# Beginner book club? **URL:** \ **Category:** Reading\ **Created:** [November 23, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407 "2019-11-23T12:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seironsou](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seironsou/32/278159_2.png) [@Seironsou](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Seironsou)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/1 "2019-11-23T12:03:44Z")
Hello! Here I am checking the forums for a beginner book club/circle for the ones interested in doing a weekly or monthly book review/wrap up. Does clubs like these already exists on here, if so does anyone take on new memebers? Really exited in joining on! šŸ˜ ---
**Author:** ![Omun](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/omun/32/457654_2.png) [@Omun](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Omun)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/2 "2019-11-23T12:04:54Z")
> [@Seironsou](#): > > Does clubs like these already exists on here Big yep. ^^ > [@Master List of Book Clubs](https://community.wanikani.com/t/master-list-of-book-clubs/35283): > > Introduction There are several book clubs here on the forums. Reading along with a book club can provide a great source of motivation, and there are a lot of people to help you out with questions, enabling you to tackle harder content. Many of the book clubs have community vocabulary lists, so they can be a great resource even if youā€™re reading after the book club has moved on. Additionally, youā€™re always welcome to ask questions even after a book has been finished by a book club. People are alā€¦ Just join on in with any of them, or wait for a new one to start so youā€™re there from the start. ---
**Author:** ![Seironsou](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seironsou/32/278159_2.png) [@Seironsou](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Seironsou)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/3 "2019-11-23T13:08:03Z")
@Omun Thank you so much for the links, it is much apprecited! šŸ˜ ---
**Author:** ![konekush](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/konekush/32/5287_2.png) [@konekush](https://community.wanikani.com/u/konekush)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/4 "2019-11-23T14:10:55Z")
Do keep in mind though that the bookclubs are ordered by level of _reading experience_ rather than your total experience in Japanese. If youā€™re a begginer in Japanese, you might want to hold off on them for a while (unless you like feeling _extremely_ challenged). ---
**Author:** ![ChristopherFritz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/christopherfritz/32/33825_2.png) [@ChristopherFritz](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ChristopherFritz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/5 "2019-11-23T14:29:16Z")
The book clubs here are mostly oriented around being able to read the material, so youā€™ll get a lot of questions on ā€œwhat does this mean?ā€ or ā€œwhatā€™s going on with this sentence?ā€ and answers ranging from a quick response to a long, thorough grammar lesson. From the book club link Omun provided, you can check out older book club threads to see the kind of discussions thatā€™ve taken place. If any of the books there interest you, you can still ask questions on the material and get answers. (This misses out on the experience of reading along as a group, but all the historic conversation is there.) As konekush mentioned, the clubs are about reading ability/experience. Youā€™ll want to have a fair grasp of basic grammar and know a lot of common vocabulary to feel like youā€™re at least somewhat understanding the material. Or, you can use it as an opportunity to study everything you encounter in the material and learn that way. Thatā€™s what I did last year, and I learned a lot of grammar that way. Itā€™s kind of like learning to swim by jumping into the deep end of the pool. Hereā€™s my own chart of the current timeline of the book club items being read: ![schedule](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/d/7/9/d797b907b30cae06894c950002cbdc8bc75047e0.png) Absolute Beginner Book clubā€™s in the middle of a few items right now, including two childrenā€™s books and a simple manga. Aside from a small band of _Chiā€™s Sweet Home_ faithfuls continuing that series, Iā€™d say expect to see interest in the club finding a new book or manga to read in December or January. Beginner book clubā€™s down to our last two weeks in our current manga. After that, we will be starting a simple childrenā€™s novel soon which should last a few months. ---
**Author:** ![Naphthalene](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/naphthalene/32/219185_2.png) [@Naphthalene](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Naphthalene)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:26pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/6 "2019-11-24T13:26:48Z")
Nice chart! Haruhi is over though šŸ˜› Also, Individual Reading is only listing those extra book club(s) you are personally interested in? (If not, you are missing 2, as far as I know šŸ˜‰ ) ---
**Author:** ![ChristopherFritz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/christopherfritz/32/33825_2.png) [@ChristopherFritz](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ChristopherFritz)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/7 "2019-11-24T13:32:01Z")
> [@Naphthalene](#): > > Haruhi is over though šŸ˜› I kept it on in case book two is picked up, but it looks like thereā€™s no interest. > [@Naphthalene](#): > > you are missing 2, Which two? I definitely want to include them all, so I have an eye on the amount of reading going on and being discussed, even if centered around around reader, and even if Iā€™m not personally interested in the material. Thereā€™s always room for me to add more to my spreadsheet! Edit: But this only includes books being read on a schedule, not unscheduled threads. ---
