Are you looking for an organization on campus that is right for you? Well, if you’re a fan of reading romance novels, then I have the perfect organization for you! On our very own campus, here at Illinois State University, we have an RSO called Redbirds Reading Romance (RRR), a romance book club!
Am I a member of said book club? Yes, yes I am, thank you so much for asking! Currently, I am the Vice President of RRR, while my amazing friend and fellow Her Campus writer, Olivia Lewellen, is our President. Come springtime though, I will be taking over as President of RRR and I cannot be more excited. This club has been such an amazing opportunity for me to find like-minded people and create friendships I wouldn’t have without our once-a-month meetings. I look forward to seeing everyone each month to catch up and not only discuss our pick of the month, but also what everyone is reading outside of school and book club.
Each month, we host a meeting to discuss our selected romance book and then vote for our next month’s book. We don’t just talk about books and romance, though! We also talk about similar topics, like at our first meeting this semester, we talked about the new episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty. We also like to just check in with each other and make sure we’re all doing well. Especially at the end of the year, we like to have a Christmas potluck meeting. Everyone brings snacks of their choosing, and we all get to snack together and talk about books.
Our club tries to spotlight romance books that include representation of all kinds such as mental health, LGBTQIA+, interracial couples and BIPOC authors. We also take book recommendations during our vote for our following month’s book. So, every member gets to share an idea and help contribute to the organization even if they don’t have a leading role.
One of my favorite things regarding our book club is that if you simply didn’t have time to read our chosen book, you can still come to the meeting and just enjoy the conversation of those who have read the book. Last year, I didn’t get the chance to read some of the books and still attended meetings, and those were some of the BEST meetings ever! I was seeing everyone get so passionate about it and agreeing or disagreeing, and I just sat there bewildered because I had no idea what was going on, but it was so fun and made the meetings so much more interesting.
Currently, we meet once a month on Thursdays at 6 p.m. in the Multicultural Center. We only have two more meetings this semester, and we are always taking in new readers! This club is for anyone and everyone, and the more the merrier. It is truly a blast, and I am so thankful not only to have found this club but to be such a big part of it and its role at ISU!
If you’re interested in joining, please feel free to reach out to me personally! Even better, you should visit our Instagram or our Redbird Life. You can find all the information needed on both of those sites as well. I hope to see you all there!