Do you need help finding a new book to read? Would you like to find other readers to connect with? Then we believe the Lafayette Book Club might be a perfect fit for you. The Generals Book Club is a before-school extracurricular that meets about once a month to discuss books to read and brainstorm new books to read each month.

At each meeting, the Book Club and its members discuss what book genre to read for that month. The club is sponsored by Mrs. Stephanie Schoff, our school librarian, and is open to anyone interested. The club acts as a fun meet-up for book fanatics and casual readers alike to discuss their interests, relax, and get recommendations for new books to read. We had the opportunity to interview the club sponsor, Mrs. Schoff, about her thoughts on the Book Club.

“I wanna say that the Book Club started in the early 2000s, but it was not with me… and I think it was pretty similar, very casual. I’m not sure why [it started], but it was more than likely student interest–that’s usually how most clubs get started,” stated Schoff. Schoff also says that she would love the book club to be more student-driven and is currently trying to recruit more students for this year.

The Times asked Mrs. Schoff what the book club was all about; she told us, “Mainly just letting people get together and talk about what they are reading, and just be amongst other people who enjoy, not necessarily like literary professionals or anything, but more like people who just like to read books or graphic novels or whatever.” Schoff also mentioned that she “…never wants there to be any pressure or any requirements,” and that she just wants people to have fun and enjoy reading.

Each month, the club has a meeting and discusses the books they read for the previous month’s theme, whether it’s fantasy, back to school, or books by a particular author, then they decide what genre, author, or theme they would like to read about for the next month. Schoff says that “about once, maybe twice a year, we all get to read the same book,” so members are usually free to choose whichever book they would like to read, so long as it fits the theme of the month.

Thank you to Mrs. Schoff for allowing The Times to ask about the Book Club. We hope that more students will consider joining the club in the future.