What is the SciFri Book Club?
The SciFri Book Club, created by the people who bring you the weekly public radio show Science Friday, is a program to bring people together around all things science reading—anything from sci-fi short stories to nonfiction science books to science articles from various publications to science-y poetry!
We host a new Book Club season each month. The SciFri team works hard to pick the best books for our readers, and community members also get the chance to pick the books they want to read together. During each Book Club season, we post discussion questions, host online and in-person events, chat about related reading and topics, and interview authors and other scientific experts about the book. Each month will be a little bit different—so you’ll need to join to stay up-to-date.
How do I become a member of the SciFri Book Club? Is it free?
If you want to make it official, the best way to do that is to join our online community space. This is how we stay connected throughout each season and share discussion questions, upcoming events, and more. It’s completely free to join.
Do I need to join the online community space to be a member?
Not ready to jump into our community space? No problem—you can sign up for our email newsletter, follow Science Friday on social media, listen to our radio show, or just peruse the website. Keep our online community in mind when you’re ready to get more involved.
How can I get the monthly book to read along with the SciFri Book Club?
Science Friday does not sell books (although we do host giveaways for most seasons, thanks to our generous partners in publishing). You can find our monthly book picks at your local bookstore or library branch—we even partner with locations around the country to help bring more books to more readers! If you want to buy the book while supporting Science Friday, you can buy books on our Bookshop.org page. A percentage of every purchase goes directly to supporting Science Friday’s mission to increase the public’s access to science and scientific information.
Do you only read non-fiction science books?
Nope! We read all kinds of science-related books, including science and speculative fiction, history, memoirs, and more. While we read non-fiction science books most often, all our picks are connected to science in some way—they just might not be found in the Science section of your library or bookstore.
How do you choose which books to read?
The SciFri team does a lot of things: We watch out for new releases. We read and consider multiple books a month. We reconsider classic reads you may not have picked up yet or could use another read. We ask industry experts and our internal team for their recommendations. We pay attention to your reaction to the books we cover on our radio program. Our community picks the book at least twice a year, too!
Do I have to read each month’s book?
You don’t, although we did think the books, articles, or other readings we share are pretty stellar. Our community is a space for all things science reading, so members are welcome to participate however makes them feel most connected.
What are you reading now? What books have you already read?
You can find out everything you need to know about the program on the SciFri Book Club homepage, including what we’re reading this month, a list of past reads, an invitation to join our online community, upcoming events, and more!
I’ve got a different question… Who can I ask?
Email our team at bookclub@sciencefriday.com.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Reading recommendations, straight to your inbox. We send emails a few times per week. If you want to learn more about what we’re reading, you can check it out on the SciFri Book Club homepage.