Tuesday, August 6, 2024

📖 the makings of (The Bright Minds) Book Club 📖

 


Happy Tuesday, friends! 


You may remember that back in late spring, I started a book club. We met one time, the first Monday night of June, and we had a great time! We picked our book for the month of July and got the date scheduled, and then my life fell apart both personally and with the death of my dad. We missed that scheduled dinner in July for those reasons, but we met again last night, for the second time! We met at a favorite restaurant, and we talked about the book we'd picked to read in June. We couldn't all be there due to being out of town or sick, but a few of us met up last night and had a blast. 


I thought I'd share some things I've learned since starting a book club a whopping two months ago. I say that with a smile on my face, because clearly, I do not know everything. 🤣 I have, however, learned some valuable things that I think are worth sharing here, should you ever want to start your own real-life book club. 


First, names of book clubs are fun, but we've yet to pick one. I have some ideas for names, but we've never voted. Maybe we'll do that the next time!



My mind has changed about the name, but lately I've been leaning toward The Bright Minds Book Club (TBMBC). 💡


Secondly, size matters. (I'm laughing over my joke.) When I first put out on social media that I wanted to start a book club with local ladies, I knew in my mind that the limit would be to have no more than ten ladies, eleven if you count me. The reason I went with that number is because I know that life happens, and nobody will show up every month. Last night, for instance, only four of us could meet. That was fine, and it worked out perfectly since it ended up being a night when we shared personal stories from our own lives. We did also talk about the book; we spent about an hour eating and catching up, and the last hour was spent talking about the book. Another reason you have to consider the size is because if you have too many people there, the voices are drowned out by one another. If you have too few in number, the discussion could draw out and become awkward. It's a balance, but I think our size is perfect!


That leads me to the next point of time. Time is important! We went to a place last night that closes at 7:30, so we decided to meet at 5:30 so that we would have two full hours. I like to have an end time, because it does give us a goal to reach toward. We all work outside of our home, so none of us want to be out late on a week night. 


Next up is that we actually talk about the book. I have been to book clubs before when we didn't even get around to discussing the book we read. That is a huge pet peeve! I love to socialize and have fun like everyone else, but I also think it's important to do the thing you're meeting to do. Call me crazy, but whatever! 🤣


Keep it low key and low stress. Now, this one actually may not work for everyone, but for me personally in this phase of life, I need fun, low key, and low stress. That being said, I decided that we would always meet on the first Monday night of every month. I also decided that we would meet at a place that we can eat that doesn't require tipping and splitting up the check. This works well for us, and it's easy to set up and clean up afterwards. 


Have fun! Keep it easy breezy; I don't stress about who comes each month and who doesn't. I am of the opinion that if it's four of us, like last night, then sometimes that's more fun. It's also fun if everyone comes! I love chances for us to get to know new people, and it makes my heart happy to see relationships start to form. Don't make your expectations too high, says the Queen of High Expectations. Relax and enjoy the time that you have together. 



(This was us at book club last night; left to right are Shea to my left, Britne, and Kristy. We had a great time, even though we were small in number!)


Another thing that I think is important is that I offer to let other people pick the books and/or the location. So far nobody has taken me up for the offer, but I'm here for it, should they decide they want to do that. I'm open to suggestions and I have no issues at all with passing the baton from month to month, so to speak. 


Lastly, and perhaps the most important thing, is that communication should be clear and understandable. I am a planner, so I've already picked the book we'll read this month, I know the night we'll meet to talk about it, and I will pick the place where we'll meet sometime this week. We all have the Group Me app that we communicate through, so I'll send a text to them tomorrow so that they'll have plenty of time to read the book. My young friend Holly encouraged me to use Group Me. You can send links, videos, pictures, polls, and boxes to vote on all within that one app, and it's good for both Apple and Android users. I'm Android, and I know this is an issue between the brand of smart phones. 


Have you ever been in a book club? Do you have anything to add to this list? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Currently link party; the prompts are things we're loving, things we're looking forward to, things we're scheduling, buying, and gearing up for! Love to all. 🖤


I'm linking up with Joanne for today's blog post. 




18 comments:

  1. I have never been in a book club before but I love that you have a night all picked out in advance and that it sounds like a really fun night out. Not getting around to actually talking about the book that was read would be a huge pet peeve of mine too!

