Today’s post doesn’t fit my typical niche of “DIY, Design, and Delicious Recipes”, but it’s still one that I’m excited to share with you guys! Today I’m talking about How to Start a Bookclub.
In North Dakota I was part of a girls bookclub that I loved. When I first moved to Michigan I found that I missed meeting with women monthly. I also missed always having a book to read and the accountability to finish it! So I decided to take matters into my own hands and start a book club in my new town.
At the time I knew about ten women in Marquette, so I literally invited everyone that I knew! It didn’t matter if they were an old college friend, a sports acquaintance, or even just a neighbor. Most of my friends use Facebook so I did this by creating a Facebook invite. I decided the bookclub would be on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00. I chose a book and invited everyone to my home for the first book club. I asked that everyone bring a treat or snack to share, and that babies were welcome. I also mentioned that reading the book and bringing food were totally optional and it was more about the fellowship than it was about discussing the book!
To my amazement we ended up having almost everyone show up to the first book club! We decided that each month someone different would host and they’d be responsible for choosing the book and facilitating the book discussion. When I would host, often I would google the book with the words “book club discussion questions” just to help get the conversation going. Often only a few girls will have read the book, or everyone will have read it and loved it and the conversation just flows!
It seems that book club ended up always being as much about the amazing food as the book! My favorite book club was one where we read “Bread and Wine” by Shauna Niequist and each cooked a recipe from the book. **Contains Affiliate Links**. We ended up with Macaroni Cups, Feta and Watermelon Salad, Curry, and Blueberry Crisp and it was amazing.
Now I’m living in a new city again, I’m finding myself missing the conversation and fellowship of my monthly bookclub. I’m thinking it’s about time to take my own advice, and invite everyone I know to start another bookclub! I hope this post has inspired you to take a leap of faith and maybe start or join a bookclub! If not, maybe I’ve at least encouraged you to at least read “Bread and Wine” and make a few of the recipes?!
**Update** I wrote a post including all of my top Book Club Suggestions, as well as the books I wished I had skipped! You can check it out here!
