How A Book Group Changed My Life (And How It Can Change Yours)

On a typical day, you are most likely to find me snuggled up in a chair, enjoying the sound and sensation of paper rustling beneath my finger tips as I turn the pages of a novel and lose myself in another world.

Reading has always been an important part of my life but up until my junior year of high school I didn't talk a lot about my hobby outside of my home because I felt embarrassed about liking books more than being active or socializing with others. But this mindset changed for me when my librarian suggested I apply for a position on the Green Mountain Book Awards Committee (GMBA) for the state of Vermont.

The purpose of the committee was to come up with a list of the top 15 young adult books that we thought would be interesting and get high school students, grades 9-12, enthused about reading. To come up with this list, we read and selected newly released books from boxes publishers sent us throughout the year. Every two months or so, we got together to swap books, talk about the ones we liked, and give reading recommendations. Then at the end of the year, there was a day long meeting where we attempted to persuade one another into voting for our favorite books and ultimately created a finalized list of books teens were most likely to pick up and read.

Image by Kaelan. GMBA Book Boxes, 2016.

Although it was challenging at times to juggle between school work and reading two to three books a week, I thoroughly enjoyed being a GMBA committee member. It was so much fun to have an opportunity to read a wide variety of genres, ranging from fiction to graphic novels to non fiction, that I wouldn't typically seek out and read on a daily basis.

I was also amazed at how the group valued and accepted my opinions even though I was significantly younger than most of the members on the committee. This gave me a renewed appreciation for literature because it helped to create an equal and level playing field for all individuals who just want to share their love for books with fellow enthusiasts.

After the two year experience, I felt more comfortable and confident talking about my interests and began to see a future for myself working with books in some capacity, which I hadn't thought was an option before.

I realize a book group might seem boring or tedious to some but you never know until you try. I enjoy them because they constantly change my perspective on the books I am reading. Maybe joining one could potentially create an extraordinary experience that will push you in an exciting and new direction in life.