Book Clubs for Mom’s Sanity

Motherhood can be lonely. Some moms go all day without talking to another adult face to face. And others struggle to find their identity outside of the Mother-Employee-Spouse paradigm.

A great solution to combating Lonely Mom Syndrome is to join a book club. It’s a great way to meet new people, or an excuse to see your current friends and kick back over a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, or if you’re really lucky, some yummy book club snacks.

Why Join a Book Club?

As someone who has worked in book stores, libraries, and with publishers and authors for over 15 years, I’ve seen first-hand how book discussions can bring people together and be the conduit for lasting friendships. There’s also a lot to be said for a regularly scheduled meet-up that has nothing to do with Minecraft, yogurt tubes, lost shoes, or Elsa.

If you really need more excuses on why to seek one out, these 11 Reasons Why Every Woman Should Join a Book Club do the trick nicely, but I’d also like to reference one of my favorite titles my book club discussed:

“I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give up my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself. I can’t make it more clear; it’s only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.”
― Kate Chopin, The AwakeningI’ve laughed with my book club, cried with them, argued passionately with them – and sometimes gone a whole meeting with them without mentioning my kids once. Book clubs can be a respite when your Parent Identity starts to feel a bit… all-encompassing. Meeting with friends and taking time for yourself is a great way to model self-care and promote reflection, especially in this time of busy and bustle.

Where to Find Book Clubs in Huntsville

The absolute best place to go to discover a new book club is the Huntsville Madison County Public Library. With 12 local branches, there’s bound to be one near you and several libraries have multiple book clubs with a variety of genres! All welcome new members.

• Books In Review – Madison Library
  Meets every 3rd Monday of the month at 5:30 PM
• Literary Giants – Madison Library
  Meets the last Monday of the month at 6:30 PM
• One Way Ticket Downtown Book Club – Downtown Huntsville Library
  Meets the 3rd Thursday of the month at 5:30 PM
• Eleanor Murphy Book Club – Eleanor Murphy Library
  Meets the 1st Tuesday of every month at 11:30 AM
• Coffee, Cake, and Conversation – Triana Library
  Meets every 3rd Friday of the month at 6:00 PM
• Sister 2 Sister / Brother 2 Brother Book Club – Showers Center Library
  Meets the 3rd Saturday of each month at 3:00 PM
• Lovers of Lit – Bessie K. Russell Library
  Meet the 4th Saturday of each month at 3:30 PM
• Gurley Girls Bookclub – Gurley Library
  Meets every 4th Tuesday at 7:00 PM

For other options outside of the Library, check in with your church or neighborhood clubhouse – many offer social gatherings that include community book clubs.

Start Your Own Book Club

You can also form your own. There are tons of great resources online about how to put together a book club – my favorites are GoodReads Groups and Reading Group Choices. Tools like Doodle make it easier to coordinate meetings when you have a group of busy women interested in joining. LitLovers is a great resource for discussion questions to get the ball rolling once you start meeting. Want to open your book club to new members? Consider posting it on MeetUp.

JOIN OUR BOOK CLUB: We’ve launched the RCM Virtual Book Club, and you’re invited! We want to hear about what books you’d like to read most – leave us a comment below!