to 4 out of 5 stars, members weren’t thrilled with the book. Most, however, had personal favorites among the cast of side characters who provided a saving aspect of charm in an otherwise underwhelming and convoluted book. That is, convoluted in comprehension rather than complexity.“It was a detriment, how easy it was to read,” reader and club officer Geneva Luteria said.

“I feel like [the main characters] were completely overshadowed by the side characters, who were way more entertaining,” said fellow reader Ivazie Lippie. 

Members had differing opinions on the pacing of scenes, with some feeling the pacing provided intriguing and necessary imagery, while others felt it left the story either too fast or too slowly paced.

‍

“Neverwhere” was adapted from a screenplay Gaiman was writing for BBC, which may have affected pacing and scene styles. While books often don’t successfully translate to the screen in the opinion of readers and critics, the opposite can be said as well. 

Despite general agreement that the book wasn’t anyone’s favorite, members were thoughtful when responding to others’ opinions and were happily laughing and agreeing with each other's ideas and comments during the meeting. 

Reading for specific amounts of time or pages, or focusing on reading instead of scrolling through social media, are common goals club members set to improve their habits. Bookish Club is a fun and casual take on reading goals, encouraging students to read books they may not usually make time for, and to foster healthy reading habits.

Bookish Club can be found on the UAA website on the ‘Student Organizations’ tab for those interested in joining or learning more.