During winter break, Matt Gipple was sitting at home reading a book. He thought it would be “”cool”” if he could express his thoughts about the book and hear what others thought about it too.

Gipple, a finance junior at the UA, said hearing the opinions of other people helps him understand a book in a way he would have never thought.

“”It’s like reading a book and watching the movie,”” Gipple said of comparing different thoughts on a book. “”It makes books more interesting.””

Gipple created Wildcat Book Club, which held their first meeting March 13. Although he was expecting 20 students, Gipple was still happy with the 13 people who showed up to read and share their thoughts.

One member, Johanna Ingram, a senior majoring in Spanish, belonged to a book club in high school.

She enjoyed her time in the book club because she was able to read and discuss books she liked, plus she made a lot of friends in the process, Ingram said.

“”I want to read good new books and meet new people,”” she said of her expectations of the club. “”I want to share my passion for reading.””

In their first meeting, club members decided they will meet once a month and discuss the book they read. They will also vote on a new book to read for the following month.

For March, the club is reading “”The Devil in the White City”” by Erik Larson. The book was recommended by one of the members and won by a majority vote.

In future meetings, members are encouraged to seek out interesting books that were published in the past few years.

Robin Breault, the club’s faculty representative and an adjunct professor in business communication, said the club is important because it promotes students to read and communicate about intelligent topics.

“”Literature books expand the mind,”” Breault said.

Many members of the club are simply there for their love of reading.

“”I’m not the most well-read person,”” Gipple said. “”But I enjoy reading.””