Social media drives record year for book clubs in Kuopio

Kuopio is likely experiencing a record year for book clubs as young people increasingly use social media to find reading groups, Yle reports. The trend is also visible in libraries and online.

Five different book clubs will meet at Kuopio Main Library this autumn. Two more will meet remotely, and almost every branch library has its own group.

Johanna Vuorinne, head of customer services and collections at Kuopio Library, said the number of book clubs has grown in recent years. Attendance has also increased in Joensuu, Oulu and Tampere, while Helsinki and Jyväskylä have seen no clear change.

The groups cover a range of themes, from comics to classics. Their age and gender balance has also become more varied. The activity was previously dominated by women, but more men and young adults have joined in recent years.

Different views enrich the reading experience

In a traditional book club, participants discuss a book announced in advance, which they read before the meeting. Librarian Lila Mäkelä, who leads a classics group, said meetings typically begin with an introduction from the leader, after which participants share their thoughts freely.

The classics group has been running for several years and was started in response to a customer request. Ten people attended its first meeting of the autumn at Kuopio Main Library.

Reading can be a solitary hobby, but Mäkelä said a book club creates a sense of community and can help people discover new books.

For participant Risto Lindholm, the most interesting part is hearing different opinions about a book. Other people’s views enrich the reading experience, he said.

The group had read Argentine author Manuel Puig’s The Kiss of the Spider Woman for the meeting. Lindholm expected a wide-ranging discussion because the book differs from many other works and consists mainly of dialogue between two characters.

“It was good that the discussion covered many kinds of issues, both small and large, and a little politics as well,” Lindholm said.

Conversations sometimes stray from the subject, which is why Lindholm considers it important to have a leader who brings the discussion back to the book.

Young people search for reading groups online

There is no single explanation for the rise in book club popularity. Vuorinne said public discussion about the importance of literacy and social media may have played a role.

In addition to sharing reading recommendations and challenges, people post about their book club experiences online. Young people and young adults in particular follow literary trends on social media. This is reflected in increased requests for English-language books and higher borrowing figures for them, Vuorinne said.

Book clubs are sought on social media in much the same way as new friends. Book influencers on Instagram and TikTok have organised searches for reading groups that have attracted hundreds of comments at their best. Followers have looked for like-minded reading companions around Finland or for remote groups.

Lindholm recommended trying the hobby even without a background in literature. People can attend a book club even if they have not read the book selected for that meeting, he said.