This article was written by a student writer from Her Campus at St. Andrews chapter and does not reflect the views of His Campus.
There’s a certain kind of guilt that comes with looking at your phone and realizing that you didn’t actually select anything you used that day. It just arrived in the form of an algorithm: pictures, headlines, snippets of other people’s lives. I began to notice this sometime in February, during that winter-winter season in Scotland where the sea looks like brushed steel and the days feel unstable. In these early months of Candlemas, St Andrews has a tendency to feel smaller and smaller, as the path from your flat to your classes to the library marks the city limits. I was sitting at my desk, clearly reading for my current modules, and I realized that I had spent the last twenty minutes watching the changes on TikTok.
So, it seemed like a fix to turn to something analog. Instead of saying 2026 was my digital detox year and downloading Instagram every week, I wanted to make a practical decision from my phone. Another choice seemed obvious: books, but also an extension of my friendship. That’s how I ended up going to four book clubs in as many weeks, walking around town in the evenings, carrying whatever book was needed as a kind of social passport.
Book Club 1: Topping & Company Booksellers – Book Salad
Held on the last Tuesday of every month, the Salad Book is one of the many book groups that Toppings organizes – this one just happened to fit into my schedule the most. So, on February 24th, I found myself climbing the stairs to the top floor of Brew Co. to meet the first group of books on my list.
The group is usually held in a bookstore, but due to the furniture, this month the group moved closer to two long benches with the group manager on one side of the table and a friendly black lab on the other. I was lucky enough to be squished on the same side as a dog, so all evening I got a wet nose on my hand and as many pets as was tolerated.
I, for one, am a big fan of advertising and I think Brew Co. is one of the best that St Andrews has to offer, but this was not a sentiment shared by the rest of the team. Many apologies were given, and many refreshments were appreciated in the store to help mend the slightly skewed feelings among the Book Salad regulars. After we finished our drinks (Elderflower Cider for me, Cokes for everyone else), we started talking. Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford.
What impressed me the most in all of this was the moderator, who asked questions that weren’t broad or imprecise, the kind that allowed the conversation to continue rather than forcing it. He either knew the group well or had a special knack for breaking up a conversation in a crowd. Opinions about this book were very different, which led to a discussion that felt alive in a way that respectable agreement could not be reached.
Some important information that I feel I must share includes that the price of admission is £5, but it can be bought in full from any book in the shop. I found this gave the evening a subtle sense of investment. I was already thinking about my next purchase while I was negotiating my last one. The group tended to mislead adults, especially women, and were the type of people who seemed to have long established a rhythm in their reading lives.
Perfect for: people who go to bed at 9 p.m., anyone who takes long walks on the beach, and readers of “experimental” fiction sold by celebrity book clubs.
If that sounds like you, you can find information about upcoming meetings here.
Book Club 2: University of St Andrews Book Club Soc
Shortly after reading the week, when I had managed to read the remaining books for these trips, I spent my Monday afternoon talking. Babel by RF Kuang and other members of the university’s student-run book club.
This was the smallest group, and perhaps because of that, the most stable discussion. There is something about a small circle that inspires a kind of energy. People talk longer, listen more attentively, and disagreements linger in the air longer than they would in a larger room. I admit, part of the disagreement was with me as I seemed to be the only person present who was not completely embarrassed by Kuang’s speech attempts.
Furthermore, there was a little confusion, also personally, in the form of a colleague with whom I disagreed politically. The book itself, being deeply concerned with language, government, and power, did not set matters right. However, the tension did not end in heartbreak; instead, it was reflected in my eye contact with another attendee, a kind of quiet solidarity that I appreciated.
While on the subject of other attendees, I was surprised to find that more than 50% of the room were postgrads like myself. However, as people slipped and flowed in and out of the room, this did not help the conversation in any way. In fact, again, the moderator did a good job of asking guiding questions and getting the group to open up individually about the introductions and rating the book on a scale from 1-10.
Perfect for: anyone who reads before bed, people who wear eyeliner and big sweaters, and someone who goes to a cafe to order in the London fog.
If that sounds like you, you can find information about upcoming meetings here.
Book Club 3: St Andrews Wine Company
A third bookshop, St Andrews Wine Company, was held under string lights, the shop set up in a way that felt deliberate and slightly improvised. Empty wine boxes were turned on their sides to serve as tables, holding homemade snacks brought by the host and attendees. The book was Driving with Oranges by Chris Stewart, who, by the way, no one felt particularly strong, but instead of ruining the evening, it seemed that he was releasing it.
Also for £5, the event includes a wine tasting and a discount on the wine pairing presented, and the tasting itself became the anchor of the evening. This was a low class approach; there were no guiding questions, no systematic balance. People talked as they liked, conversations were silent, and the discussion of that book gradually turned into a discussion of other books, and then other things entirely.
In a way, they were the most human of the four. The group was a mix of ages, and there was a feeling that most of them already knew each other, or at least had been around long enough to have developed some sort of familiarity. Fortunately, I arrived soon after and so sat next to a very friendly woman who was happy to introduce and explain the established practices of the other members. After the book discussion, the host led us through four or five wines (it’s hard to keep track after downing more than one glass because I got lost in the conversation during what was meant to be a decent drink), and we played a game of guessing the price of each. It might have been the wine, but I’d rather say that my excitement and the quick price of the April meeting is the greatest joy I’ve had discussing this book and meeting a group of people who I think would make a great sitcom.
Perfect for: fans of The Price is Right, people who’ve been told they’re fun to have in class, anyone who asks booksellers for recommendations, and people who might be looking for a thought-provoking Sinners first.
If that sounds like you, you can find information about upcoming meetings here.
Book Club 4: Bubble Bookclub
The last group I was in was not at the beginning of this article. However, the launch of Bubble Bookclub happened to be the perfect time for a free evening in another busy month for me, so I had to jump at the chance to get out of the house and turn off my computer.
The initial meeting of this group was carefully decided by the group’s preferences, making it suitable for people who do not have regular days off each month. During it we talked Tuesday with Morrie by Mitch Albom, a choice that almost guarantees a certain depth of communication. The group was small (mostly sophomores) and the atmosphere at first felt tense, as if everyone was waiting to see what kind of meeting this would be.
It took a while, but eventually, the mess had turned into something warmer. The discussion, although at times it felt like a seminar, was led by a moderator who made a clear effort to connect with each point raised, drawing people in rather than going too far. There was an honesty to it, a willingness to engage with the emotional weight of the book without irony.
Perfect for: girls who put jalapeños in their white wine, anyone with a large collection of tools, and fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid
If that sounds like you, you can find information about upcoming meetings here.
Finish Reading
For now though, I’ll be attending the St Andrews Wine Company book club again (this experiment has made me realize why I can’t find reading pleasure alongside my hard work), it seems that everyone in St Andrews will be able to find their place in one of these. If you, like me, find yourself wanting to try any of these, I encourage you to do so.
If you’re worried about the cost of getting into this job (while books here aren’t as expensive as they are back in the United States, they can be a little tight on a student’s budget), I recommend getting a library card from the St Andrews Public Library. The librarians were very helpful when I went in looking for these and other books.
#Set #Busy #Andrews #Book #Clubs