For avid readers, few pleasures compare to the quiet joy of getting lost in a good book and the lively conversations that follow. Getting lost in a book is simple enough: grab a book, plop yourself down, and start reading. Whether you’re basking in the breeze beneath the summer sun, passing time on a train, or bobbing in a barrel in the middle of the Pacific, the goal is the same: let the world around you slip away as the one inside the pages comes to life.
The second delight—chatting about books with fellow readers—is harder to come by in today’s screen-focused world. Unless you’re enrolled in the local university, the reading community has dispersed and is no longer likely to congregate at the local coffee shop. But online book clubs can fill the gap, and my club of choice is The Hardcore Literature Book Club, founded by Benjamin McEvoy.
True to its name, this club is not concerned with formulaic junk food novels or the latest fad fiction. In Hardcore Literature, you will voyage where the timid fear to go—straight to the greatest and most challenging works of literature ever written. These are the kinds of books that can shift civilizations, crack open your perspective, and leave you a little more enlightened than before. They’re the soul-stretchers, the brain-boosters—the very titles your high school English teacher secretly hoped you’d revisit as an adult (and would cry tears of joy if you did).
The book club is hosted by its founder, Benjamin McEvoy, whose passion for reading is matched only by his infectious charm. With the insight of an Oxford education and a lifelong love of literature, Ben guides members through the dense terrain of classic works with an enthusiasm that makes even the toughest texts feel more like an adventure than an assignment.
The Hardcore Literature Book Club operates as an online literary academy, primarily through paid Patreon memberships, with some content extending to YouTube. Each year kicks off with a syllabus centered on “Big Reads”—those towering, doorstopper novels that anchor the club’s ambitious curriculum. Supplementary works such as poetry, short stories, and plays help round out the literary landscape. While the pace can be intense, the emphasis isn’t on speed, but on depth. Benjamin encourages slow, thoughtful engagement with the texts, and his extensive archive of video lectures and past discussions offers members a rich well of guidance and support.
But this club offers more than just book talk—it’s a deep dive into literature as a means of living the good life. What can we learn from the wisdom of Emerson, the characters of Shakespeare, or the love poems of Keats? How did Dostoevsky influence Nietzsche? How does Joyce relate to Homer? In what ways is Dickens similar to Hugo? Each work is explored not just for its text, but for its connections to philosophy, history, art, poetry, and psychology—tools used to extract the hidden gems buried within the pages. It’s about reading beyond the words. The club’s guiding philosophy is captured in its motto: “Living the great books.” Literature is treated not as escapism, but as a tool for personal development and intellectual growth. The goal isn’t just to read more—it’s to live more thoughtfully, with the great books as your compass.
So far, Hardcore Literature has led me through the pages of Dickens, Cervantes, Tolstoy, Austen, Melville, and Shakespeare—plenty of Shakespeare. These books have taken me on unforgettable journeys. I’ve braved the high seas aboard a whaling ship captained by a madman hellbent on revenge. I’ve wandered the Spanish countryside with a delusional, yet chivalrous knight and his faithful squire. I’ve toured the depths of Hell with my poet-guide, cataloging the eternal torments of the condemned. I have seen the resilience of the Russian people while standing shoulder to shoulder with Prince Andrei amid the chaos of the Napoleonic Wars, and I’ve followed the unraveling of an axe murderer as he plunges into the icy grip of nihilism under the psychological weight of his crime.
Ironically, if I had one criticism of Hardcore Literature, it’s how it functions as a book club. Patreon, while great for distributing content, isn’t ideal for fostering real-time discussion. Members can comment on posts, but it lacks the dynamic energy of a true conversation. There’s no shared forum or live chat space for spontaneous back-and-forth between readers. The highest membership tier does include monthly Zoom sessions with Ben, which are fantastic, but most members don’t have access to that level of interaction. For a club rooted in community and discussion, the format can sometimes feel a bit one-sided.
That said, Hardcore Literature doesn’t pretend to be your average book club—and maybe that’s the point. It’s less about casual chatter and more about sharpening your mind alongside others who take literature seriously. And even without constant conversation, there’s a powerful sense of connection in knowing you’re not reading these works alone. There’s comfort in following the same syllabus, watching the same lectures, and working through the same pages as readers scattered around the globe, all united by a shared love of great books.
For me, the club has become more than a reading group—it’s a habit of mind. It’s challenged me to read with more discipline, to think with more nuance, and to carry the insights of great books into my everyday life. In a culture that often prizes speed over depth and novelty over wisdom, Hardcore Literature offers a rare and valuable space: a place to slow down, read deeply, and grow. It has reminded me that the best books aren’t just read—they’re lived.