Introducing the Fifteen Minute Book Club

A book club & community for busy readers.

Hello friends! I’m very excited to share my new idea with you all. For ages and ages I’ve wanted to join a book club, but my busy schedule and general ambivalence for leaving my house has hindered that. I didn’t want something that added more to my to-do list, was bogged down by giant books I may or may not like, and didn’t want to spend more time shuffling my schedule and feeling guilty for not finishing the book in time.

So the other day as I was pondering this, a thought popped into my head: what if I created an online, asynchronous book club that basically existed in the chat threads and post comments on my blog? I’m sure this is not a revolutionary idea, but hey – it felt like a light bulb moment for me.

I’ve been blogging about the books I read in some form for nearly a decade on and off, and while I love sharing curated lists and roundups, I am craving a more intimate space where we can really dig into the books and what we love or hate about them.

What will we read?

Fiction books across a variety of genres, with a good mix of buzzy new releases, lesser known works, and old favorites. Since this book club is aimed at being a quick and easy way to read more and connect with likeminded people without adding too much to your to-do list, I’ll aim to keep our book picks under 350 pages.

How will it work?

During the last week of each month, I’ll post a poll for book club members to vote on which book we’ll read the following month. The options will be a curated list of 3-5 handpicked books by yours truly. I’ll share a synopsis of each and why I picked it, and you’ll get to choose which sounds best to you. On the 1st of each month, I’ll share the month’s book club pick and we can get to reading!

At the end of the month, I’ll post my in-depth review and thoughts on the book, plus any fun book-related extras (think: cocktail pairings, discussion guides, etc.). We’ll have discussion threads where you can drop in and out, no pressure, no schedule coordinating. It’ll be like having a group chat of likeminded book lovers at your fingertips.

You can see all current and past book club posts here.

Who is it for?

You! No, but really, I want this to be as inclusive as possible. This is for anyone who wants to read more, doesn’t have time for endless Zoom meetings or in-person get togethers, but still wants to discuss books thoughtfully with likeminded folks.

How do I join?

The FMBC is for paid subscribers to Parenthetical. Upgrading to any paid subscription will automatically add you to our book club threads! (Note: want to support the blog but don’t really want to participate in the book club? No hard feelings. You can edit which newsletters you receive here).

Paid subscriptions are $5/month or $50/year. This helps cover my time putting together the posts and materials, and hey – it’s way cheaper than bringing a bottle of wine or a bunch of Trader Joe’s snacks to an in-person book club.