For students who have forgotten how to separate books from classrooms, a new lunchtime book club will open its doors, with the aim to promote the other side of reading: doing it for fun.

Starting September 19, Amy Pine, library media specialist, will be hosting a book club during all lunch periods in the library classroom. Her hope is for the word “reading” to no longer elicit sighs and thoughts of nights spent annotating, and instead bring back its more positive connotation.

“The stuff that you have to read for class, you look at differently because you’re like, am I going to be tested on this, what do I need to know, what do I need to remember,” Pine said. “Kids get so busy in high school that they forget they actually enjoy reading… [We] just want to give students the time to read, which is really a hard thing to find during the school year, and [to] let them read something for enjoyment, rather than something that’s an assignment.”

In addition to introducing members to books that are not for school, book club also provides a space for people with similar interests to bond over something they love.

Cassidy Cwiertnia, junior, says that she is  looking forward to the book club as an opportunity to find “ a community of people that will help me grow as a reader”, and a chance to share her opinions.

“[When I read], I like to actively look through [books] with a mindset of knowledge so I like picking apart and dissecting books,” Cwiertnia said. “I don’t often have a place to share my findings, so I think the book club will give me an opportunity to have an output for my thoughts and opinions on stories that I’d love to share.”

Students who are interested in getting involved with the community of the club or looking to enjoy some time reading for fun should talk to Pine before September 12 to sign up.

“[Book club] will meet seven times for first semester (September 19, October 3, October 17, October 31, November 14, November 28, December 12), we’re going to read three books and personal copies will be provided for everyone who signs up,” Pine said. “It’s free of charge [so] you get your own book and the only thing you have to do is commit to reading it and come to book club.”

The first book that the club will be reading is The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas. But whether students join for the community or for the books, Pine’s overall goal is simple:

“It [doesn’t matter] what you read,” Pine said. “As long as you are reading, you will develop your literacy skills and become a better reader, and that’s something that will carry over to even after high school.”