Our Book Club is one of the most populous clubs at Sunlake; once every quarter, Seahawks gather in Mrs. Ramos’s room to celebrate their book of choice. They bring food, drinks, and their welcome opinions to discuss the latest novel, all while hanging out with their friends and peers. “I think Book Club is one of the most interactive clubs at Sunlake. Since we all read the same book, it gives us the opportunity to discuss what we liked and what we didn’t. The fact that we have fun games and interactive activities each meeting is completely unique to any other club I have been in,” says Avery Pittman, a senior at Sunlake and the Book Club’s Advisor. Her position as club Advisor means she helps “…come up with some of the book ideas and help[s] plan each meeting”; Avery says all of the officers within the club “…collaborate very well…” to make each meeting the best it can be! Avery has “…been a part of Book Club since [her] Sophomore year (when it originally began), which would be three years…” and says that she has “…loved it for all three years!” Over the years she has been in the club, Avery describes how she has seen the club evolve before her eyes. “The club has changed a great deal. The first year, it was online through Zoom due to Covid-19. Now, we get to have fun meetings that allow us to choose new books as a club and have discussions about the book we read. We also get to do interactive activities (like our recent scavenger hunt) and bring food related to the book to each meeting.” At each meeting, the officers try to throw something together that is uniquely related to the Quarter’s novel; this effort helps create fun events that many members and officers can say are their favorite part of the club. Avery says her favorite parts of the meetings “…are definitely the activities we do after reading a book each quarter. Whether it’s a Kahoot, trivia, or a scavenger hunt, it’s a really exciting way to show that we all read the book and have a good time. I love being around people who love books just as much as I do!” Through Book Club, the officers hope to reintroduce students to their younger self’s love of reading, or even just help people find enjoyment in reading for the first time. The Club votes on one book per quarter, and every quarter is themed around a different genre, such as thrillers or fantasy; reading only one book per quarter makes the goal much more manageable for many individuals, and allows students to help balance the club with all their other extracurriculars and school work. Even for those who already easily devour books, the club aims to promote lesser-known works or authors to help students find a new current read. “Book Club has introduced me to new genres that I may not have read before,” Avery claims, “Specifically with Six of Crows and Renegades, I did not think I would like them. But after reading both of them, I found out that I really enjoy fantasy books. After reading the first book in the Renegades trilogy for Book Club, I went on and read the other two because I loved the characters and plot so much.” Through the years she’s participated in Book Club, Avery says “Six of Crows is definitely my favorite book we have read. It’s a great Young Adult Fantasy with a bit of romance, so it was the ideal pick for the club. It’s action-packed and leaves you on the edge of your seat, and I was never bored once while reading it.” For anyone looking for a new read, Avery recommends the Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang; “The world-building and character development in the trilogy is fantastic, and the main character is morally gray (which I think is a great detail for a book to have). I couldn’t put the trilogy down!”

For the first quarter of the 2022-2023 school year, the Book Club read the murder mystery, A Study in Charlotte, which followed the descendants of the renowned Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in their own mystery. The officers, working to prepare a new experience for their members, planned a murder mystery-themed scavenger hunt around the novel. They wrote multiple clues based directly on the book, created and hid props, and wrote an end goal for members to participate in. “The scavenger hunt was a competition, and everyone was set into groups and were timed. The winners with the fastest time got candy, and everyone had a great time laughing and trying to discover all the clues.” In addition to the scavenger hunt, Avery said members and officers alike “…also brought food catered towards the book (mostly fall themed) which [that] everyone was ecstatic about. Free food!” In addition to this, during the second meeting officers announced their intent to participate in Sunlake’s annual Trick Around the Track. The club will be hosting a booth that hopes to read fall and Halloween-themed books to children in hopes of sparking a young love of reading. This goes along with one of the main goals of the club: literary aimed volunteer work; the Book Club actively encourages its members to volunteer at their local library and increase literacy among all ages.

Just because the Book Club has already finished its first book of the year does not mean it is too late to join; in fact, the club is open and new members can join at any time just by picking up the book they’re reading at this time, or even just showing up to a meeting. “I joined Book Club this year,” says a new member, senior Ashley Vandiver. “My favorite thing that we have done so far has been the scavenger hunt based off of the past book. I think that engaging games and discussions like this is what makes the club unique and enjoyable.” Although she has only been in the club for one quarter, Ashley said she really enjoyed A Study in Charlotte. When asked what she likes most about Book Club meetings, “I enjoy the meetings because of the friendliness within the people in the crowd and the games.” This group is warm and welcoming to all; if any Seahawks need a new book to read, consider joining our Book Club!