Hello all! This month on r/fantasy I’ll be participating in two of the many book clubs on the sub. I’ve been trying to cut back on ‘obligated’ reading and yet, here we are. I guess a tiger can’t change it’s stripes.
First off I’ll be running the discussion for the HEA (Happily Ever After) Club – that’s a book club where we focus on Fantasy Romance books. For May we’ll be reading Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while now and I picked up a copy some time last year in the hopes of finally getting to it only to have it linger in my TBR ever since. Well, let’s be honest, that’s a lot of books. Anyway, I’ve been pushing for it to win the vote in our polls for a few months now and it’s finally made it! Yay! Join us on r/fantasy if you want to read a long with us, it should be a fun one to discuss. More info can be found here on r/fantasy.
The second book I’m reading for our FIF (Feminism in Fantasy) Club is Gods of Jade and Shadow by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia. I had already planned on reading this one anyway so now that it’s been picked for book club I guess I’ll be joining in the discussion for this one as well! You can find out more about FIF or follow along with the May discussion here if you’re so inclined.
In addition to these two book clubs the subreddit has a couple of others. Not sure what they’re reading in May but trying not to peak because two book club selections is already a lot for me! I’m hoping to jump start my reading for May in a big way. I have a couple of April TBR books lingering and I’m hoping to finish them up lickity split so that I can dive into these. I also have a couple review books and the Discworld readalong with Lynn and Lou. May should be a pretty packed month, but I’m somehow going to make it work. š
Are there any book clubs you’re joining in this month? Have you ever read with a book club before? What did you think of the experience? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to chat! Have a fantastic May!
Way Too Fantasy 
I’ve tried to join some reading clubs, but those people digest books at such a speed that I can’t keep up with them. By the time I finish one of the books on their list, they’re already five books further.
Yeah, I read a lot quicker than most of my friends. When I ran a book club with them we did 3 books a year because I try to be sensitive to the fact that not everyone devours books like I do lol.
I miss my book club. We had been going for years and then Covid hit. You wouldn’t think that would have stopped us but I think a lot of it was the fun of getting together, having food & drinks and a good laugh. Everyone’s world was turned upside down and I think we all just needed to do what we had to for our mental health. Maybe with summer approaching, and outdoor seating, we can meet up again. =/
Yeah. I think my irl book club had been going for about 3 years and it just went poof when covid hit. I can’t wait til we can all hang out again. Hopefully soon!
I have the 1st 2 books in L. Penelope’s series and I need to read them! And, you’re going to love GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW!
Oooh, even more excited now!
I loved Gods of Jade and Shadow! I hope you love it too š„° we have a book club at work which I host. There is supposed to be another host but she only does stuff when I ask her to do something. Which is a bit exhausting but then we only read a book a quarter. Our May pick I The House in the Cerulean Sea! And Iām so chuffed I finally got them to read fantasy š
I’m excited for it, I think it will be a book I’ll love based on what I’ve heard.
That does sound exhausting. Running book clubs are fun but can get to be a bit much sometimes haha. That’s awesome! That was my favorite from last year. I actually just randomly sent that book to one of my friends because I loved it so much. š
And itās not a series! Just one standalone book š
I donāt blame you, I might only be halfway in The House in the Cerulean Sea but I really like it.
Standalones are great, I really love them. Reading them also helps me not to keep adding new ongoing series to my TBR lol
Song of Blood & Stone just started appearing all over my Insta feed this weekend, so now I’m seeing it here and deciding it must mean I have to read it, haha. I tried to do a book club twice, and both times failed pretty quickly. The first one was just with my friend, and though we did read something every month and rotated who picked, we ended up scrapping it after a few months to exchange writing instead. The other one was with a few women from work, and we got a solid three months in(?) before everyone except for me and one other decided they just wanted to drink wine and complain about work, so that was a bummer. I’d love to be part of a book club, but also get this weird “well I’m not reading that if you tell me I have to” vibe every time I try to, alas.
Oh that’s funny! What a coincidence. š
Book clubs are hard to maintain! Even the one I co-run online I don’t read every book (highly recommend getting someone to co-run it if you ever try to do another one). I am not great at reading on demand and yet…here we are LOL
We recently formed a book club that we meet on Google Meet to discuss and evaluate the book at hand. We are now with Frantz Fanon’s, Black Skin White Masks, anyone who wants to join us?š¤
Oh, that sounds fun! I wish I had more time and weren’t so bad at reading on a schedule. I love my book clubs but I’ll admit I’m not the best at keeping up with them all the time haha. Have fun!
I did make a start on the second Discworld and I’m enjoying it. I know you’re having a break at the moment so you just take your time and don’t try to commit to too much.
Hugs
Lynn š
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I just created my own Book Club, where people who likes books of Genre : Crime, Mystery, Thriller and Suspense can join. Interested ? You can checkout my recent blog to join.
Oh, thanks for the invite, I will keep it in mind!