Thoughts about book clubs

https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/13omp3w/can_books_fill_the_void_of_social_connections_in/

Books are great and people connection is too. But I’d actually advise against a book club. There’s pressure to perform in that kind of small intimate setting and people get into their feelings about their interpretations and opinions. I’m an ambivert and I don’t do book clubs: I find them exhausting and socially draining.

What I recommend instead is some kind of regularly meeting group where there’s either a task or a goal, like a crochet class or local walking group. Something where you can sit and listen in, feel comfortable to pop in if appropriate, and where everyone has something they’re doing so it isn’t at all weird if someone stops talking for long periods of time. This will also give you the chance to figure out who you want to talk to.

Socializing is a skill. Everyone is shit at it to start. You only get better at it if you do it. It sucks, but it is true and you must not think that you have to do it perfectly the first time or not even try. Even the simplest piano piece takes hours before it becomes fluid, and highly respected masters have tens of thousands of hours of practice before they ever step on stage. Even people who interact easily with others have still made mistakes that they need to recover from or that haunt them for ages. Don’t put too much on yourself because you are hoping and wishing very intensely.