In 2022, Book Club at UCI was a new club developed by third-year criminology, law and society and psychological sciences student Desirae Aldana. She currently serves as president of the club and plans to stay in her position until graduation.
The club has accumulated 137 members and aims to “facilitate meaningful connections through [a] shared love for books,” according to its mission statement.
Aldana stood at the front of Room 190 at Rowland Hall, a smile on her face while she discussed the Book Club at UC Irvine’s newest page-turner, “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt. Tartt is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and her other titles include “The Goldfinch,” “The Little Friend” and “A Christmas Pageant.” “The Secret History” is a 559-page murder mystery book following a group of kids in an exclusive ancient Greek seminar at their university in Vermont.
“Usually, we as a board pick a couple books depending on what genres we haven’t read in previous quarters, and then all of our general members get to select whatever book,” Aldana told New University. “Whatever book gets the most votes is the one we read.”
Each quarter, the club chooses one book to read. The book club doesn’t seek to overwhelm but instead aims to create a comfortable space that encourages students to read leisurely.
“We mostly stick to long books throughout the whole quarter, because we read one book per quarter,” Aldana said. “Obviously, we’re all college students so [we want to keep it] a leisure thing … not like, read 300 pages by the end of this week.”
The club posts on its Instagram page throughout the quarter with layouts and other ways to draw in new readers. Social media is one way the club promotes itself to potential members.
The book club also hosts events for book lovers to meet new friends and talk about what they enjoy reading while also promoting the club. For instance, they hosted an open mic night for anyone interested in sharing their creative works and a field trip to the Aravida Book Co.
A large portion of the members joined at the founding of the club and have remained steady attendees.
“Most of the people in here were from the very beginning. So, the retention is pretty good, I would say,” Aldana said.
The book club offers opportunities to make friends and bond over a shared interest with people on campus. Aldana commented on how her fellow board members made a special connection upon joining the club.
“[Two members] met through book club and they got together and started dating,” Aldana said. “They met ‘cause of book club, so it gives you that meet-cute thing.”
UCI’s book club is full of opportunities for students to make new friends or look for a good book to read.
“To anyone who enjoys reading, who wants to get into reading or [who] just wants to get to know people who really do adore books that aren’t so overwhelming — that [aren’t] like academia and stuff — [I encourage them] to join the club,” Aldana said. “You can obviously build a lot of friendships here and, in some cases, relationships. And if you’re willing to step out and talk with other people, I think we’re the club for you.”
Book Club at UCI’s Instagram page keeps followers and club members updated on the weekly meetings and any additional events. The club’s member interest form is open for any who would like to join.
Renee Deramerian is a Features Intern for the Spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at rderamer@uci.edu.
Edited by Alyssa Villagonzalo and Joshua Gonzales.