Tag: book club

Posted in Chatty

My new reading goal, fueled by determined frustration!

Posted on by Jennifer

Alright y’all, I’ve abruptly gotten fed up with myself. I have all these books that I’ve been various degrees of excited about (from not at all to extremely) that are just taking up room on my shelves and NOT BEING READ! AUGH! It’s really starting to get to me — maybe as an early spring-cleaning frenzy is taking hold of me.

So my new abrupt reading goal for the foreseeable future is to read a bunch of books that I’ve actually spent money on. Then I can decide if I want to keep them, or get them off my shelves and make room for others! Gah! I’m running out of room, and if these are duds then I need them OUT!

So here begins my sudden change in TBR plans. 🙂 Although to be fair, my TBR this month is one I literally described as “slightly aimless” and I’ve completed 3 of the 4 books on that original list — AND the fourth book from that list is also on this one. xD

Book of the Month books that are gathering dust

Aardvark Book Club books that I had never heard of

Other books that I bought just to look at apparently

I’m ready to read with the fury and speed of a thousand suns!!!!

Posted in Chatty

Book club… on hold

Posted on by Jennifer

Enter the virus

Well. Remember like two months ago when I said I was going to start a book club at work? Uh… considering everyone is now laid off or working from home for at least a month, those plans are pretty firmly on hold.

To be fair, I definitely procrastinated starting this up. Bureaucracy is a quick way to kill enthusiasm (as most teachers know), and it certainly stifled me for a while too. But then people started asking when they’d get the sign up email, and telling me how excited they were, and so on… and I just felt bad for not doing it for these people who had been so thrilled by the idea.

And, the week that responses were to come in with signups, I got a great turnout, and then we had mass firings and tons of cutbacks and everyone went to work from home for an indeterminate amount of time and group gatherings were made illegal and social distancing has become standard. The gathering of people to share food and laugh together is officially on hold.

The backup plan

My NEW plan, for the time being anyway, is to set up a bookclub space online so we can at least start getting to know each other and chatting about whatever we are currently reading. I’m thinking of using Goodreads, primarily just because I’m reasonably familiar with it, but I know their groups forums aren’t very user friendly. Personally I kind of hate them. I’m looking for other ideas — chat-centered ones like discord or slack, and other book-focused sites as well. Any suggestions, y’all?

I’ll see how many people are interested and what platforms they already use, then go from there. But wow, yeah, did this ever time out badly. 😂 If you’re in a bookclub, what are you all doing for the moment? Is it an online-only focus, or do you typically meet in person?

Posted in Chatty

I’m starting a book club at work!

Posted on by Jennifer

Well, that (kinda) worked out!

Made the recommendation to our HR department on their annual survey for “things to do” and they went for it! However… they’re only providing snacks (books are still on us) and giving the group time in the schedule for our large meeting area. I’d really been hoping to do more, and make it a collaboration with a non-profit bookshop run by at-risk youth, but I can still try to do that part on my own, I suppose!

So essentially, *I’m* starting a book club, and it will happen to be with people I work with. 😁 I have zero experience with this, as I’m usually too flighty in my reading to commit to a book for a book club. I’m also not always interested in the choices book clubs tend to pick, but I guess if I can give some direction for what books will be voted on to read, that solves my issue? We’ll have to see! Definitely throw me some ideas for books you think would work well! The focus is on books set in countries outside the United States or primarily about another culture (for example, immigrants to the US but with details about their home country and lifestyle).

…help?

Have any of you ever started a book club before, at work or otherwise? I’m trying to work out the best way to phrase the sign up invitations, so any advice is appreciated! What would get you to join? I’ll be updating as this project progresses — and hopefully none of the updates are that no one signed up and it failed completely! 😬