The Willow Wraith Book Club

Reading may often be a solo “sport” but I think it’s a lot of fun to read a book along with a group. Discussing my thoughts with others after reading something is always interesting, because it’s rare that two people have the exact same feelings about a book. Not only do I get to experience the author’s world, but I get to hear others’ perspectives and how their past and personality shaped how the author’s piece was perceived.

I’ve been in a couple book clubs over the years; one at a previous workplace, and one that was virtual during the pandemic. The workplace one ended when I moved to a new job. The virtual one lasted about 3 ½ years, and I really enjoyed my time with that group, but earlier this year, it all kind of fizzled. We lost a number of regulars after the great Twitter Exoduses (we were using the group chat feature there previously, but after moving to a Discord server, many people didn’t make the switch.) Others began losing interest, and now that server has been more or less dead for the better part of the year.

And I missed that little reading community.

Which brought me to Willow Wraith Press over the summer.

I knew a lot of their members from other groups or socials, and it seemed like they might be receptive to a book club idea if I pitched it. (I’ll be honest, I mulled over the decision to contact them about my idea for weeks before I gathered the courage to actually do it.) I was surprised and excited when they were not only interested, but had been talking about starting a book club for a while.

Like the other book clubs I’ve participated in, Willow Wraith’s is based on a voting system. Titles are submitted, a vote is posted, and books for each month are chosen that way. We meet at the end of the month to discuss the book and our thoughts (usually—November and December’s will be delayed slightly due to holidays.) The discussions are livestreamed on Willow Wraith’s YouTube channel, and so far, the authors have also joined us each month. This book club’s focus is indie fantasy/sci-fi.

What’s unique about Willow Wraith’s book club is that they’ve opened it for anyone to follow on Goodreads. Which means if you’d like to join us for a month or two, or even for a specific read, you can! And of course, you can watch the livestreams with the authors too.

The book club officially launched in August, and here’s what we’ve read so far:

The Source of Strife by Alex Arch (August)

The Light of Kasaban by Thomas Howard Riley (September)

An Ambitious Woman and her Very Normal Pet by Lily Greene (October)

Far Removed by C.B. Lansdell (November)

Current Read: Coward by Ayrton Silva (December)

January’s book will be Shadow Bane by Cal Logan.

Of the book clubs I’ve been a part of, this one has been the most organized and the most fun. I hope we can keep it going for a long while…and if you’d like to help us vote for the February – May books, the poll is currently open.

I hope some of you can join us on Goodreads!