**Author:** ![Naphthalene](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/naphthalene/32/219185_2.png) [@Naphthalene](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Naphthalene)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:34pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/8 "2019-11-24T13:34:55Z")
Thereā€™s [Re-Zero](https://community.wanikani.com/t/x/37067), we are currently on the second week of book three, but the 3rd week starts tomorrow. Thereā€™s also [ē£ć®å„č€…](https://community.wanikani.com/t/x/40315), starting next January. ---
**Author:** ![ChristopherFritz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/christopherfritz/32/33825_2.png) [@ChristopherFritz](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ChristopherFritz)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/9 "2019-11-24T13:44:40Z")
I have no idea how I missed Re-Zero. I occasionally peruse one of the threads although I donā€™t know the series. (My English Kobo account has been recommending volume 1 of Re-Zero in English for me for over two years now.) ---
**Author:** ![\_Marcus](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@\_Marcus](https://community.wanikani.com/u/_Marcus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:49pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/10 "2019-11-24T13:49:41Z")
> [@ChristopherFritz](#): > > Hereā€™s my own chart of the current timeline of the book club items being read: This chart is brilliant! If it isnā€™t already in the OP of the [Master List of Bookclubs](https://community.wanikani.com/t/master-list-of-book-clubs/35283) thread, it ought to be! ---
**Author:** ![ChristopherFritz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/christopherfritz/32/33825_2.png) [@ChristopherFritz](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ChristopherFritz)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/11 "2019-11-24T14:18:02Z")
If anyoneā€™s interested in keeping an eye on my chart, or linking to it from anywhere, feel free to. Itā€™s a [Google Sheets document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dRKBZOWTE1LwtOCSKA_ntsR7Ux_i70fOSgXJU6pDAec/edit?usp=sharing). ---
**Author:** ![icefang97](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/icefang97/32/75005_2.png) [@icefang97](https://community.wanikani.com/u/icefang97)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/12 "2019-11-24T14:59:21Z")
That chart is super nice. But since I donā€™t see the best book club in it(The Re Zero book club) I can only give it a D- Would have been an A+ with Re Zero though šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![ChristopherFritz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/christopherfritz/32/33825_2.png) [@ChristopherFritz](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ChristopherFritz)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/13 "2019-11-24T15:02:56Z")
> [@icefang97](#): > > Would have been an A+ with Re Zero though šŸ˜› This is why outdated still images will never rule the world. The [Google Sheets document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dRKBZOWTE1LwtOCSKA_ntsR7Ux_i70fOSgXJU6pDAec/edit?usp=sharing) lists it now šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![icefang97](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/icefang97/32/75005_2.png) [@icefang97](https://community.wanikani.com/u/icefang97)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/14 "2019-11-24T15:20:46Z")
Good. Iā€™m glad the sin have been corrected. Now I have to create Re Zero week 3 before I forget it again ha ha. ---
**Author:** ![Talos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/talos/32/248456_2.png) [@Talos](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Talos)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 3:53pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/beginner-book-club/40407/15 "2019-11-24T15:53:02Z")
> [@konekush](#): > > Do keep in mind though that the bookclubs are ordered by level of _reading experience_ rather than your total experience in Japanese. If youā€™re a begginer in Japanese, you might want to hold off on them for a while (unless you like feeling _extremely_ challenged). Thank you for pointing this out @konekush , I was going to say something similar! I definitely found myself very frustrated attempting to dive in to the _Absolute Beginner_ Book Clubā€™s last book, only to realize that it contained plenty of grammar points and slang well beyond my Genki I level skills. @Seironsou, if youā€™re at a similarly low level, I highly recommend started with some graded readers instead if you can afford them, theyā€™ve been a huge help and confidence boost while Iā€™m still so early on in my reading career! (And I believe there might even be a graded reader specific book club / thread somewhere as well?) [Hereā€™s the series Iā€™ve personally been using](https://omgjapan.com/collections/japanese-language-books/products/japanese-graded-readers-complete-set), but there are a ton of them out there. They arenā€™t exactly cheap, but donā€™t let that linkā€™s price tag shock you either ā€“ this is the complete package of 15 individual boxed sets of books - the individual sets are more reasonable(ish).