For students who enjoy falling into a good book and are looking for a spot to discuss their favorite reads with their peers, the Book Club at OU is for you.
Each month, the Book Club hosts a meeting to talk about the assigned book of the month with their fellow book readers, while also talking about their personal favorites.
Sydney Tremonti, the president of the club, explains how she views the club.
“The club is a space for other fellow book lovers to come and read a book monthly and then talk about what our thoughts are,” Tremonti said. “We do different genres to keep it diverse, see what everyone loves, and talk about what we’re reading outside of the book of the month.”
The book club chooses different genres each month so students can experience a variety of different literature. At each meeting, the club gets to vote for the next genre and give suggestions for the next book.
“We read fantasy, nonfiction. We did a memoir last month, romance, mystery, thriller, just like literary fiction. You know, a little bit of everything,” Tremonti said. “For the summer we did the online voting. But now that we’re in person, just like, who’s here and who’s the most active gets to vote.”
For students trying to get back into reading, Tremonti suggests finding a genre you already enjoy in other media, and to start with a shorter book.
“To get back into reading, if you like watching movies or TV, think about what kind of genre of that entertainment you like,” Tremonti said. “Try to find that in a book and start with something maybe a little bit shorter too. You don’t have to read a 900-page book just because other people are, you can read a shorter book, and maybe that’ll help ease you in.”
While one month can seem easy for some readers to get through the club’s book of the month, Tremonti explains how to make it to the end in time.
“If you’re a slower reader, it’s totally okay if you don’t finish by the next meeting,” Tremonti said. “You can still show up, still listen, still participate, but if you’re trying to finish the book, I would allocate time every day. I think reading before bed, even if it’s just 20 minutes, is really good.”
Tremonti explains how her favorite aspect of the club is talking with the other members.
“It’s a nice social environment to eat some food, hang out, just talk about what we’re reading,” Tremonti said. “It’s a great space to just have some open discussion. We read a little bit of everything, so maybe one month might not be your cup of tea, but maybe the next month is. Regardless, still join, still come, still chat.”
The club’s next meeting will be Nov. 13, featuring the fantasy fiction book, “Heartless” by Marissa Meyer. For more information on the club, visit their GrizzOrgs page.
