Building Community through Book Club (+life updates)

Hello Lovely Readers!

I hope you had a wonderful October/Halloween/Reformation Day! I apologize for my lack of posting on the blog. Lots of things are going on behind the scenes, both in my personal life and in my ‘writing’ life. First, I am happy to announce we just hit 1000 followers on Instagram! Now, I don’t consider Instagram to be the measure of success for the blog (that is from you lovely readers), but I am grateful for so many people that are willing to talk about books and book culture. I have also been extremely blessed with some new writing opportunities. The biggest one is I am now a column writer for an online magazine called Slow Living Home! This magazine is “An online magazine & mentoring community of women & homemakers, intentionally holding space for awareness & stability in a rushed and insecure world.” (from the website). I will be writing their book related content and I am so thrilled to be a part of this team. If you are interested in becoming a subscriber, here is the link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/slowlivinghomemagazine

With the permission of the lovely Melissa, I am allowed to post my articles here on the blog. Just know there are so many other wonderful articles/columns in this magazine including health, fitness, scripture, recipes, and more! Below is my guest post I wrote for November, before I was asked to join the team, titled “Building Community through Book Club”:

In times of hardship and loneliness, I have always found deep pleasure and comfort in books. The Bible is a constant source of wisdom and hope, and novels offer escape and pleasure. Books, however, cannot take the place of human companionship. We are designed to be in community with one another but not just those filled with shallow pleasantries. The Bible makes it clear that we need intimate and consistent community , “And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10: 24-25). Thankfully, books and community do not need to be mutually exclusive. Book clubs offer a unique opportunity to bring people together and keep them together through the power of words. If a book club hopes to create a strong and lasting community, then it must be created with intention. I hope this article will give you the tools needed to create a book club that results not only in great discussions of well written works but also of an engaged community that will be with one another in all seasons.

Before Book Club:

-Pick a time and frequency for the group to meet and be consistent with it! One way to help in this is to send a reminder the week of the appointed meeting. I would go even further and suggest creating a group chat to keep each others updated of who is coming, what they are bringing, conflicts, etc…

-At the first meeting, define what type of books you’ll be reading; this can also include genres of books/themes that will not be included (ie horror, gore, sexual content, etc). Choose the books  a couple months in advance so that members have an idea what is coming; this is especially good if one of the books is long and needs more time for enjoyment. 

-Decide each month who is hosting. If one of the members has the spiritual gift of hospitality, allow them to bless you with their gift! Otherwise, feel free to rotate homes or locations. 

Book Club Night:

-Before the members arrive, create an inviting atmosphere with blankets, pillows, candles, soft music, and cozy seating. Your space does not need to be ‘show room’ quality- just welcoming! Try to have seating set up where everyone can see each other. 

-Offer refreshments; this can be as simple as coffee and store bought cookies. Like books, food can help build strong bonds. If you have the inclination, theme your food and drinks to the book. 

-Prepare 1-3 questions to help start the conversation. If you feel stuck, feel free to look for questions/study guides online. 

-Be open to changing directions. Someone may bring up an excellent thought that shifts the conversation in an unexpected way. Just be sure to keep the conversation flowing and (semi) on topic. 

After Book Club:

-Walk the members to the front door and remind them to let the chat know when they get home safely. It is such a small thing but it signals the care the group has for one another. 

-Keep contact throughout the month! Whether that be in the group chat or meeting with members sporadically, don’t let book club be a one and done event!

Scripture highlights the importance of community- just look at the church in Acts! I hope these tips help you create your own community, unified in love and words. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”- Romans 12:10

Well I hope you enjoyed the article! Consider signing up for magazine in the future or check out the site for free resources and downloads. I have other writing collabs lined up so I hope you will stick around for those. 

In my personal life, we have a lot of big changes coming in the next 6 months including the career change of Lord Bookish and a potential move for his next job. I will do my best to post more often than I have been. In fact, my annual Shop Small for Christmas list will, hopefully, be out at the end of this week so keep an eye out!

Happy Reading

Lady Bookish

P.S. I would love to hear in the comments if you have any books you recommend during the holidays.