UWG Ingram Library Book Club

At UWG there are many options for students to get involved, such as Greek life, campus recreation, or even student-run clubs, like the book club. The Ingram Library Book Club is open to all UWG students to join. Sign-ups are completed using a hybrid approach to determine exactly how students want to join.

Meetings are hosted on the second and last Tuesday of each month which is typically an hour-long, beginning at 6 p.m. Meetings are held in-person or could be virtual to accommodate students and their schedules. Students who prefer to meet in person will meet in the Aquarium room on the third floor of the Ingram Library; virtual meetings are held via Google Meet.

During meetings, the group will discuss the book and talk about things they liked or disliked, as well as share different perspectives about certain themes within the book. Books such as “In Other Lands” by Sarah Rees Brennan and “My Sister the Serial Killer” by Oyinkan Braithwaite will be read and discussed this semester, but other book selections are also included in the lineup for meetings as well.

“Our main goal is to read fun books,” said Lori Dixon-Leach, the club’s organizer and host. “These are not necessarily academic books. For example, we have covered a lot of horror and thriller genres and part of that is because we provide a choice of books and let students who are participating one semester do a ranked-choice vote for the selection of books for the next semester. This gives students a voice and allows us to see what kind of books students enjoy reading.”

The book club provides a reading schedule for new members along with the book that is being discussed. If a new member is unable to pick up their copy of the schedule and book, both will be mailed out to the student. The reading schedule provides a guideline for group members, giving them information about how many pages to read before the next meeting and specific meeting times. 

“I was asked to start the club back in October 2020,” said Dixon-Leach. “It’s been a lot of fun so far and I’ve been doing it ever since. I make sure I read every book before I put it up to a vote for students, that way I can ensure it’s fun and also provide content warnings. We want the experience to be enjoyable for members, and hopefully, we will be able to keep holding meetings for a long time because I really do enjoy it.”