In recent years, book clubs have become a cultural phenomenon, with names like Kaia Gerber and Dua Lipa joining the trend. Kianna Naomi has emerged as another influential voice in the space, with her club Not Kianna’s Book Club gaining traction in the NYC literary scene.
From beloved titles like Seven Days in June and The Idea of You to current reads like Like Water for Chocolate, Kiana’s selections spark conversations that transcend the pages. As she puts it, it’s “for hot girls who read.” With events ranging from reading picnics to book swaps, and even pop-ups in other cities like Chicago and Dallas, you’re invited.
We caught up with the influencer to learn more about her book club and the thriving community she’s building through it.
First off, tell us about the book club. What was the impetus behind you wanting to start it?
From the moment I started avidly reading as an adult, I’ve felt an intensely romantic urge to post the novels I was reading online. Sharing my underlined quotes and the books I hauled from local bookshops became habit on my personal instagram account. The fellow book lovers who followed me began to recommend their favorite literature and tell me about what books they loved. I quickly fell in love with this virtual back and forth that all this book talk created. “You are constantly talking about books, you should really just start a book club”, an old friend told me. With just that little push, I laid Seven Days in June on my bed, snapped a picture, hit “post” and the book club was born.
As I first went live to discuss the Tia Williams novel at the end of the month, my heart started to race as I realized… Wow, all of these people care about this book just as much as I do. Something that was so rare for me to find in real life.
“In real life” kept ringing in my head and I truly felt like an online community wasn’t enough to share my love for fiction. When I moved to New York, I quickly transitioned from Instagram lives to live events, but more on that later.
Have you always been a reader or is this a newfound hobby?
I’ve been obsessed with fiction ever since I was a little girl. I grew up reading a new Junie B. Jones or Geronimo Stilton book every week in school. Like many other college students, I stopped reading when it became a necessity to finish school assignments. I wasn’t able to reconnect with the hobby until the pandemic. I started taking book recommendations that I stumbled across on social media and quickly fell in love with reading again—finishing a couple of books every month. Something I hadn’t been able to do in years at that point.
Obviously, booktok has had an influence on us reading the same books as our peers. When thinking about what books you want to read, do you think about books that are trending, or do you take a more traditional approach?
Both! I think it’s super fun to have a myriad of things influence my TBR. Whether that be a social media post or a considered recommendation from a friend, I appreciate anything that gets me reading. I love falling in love with books that most people aren’t looking to read but I equally enjoy books that everyone is interested in.
Indulging in all the social media content surrounding popular books is one of my favorite parts of reading. It’s much like a college for book lovers, if you will. It sparks conversation, fosters deeper thought and gives more of an opportunity to be passionate over a book you loved (or hated). I have cried to far too many SOA TikToks and I wouldn’t have that opportunity without it being such a popular piece of literature.
Tell us about your events. You have a virtual book club, so what is it that made you want to start hosting IRL events?
There is always an event going on in New York City. In fact, hundreds of events are happening as you read this right now. When I moved here last year, I saw how much people in New York value gathering together and building community. This gave me confidence that people would come and support the book club events.
We’ve now hosted events all across the United Staes. From reading picnics in Fort Greene Park to café events in Downtown Chicago. Lucky for me, being in alignment with what I share online has attracted some of the smartest and most vibrant women I have ever met. It’s not hard to have a great event with a room full of passion. Connecting with all the women in the book club has been one of the greatest gifts since starting the online community. I’m so thankful to have taken the leap to take things offline.
Did you know when you started the book club that you wanted to bring it to an in-person format as well?
I had no idea what the book club would become when I started it, but I’ve always known it would turn into something bigger than an Instagram account. I start a lot of things like that. Jump off the cliff and figure out how to fly afterwards.
What do you see for the future of the book club? Are there any must-read books that you have slated for the club?
There are many big things planned for Not Kianna’s Book Club in 2025. My creative director Amandine Pouilly and I are so excited to share what we’ve been working on. You can find it all on our website very soon. As for the book picks of 2025, the best place to find all my must-reads is by following the instagram account @notkiannasbookclub.
