Entering the Boerne Bookshop, shelves of beautiful books sprawl everywhere. Mrs. Adrianne Carnes, the book club’s sponsor, at the front desk joins the club members to discuss the latest book read in the Teen Book Club.
“[Book club] is fun, engrossing and welcoming,” Carnes said.
Carnes began the book club with the help of sophomore Brynn Bliss last summer, and the club has continued into the 2024-2025 school year, meeting every month.
“The book club is really open, and we enjoy talking and get along really well,” sophomore Captin Spitsen, a member of the Teen Book Club, said.
The club is small, but its three members have joined together to discuss books every month since the school year started.
“We try to make [the book] our own by saying if there was something we didn’t like about it, then we suggest an idea; and I think sometimes the book reminds us of real life, and we can go into a little discussion like that,” Carnes said. “There are a lot of things we get to talk about.”
The current members are interested in getting new collaborators to join. People like sophomore Sophia Savelyeva-an avid reader but not part of any book clubs-could be interested in joining.
“What’s interesting about book clubs is there are other people who share my interests that I can yap non-stop to about romance and fantasy characters; I can’t really do that anywhere else,” Savelyeva said.
The Teen Book Club has what many people look for in book clubs.
“I would want a place where I can discuss what I read and a really chill place to just vibe,” Savelyeva said.
The club can show new members how amazing it can be, like finding new things to read and creating new friendships.
“My favorite part is the friendships that I’ve made and the books that I’ve read because the people in the book club have introduced me to a genre of books that I really didn’t read before, and I absolutely love that,” Carnes said.
One thing that its members love about this club is where the book club meets.
“We meet at the bookshop. It’s amazing since you can see the books then and there while also having a lot of privacy.” Spitsen said.
The book club selects a new book to read every meeting, and those books have followed a pattern.
“We read a lot of fantasy books but we do switch it up.” Spitsen said.
The book club chooses its books by majority vote, but there is no pressure to like the book or even finish reading it.
“It’s ok if you don’t like the book, and you’re able to voice that opinion,” Spitsen said.
Book clubs are a whimsical experience, and if you like reading, consider joining the Boerne Bookshop Teen Book Club.
“Reading in community is quite a different experience than reading by yourself,” Carnes said. “When you read with other people, it expands your thoughts and perhaps deepens your thoughts about the book because we share different perspectives. Book clubs develop friendships because connections are made about the books you read.”
If interested in joining the book club, feel free to contact the book club through the Boerne Bookshop facebook page, call 830-249-0000, or visit our meeting location at 153 S. Main St. Boerne, TX 78006, to find information about the next meeting.
