Books are great friends and teachers after a breakup. They provide distraction, relief, laughter, and truth when you really need it. They allow us to reflect on who we are, in the privacy of our own minds. They inspire us and motivate us to move forward. They show us what's possible, and they help us mourn what we've left behind.
And the only thing better than getting lost in the pages with a book after a breakup is getting lost in the pages of a book with an entire group of your friends!
In case you're not sold yet, here are a few reasons why you should consider joining a book club after a breakup:
1. Make new friends
What's great about joining a book club (and clubs in general) is that you will be around people who share your interests. We know how frustrating it can be to read a book and have no one to talk to about it. *sigh* By joining a book club, you can finally get the emotional support you need from other bibliophiles!
Also, book clubs usually stick to a theme (i.e. fiction, romance, mystery) so you can find a club that best suits your interests. For example, if you're interested in feminism, Emma Watson's book club Our Shared Shelf focused on feminist books (note: it's not active right now, but you can still see their reading list).
Here are a few others to check out:
Belletrist @belletrist: Co-founded by Emma Roberts, Belletrist is a place to discover, read, and celebrate a book a month.
Well-Read Black Girl @wellreadblackgirl: Founded by Glory Edim, this club support black, women, and non-binary authors.
Between Two Books @betweentwobooks: Florence Welch's official book club. Need we say more?
Oprah's Book Club #oprahsbookclub: Read inspiring stories with Oprah and millions of people around the world.
If none of these are interesting to you, you can also gather a group of your friends and start your own.
2. Add structure to your life
We know, we know. One of the best things about graduating from high school was leaving all those annoying deadlines behind. BUT, we've found that having a bit of structure post-breakup is a great way to keep your life in order during a big transition.
Joining a book club can help you stay organized because you have to read books in a certain time-frame. There are also topics and discussion questions to keep in mind while reading so you have something substantial to focus on instead of obsessing over what your ex could be doing at that exact moment.
3. Challenge yourself
It's a no-brainer that reading expands your mind. But joining a book club takes that notion one step further by challenging you to think about the content on a deeper level. You can find so much between the lines that you may not have found reading on your own.
You might even be surprised by how much you can learn about yourself and the world around you by analyzing the topics discussed in a book. Finding a book that you can relate to is like finding a soul mate.
4. Books are transformative
Yes, scrolling through Instagram provides a good distraction. And yes, sometimes it's nice to get lost binging on Netflix or Amazon. But books are and will always be cool because of one simple thing: they are transformative. If you don't believe us, follow Girls At Library (@girlsatlibrary), a beautifully curated and designed platform dedicated to amazing women and the books that have shaped them. In their own words, GAL is "About women who read, for women who read."
Happy reading!
