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Best Book Clubs To Join In Philadelphia

Are you a voracious reader but wish you had a group to dish with about all those great books? Or are you so busy that you usually don't take the time to read but want a kick in the pants to pick up a book? If so, you're in luck because Philadelphia is home to dozens of book clubs for all types of readers.
Hip and Well Read
(credit: Hip & Well Read Meetup Page)

Hip & Well Read
Meetings usually held at:
The Cafe
2011 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 568-5603
www.meetup.com  

Price: $2 per meeting. Advance registration required.
Click here for a calendar of events.

Hip & Well Read is one of the largest book clubs in the region with nearly 800 members. Each meeting, however, is limited to 20 people and is usually attended by a comfortable eight to ten bibliophiles. Attendees range in age from mid-twenties to mid-forties and discussion is fun and lively. Michelle, the organizer for the group, is friendly and approachable and always keeps the conversation moving along nicely. With titles ranging from "The Marriage Plot" to "The Sex Lives of Cannibals," if you're looking for something hipper than your momma's book club, this is the group for you.

Bookstore
(credit: Thinkstock)

Philly Book Club
Meetings held at:
Red Hook Coffee & Tea
765 S 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 923-0178
www.meetup.com

Price: Free. Advance registration may be required.
Click here for a calendar of events.

Philly Book Club is a group of casual and enthusiastic members who enjoy reading and collectively choosing books on a monthly basis. There's nothing better than finishing a great book and then having an energetic, yet thoughtful discussion about the complexities on the page. With titles by authors such as John Steinbeck, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mark Vonnegut (son of Kurt), this is the book club for you if you're looking to discuss the best of literature with like-minded folks.

Related: Top Places To Buy Books For College Students

Book Club
(credit: Thinkstock)

Northeast Philadelphia RedBook Club
Meetings usually held at:
Barnes & Noble, Nashaminy Mall
300 Neshaminy Mall
Bensalem, PA 19020
(215) 364-4235
www.meetup.com

Price: Free. Advance registration may be required.
Click here for a calendar of events.

The purpose of this book club is very simple: to provide a venue for people to express their views on books they've read. The club reads all types of books including fiction, philosophy, poetry, contemporary, classic, etc. Moreover, this book club hosts fun events from time to time where they will read a book and then have a movie night to compare and contrast the two versions of the story.  For those looking for a book club in northeast Philly or the suburbs, the Northeast Philadelphia RedBook Club is for you.

Washington's Secret War by Thomas Fleming
'Washington's Secret War' is a recent selection of the Thinking Society Non-Fiction Book Club (credit: Smithsonian Books)

The Thinking Society's Nonfiction Book Club
Meetings usually held at:
Capriccio Café & Espresso Bar
110 N 16th St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 735-9797
www.meetup.com

Price: Free. Advance registration may be required.
Click here for a calendar of events.

Most book clubs focus on works of fiction, but The Thinking Society is different. This club only reads and discusses nonfiction books on a variety of topics. Previous books discussed include "Where the Wild Things Were: Life, Death, and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of Vanishing Predators" and "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood." If you're looking for an intellectual conversation about the most important topics of this day, this is the book club for you.

Stack of Books
(credit: Thinkstock)

The Philadelphia Fantasy Book Club
Location of meetings shown only to members
www.meetup.com

Price: Free. Advance registration may be required.
Click here for a calendar of events.

This group is for those who love fantasy, horror and paranormal works of fiction. Authors discussed include Anne Rice, Charlaine Harris and Suzanne Collins. Moreover, this club holds other events such as seeing "The Hunger Games" movie as a group. If you're looking for fun, plain and simple, with unique material to delve into with every read, this is the book club for you.

Related: Top 5 Must-Read Books By Philadelphia Authors

Katherine Ernst is a full-time novelist and freelance writer in Montgomery County. Follow her activity on her blog at katherineernstwrites.com. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.


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