Science Fiction Book Club (not the one where you buy books)

Our library started a Book Club devoted to Science Fiction. We have been meeting for 5 months and are still a small and select group. At our last meeting in addition to the book we were reviewing we talked about was why we were staying so small. The library has a large number of people checking out Science Fiction books and a high percentage are women. That was the main reason the library started the book club. After sharing our experiences as Science Fiction readers we came to some conclusions about why we are not attracting more members.

First; Science Fiction readers hide their addiction. I know in my case I never talked about what I was reading. I discovered Science Fiction around the age of 9. I found The Trouble on Titan in our library, read it and was immediately hooked. However, I quickly found that sharing what I read caused people to look at me like I had 2 heads. I quit admitting my favorite books were Science Fiction. To this day when my Mother sees me reading Science Fiction she says, “Oh, you are reading one of those books!”

Second; Science Fiction readers are loners. Being a loner means you do not join groups. Does that fit you? To a certain extent it is a fit for me. I do join some groups but I don’t want to commit too much of my time. Don’t get me wrong. I am not a hermit. I like to be around people but I also treasure my time alone. After non-stop socializing I like to find a good book and spend time reading. I had rather spend time reading than join most groups. I can disappear for days at a time. I don’t miss other people because I am reading and my friends are in the book. After all that time alone with my books I come up for air and want to see people again. I join friends before I disappear again to read.

So our book club is staying small because people do not want to admit they read Science Fiction and Science Fiction readers would rather read than join a group.

Even though we are small we are dedicated to keeping the group going. Tomorrow I will share a little about the group and how we choose the books we are reading.