On Nov. 8 at 8:15 p.m., the board of The Bookworms, Drew University’s new book club, hosted their first meeting in the Drew University Library. The board consists of President Lauren Cagliostro (‘25), Vice President Sierra Walker (’25) and Treasurer Olyvia Jackson (’24). You could feel this event was going to be one to remember as Jackson welcomed students while they made their way to Study Room Two.
The event started off with Cagliostro, Walker and Jackson introducing themselves, their majors/minors, year of graduation and favorite book. This served as the icebreaker for the evening. The introductions helped create a welcoming and comforting aura in the room. Unintentionally, the meeting was all girls, and it felt like a #girlboss moment.
After the introductions, students were shown a poll from an earlier survey sent out regarding the question: What is your favorite genre to read? Fiction and Mystery received the most votes. Attendees were then all given five options of books to read. Walker read out loud the blurb of each book. Walker was captivating as she read, which kept club members intrigued and on the edge of their seats.
The choices of books were: “She’s Gone” by David Bell, a new page-turning thriller; “She Gets the Girl” by Alyson Derrick and Rachael Lippincott, a romantic comedy; “One of Us Is Lying” by Karen M. McManus, a mystery young adult fiction book; “The Cloisters” by Katy Hays, a suspense and psychological thriller and “Sign Here” by Claudia Lux, a horror fiction book. All the options were new publications and represent a variety of different genres.
Everyone in the room took a collective vote. As only one or two hands were raised for the first three books, “The Cloisters” was selected with a total of five votes. Cagliostro talked about affordable ways to get the book; options that were discussed were Libby, an app that you can access for free using your library card, as well as Amazon or thrift finds. Cagliostro also mentioned that she would supply some of the books herself for the group.
As the meeting came to an end, club members discussed meeting dates and how often the group would meet. They decided that the next meeting would be in three weeks, potentially on a Sunday morning. Club members also decided to create a Zoom option for students who could not make it to the in-person meeting. This option will be available at every meeting, enabling commuters to participate in the club.
At the end of the meeting, Jessie Lisanti (’24) described her opinion of the club, very enthusiastically saying, “I am so excited. I love reading.”
Describing why she started the club, Cagliostrio said, “I founded the Bookworms because I wanted a place where I could get together with my peers and talk about one of my favorite things: books! From romance to mystery, being able to step outside of your own world and into another is something that I want to share with all those willing. My plan for the future is to consistently grow our membership and to get others as excited as I am about reading!”
Everyone left the meeting with huge smiles on their faces. Cheers to being a bookworm!
For those who could not make it to this first meeting, anyone is welcome to join at any time! If you are worried about trying to finish the book before the next meeting, no worries. You can read what you can and still attend, just be weary of spoilers.
If you have any questions or want to reach out, you can email Cagliostro (lcagliostro@drew.edu) or Walker (swalker1@drew.edu), or visit their Instagram page (@thedrewubookworms).
