As I have recently discovered through browsing our master list, I joined the English Book Club in 2018. As an English student, I wanted to practice my English by talking about books and meet other book lovers—so what better place than English Book Club? I’ve been going to discussions on and off through the years whenever I’m in Paderborn because I love how coming to book club sessions after a few months or even a year feels like you’ve never been away. The discussions where we have the most fun are the ones where we have a lot of different opinions on the book or when we all hate it with a passion. But sometimes it’s also nice when everyone agrees that it was a great read, so we have time to talk about Harry Potter instead.

I am one of the founding members of PADERBORN2READ. Back in winter term 2011/2012, which was my third semester at Paderborn University, some fellow students from English and American Studies had the idea to start a book club and asked me if I wanted to be part of it. I joined for the very first discussion session (which was on Neil Gaiman’s short story collection Smoke and Mirrors) and have been an active and enthusiastic member ever since. I would never manage to free up enough time for private reading (as opposed to reading for seminars, reading for my PhD thesis, and reading for my postdoc project—depending on when you would have asked me) if it wasn’t for book club. And I would never engage with such a diverse selection of literature if it wasn’t for book clubbers who positively challenge me with their different tastes in reading materials.

I’ve been attending book club meetings for most of the past three and a half years—even though I finished my studies quite some time ago. I always look forward to our monthly sessions because I enjoy not only the discussions, but also the company and the chance to connect with fellow booklovers. My personal highlight is always our summer term extravaganza: we do our best to create a truly special day every year—whether it’s a Hunger Games-themed afternoon or a Secret Garden Party. 🌼 But be warned: especially our planning session might have a major impact on your “Want to Read” list!