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    1. Well, by now you know how my brain works. I'm such a planner/type A personality that I have to know in advance. It's a blessing and a curse, I'll be honest. But it was a fun night, and I'm glad we were able to be there, those of us who could be there. I always thank them for coming, because it means a lot that they would take time out of their busy schedules to meet up.

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    2. That's how I am too but I am trying really hard to be more spontaneous!

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    3. I totally get it, and I am actually trying to be the same way -- not so structured and a tiny bit more "fly by the seat of my pants". It seems like the Lord is working on this within me because of several situations that I have going on in my life right now both at home and at work. 🤣

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  2. Tell us your books! I have started two book clubs and I agree with all of your advice. I think the best thing you are doing that I didn't is meeting at a counter service place. We rotated houses and in some seasons of life that's just too much! I think this is all a great structure. Some people only came once and that's not my fault, but they realized they didn't have time/desire to read. Also, our rule was that we would talk about the book and there would be spoilers if you hadn't read.

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    1. We've only read two so far, because of the month that we didn't meet. I'll talk about those books on Friday! I actually meant to mention them in this post, but forgot. I would love to host it here, honestly, but that does put a lot of pressure on a person. I think I may host us for a Christmas party, though! I like the rule you had; I hadn't thought of that, but everyone knows that we'll talk about the book each time we meet. I'm the one who leads the discussion and watches the time, so that means that I'm quiet a lot while others talk. I never mind that, but I can also easily jump in quickly if the need arises. You know I love to talk! 🤣

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  3. I have never been in a book club and honestly, being in one does not sound appealing to me. I love to read; I guess I am just too introverted to want to get together with others to discuss it! After I finish a book, if I feel strongly about it one way or the other, I like to read reviews to see if others felt the same way that I did about it. This is especially reassuring if I dislike a very popular/ best selling book. I will go to the reviews to find ¨my people¨- others who disliked it. But I know that I am in the minority when it comes to book clubs. Most readers like them! Thanks for sharing your insights and tips :).

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    1. I definitely get how a book club wouldn't be for everyone. I am actually like you and love to know why I felt a certain way about a book while everyone else loved something. My recent book that I felt like that on was the book Daisy Jones and the Six. I hated the book so much that I finished about 75 percent of it and quit. It was that bad and I stopped caring. Anyway, so I get it, my friend. I still love you, no worries.

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  4. I was in a book club with two other people for awhile, and it was just too small. I think it's a great idea to have more people, and then if only 4 can come...no big deal! I want to check out some of the book clubs at the libraries in my area.

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    1. I agree that three people is too small. It needs to at least be four, but preferably a little bigger than that. I think six to eight is the magic number. You should check those out! I just love to talk about books.

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  5. Loved reading this! I think this will be such a great thing for you! I have been in book club for the last 10 years or so- wow- didn't realize it was that long! Some friends on PTA with me all started talking about it because we all end up aging out of PTA at some point and we were trying to come up with a way to keep this group of friends together- so our book club was born- it has been wonderful! Thanks for sharing your story :)

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    1. Thanks, friend! In my "new phase of life" that is the new me, this has been perfect. We really did have a great time last night, and I love that it's so low key. I love how your book club started, and ten years?? That's amazing! I hope we go that long!

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  6. I love how much thought you put into this! It's so nice to have something to look forward to each month. I was in a book club that pretty much dissolved during the pandemic. It was eight of us and is now down to four. We don't discuss books anymore - we discuss true crime podcasts, documentaries and shows. Our husbands call it murder club. HA!
    I'd love if you share the books you're reading!

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    1. Thanks, Kirsten! It is so nice to have something to look forward to like this each month, and I was excited about us meeting last night, though we were small in size. It was perfect for last night! I will share the books that we've read so far on Friday's blog post; I love that your husbands call it murder club! That gave me a smile this morning. I hope you have a great day!

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  7. I'm so glad it went well! I missed y'all. Love these tips.

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    1. We missed you too, but I prayed for the three of you who weren't there. Kim and Michelle were both sick.

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  8. Sounds like the book club is off to an impressive start. I enjoyed reading your thought processes about the book club too.

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    1. I think it is, Michelle! Thanks for that, and thanks for stopping by!

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