Happiness is....book club. Who is with me?
If you're reading this, I am going to assume you want to know all about the joy of book club. I used to use book clubs in my classroom as a way to encourage students to read and also deepen their understanding of the novels we were reading. There is something powerful about putting the responsibility back on students to sort out what is important in a book, to make their own observations, to THINK while they read.
In my life though, I had never been in a book club until I started one in 2020. I always wanted to be part of one, but there weren't many options in my small community and I never seemed to have the time. With the slow down of activities out of the home combined with the loss of connection I was feeling, I started an online book club. The first book we read was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. We had a great discussion, and since then we have read over thirty books and have been meeting for over four years. The people who join our discussions, many of whom have been with us since the very beginning are located across the country - from the East Coast to the West Coast, from Southern tip of Ontario to the Prairies, and even the North West Territories. They have become dear friends who I look forward to "seeing" each month, sharing thoughts on books, but also chatting about life, in many cases cheering each other one from afar.
In person, the Pen & Page book club started in June 2024. We are one our fourth month now and I am beyond honoured by each person who chooses to participate. In our last meeting, we were a small, but mighty group. We discussed The God of the Woods by Liz Moore for hours. I mean it, literally 2.5 hours later, we were just wrapping up our discussion. Proving that a high quality discussion can happen without a high quantity of people.
Our November selection is the much anticipated From Here the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. As a huge Daisy Jones and the Six fan, I have been looking forward to this book for ages! And it seems other readers have as well. Oprah Winfrey selected this book for her book club and did a CBS special with Riley Keough at Graceland. You can find the entire special on CBS or read this article for some of the highlights.
We will be discussing this book on November 26th at 7pm. Everyone is welcome to join, but we appreciate you signing up here so we know how many people to expect. You don't have to buy the book from Pen & Page to join, but the registration fee is waved if you do.
You might also choose to listen to the book, which I have heard is EXCELLENT! Julia Roberts is the narrator with Riley Keough reading her parts and original excerpts from the tapes that Lisa Marie Presley recorded, adding her voice even after her death. You can find the audiobook on Libro.fm and still support Pen & Page Bookshop: Find the book here.
We would love to have you join us! Drop a YES below if you are in!