The Millennial Readers' Informal Book Club
A friend of mine and I attended a local comic con a few years back, in cosplay and our wallets full. We left with our wallets a little (a lot) emptier but our arms full of comics and other souvenirs.
We wandered the booths together, discovering new comics and artists. We found a comic called Plume, which is a fantastic Western sci-fi read, and we were immediately excited. We both bought a copy and promised to talk about it when we had finished.
That is a regular occurrence among Millennial readers. We travel in packs and ravage our local bookstores, talking and giggling in between shelves. (In my personal experience. Your giggling may vary.) It takes us awhile, but at the end we pull our books off the shelves and head to the checkout. In our hands, we often hold the same book, with the intention of calling/texting each other when we’re done and saying “OMG, can you believe that ending?” Again, your experience may vary. OMGing and LOLing is not for everyone. Sometimes, we all buy different books and then circulate them throughout the group. But I’m stingy with my lending, so that doesn’t happen in my group a lot.
Our post-reading discussions are extremely informal. We never plan on discussing it; it just happens. One minute you’re sitting in the coffee shop, sipping your latte, and the next, someone asks if you’ve finished reading. This launches a huge discussion; how we liked the book, who we thought was the best character, if it’s a series then we discuss where it could go from there. Basic book club discussion. But, you know, in our super cool and hip teenage vernacular.
By discussing the book, our other friends are intrigued. What book is this? What’s it about? Do you think I would like it? Pretty soon, half the table is promoting the book to the other half.
Another way we get recommendations is just to look around. We set our books next to us, on our desks, tables, etc. People walking by could see the cover and, if they were intrigued, they could ask to look at it. In my experience, the reader is always happy to show the interested one the back cover and recommend the book if they’re liking it so far. This is a great way to connect, with such an easy opener.
Other times, we see our friends pull out a book and ask them what they’re reading. As annoying as that question can be (it generally comes when you’re trying to actually read) many readers are excited to answer it. It’s always great to hear a friend so excited about what they’re reading and to potentially get a book recommendation from them.
Yes, I do find many books to add to my “To Read List” on social media. My feeds and dashboards are filled with pictures of books with captions like “Just finished! So good!” But I prefer to get recommendations from my friends. I know they have similar interests to mine and they know what I like. Besides, it’s fun to have a friend you can call when you’ve finished reading. I can guarantee that a rousing discussion at your favorite coffee house with your friends is better than a million likes on your “Just finished! So good!” picture on any social media.
In a way, every Millennial reader is a part of an informal book club. We love to read and we love to share the books we love. So publishers, if you want to promote a book, you just have to reach one of us. They’ll take care of the rest.
Hannah Hohman is an editorial assistant at Foreword Reviews. You can contact her at hannah@forewordreviews.com.
Hannah Hohman
