Literati: A Book Club for Every Reader

One of my favorite things to do while in college was attending a monthly book club that was held in my student housing. We would get together each month, talk about the book we were reading, and just enjoy each other’s company. A book club is such a fun way to rave and rant about favorite books, it made me feel so at home, even when I was so far away from home. However, ever since then I have not actually found a good book club that reads books I am excited about, with people I like to spend time with. Especially in this pandemic, it has been near impossible! That’s why I am so excited to be talking about Literati today!

While looking to fill the book club void in my life, I have also been on the search for books outside of my comfort zone. I read a lot of fantasy and horror, and not much else. It is nice and cozy in my comfort zone! However, I know that every time I actually step out of my comfort zone, I find wonderful stories with characters I fall in love with. Another problem that was easily solved by Literati, which has a huge range of stories and voices to choose from.

Literati is the answer to all my book club problems. With an online platform and great reads, I no longer need to search for a book club. It is sitting in the palm of my hand. (Don’t worry, I will tell you all about it, just keep reading!)

Disclaimer: I received a subscription box from Literati for free in exchange for a feature on my blog. This in no way impacted my views, all opinions are my own.

How Does it Work?

By now you are probably asking yourself, “What is this Literati Jackie keeps talking about?” Don’t worry, I am here to let you in on this secret, not so secret, book club. Here’s how it works.

1. Choose your book club
   • Literati offers 13 different book clubs for whatever your heart desires. Anything from poetry and non-fiction to magical realism and everything in between.
2. Get your book in the mail
   • The beautiful hardcover edition of the book comes straight to your door.
3. Read and Discuss
   • With the Literati app, you and a bunch of other readers can discuss everything and anything about this book, right from your phone, without leaving the comfort of your home.

Where does the Discussion take Place?

With COVID-19, I have not really been in the mood to leave my house. Can you blame me, with all the stuff going on? So finding a book club that doesn’t happen in person, was near impossible until Literati came into my life.

All the discussions and topics of conversation for the book club happen right on your phone. They have a beautiful app with sections of discussion for each part of the book, to avoid spoilers. It is so easily set up to spark conversation on any topic you want, I love the community feel that the app brings. Reading is a pretty solitary activity, so it is comforting to have a whole group of people reading and talking about the same book with you.

Another thing I love about the app is the fact that you can take part in the discussions for all the book clubs. Yes, all of them! If you are struggling to pick just one of the 13 book clubs Literati offers, no problem. You can get access to the other books on your own and still participate in the discussion. Endless amounts of reading and discussion!

Who Chooses Each Book?

With 13 different book clubs, each one unique, there has to be someone behind it all right? Yes! Each book club is curated by a Luminary! A Luminary can be anything from a well-known author to a celebrity – some Literati’s Luminaries are Stephen Curry, Malala, and Megan Rapinoe! People from all different experiences choose books they loved and put those books in the hands of readers who will love them too.

And the best part? These Luminaries don’t just pick the book, they also participate in the book club. They are right there on the Literati app with you, discussing the characters and plot of the book.

This is one of my absolute favorite features of Literati. It is so neat to be able to talk to the luminary about the book that they love so much. It gets me excited about the book and increases that community feeling I love and crave from a book club.

What Book Club am I In?

Deciding on which book club I wanted to be in was the only difficult thing about the process because there are so many good ones. Here are some of the book clubs I considered joining.

• Fearless, with Malala: stories full of hope, inspiring women, and cultural identity
• Private Collection, with Susan Orlean: Beautiful writing with historical and complex storylines
• The Beach and Beyond, with Elin Hilderbrand: Stories of escapism, full of drama, family, and romance
• Audacious Book Club, with Roxane Gay: Poetry, memoirs, and stories with themes of feminism, LGBTQ+, and more
• The Joy Collective, with Kelly McGonigal: Positive narratives full of joy that push you to be the best you can be

There seriously is a book club for anyone. Click here to see all the book clubs Literati offers.

And the best part? With Literati, you can change which book club you are in each month. See multiple book clubs that spark your interest? Change each month so you can experience each one. Such an easy way to step out of your comfort zone.

I ended up choosing Jesmyn Ward’s club, Gathering of Voices. This club promised beautiful prose with stories on topics that mattered. The previous books Ward has chosen are slightly out of my comfort zone, which was the goal. I was excited by the prospect of reading something different and expanding my horizons.

What was in my September Box?

The first, and most important thing in the September box was the book. The hardcover copy of the book is as beautiful in person as it is online. And it has that good book smell too!

I am so looking forward to reading this book over the course of September. Caul Baby by Morgan Jerkins promises to be full of familial drama, and a little magical realism too. I have been searching for books with magical realism in them because I want to understand the genre more, so I was thrilled to learn that this was the September pick.

The box also includes a fun bookmark, a breakdown of all the other books for the other 12 clubs, and a note from Jesmyn Ward on why they selected the book.

Literati is a book club for now. Now, when people aren’t leaving their homes, and are taking a lot of their socialization online. With the massive amount of voices that this club offers, I am sure there will be many good reads to come.

Stay tuned at the end of this month for a review of the September pick, Caul Baby by Morgan Jerkins.

Please comment below if you have any questions about Literati! And let me know if you are reading Caul Baby this month! I would love to discuss!

Thanks for reading!