Stephany Writes

Categories: Best Of

Book Club 2023

This year, our book club stepped things up a notch! We have 6 members in our book club, so every member was given two months of the year to plan. In that month, you would give the group three books to select from, and you would plan the book club activity. We had such a fun time with this! I wanted to give a review of what we did, partly for my memories, and also so you can take these ideas to do something fun in your own lives. (Buckle up—this is a long post!)

January

This was an incredible way to start off our year of book club experiences! We had a wonderful woman come over to Bri’s house for a permanent jewelry experience. Permanent jewelry is expensive (I think my bracelet cost around $150) but considering I’ve worn my bracelet every single day since I got it and it’s held up really well, I think it was worth it. And it’s been so fun to have a tangible reminder of my friendship with these ladies.

It was a little awkward to have a book club discussion while the woman doing the permanent jewelry was working, haha, but we had a pretty good discussion. There was a very interesting civil rights component to that book and I remember us talking at length about how that plotline was written.

February

This was such a fun night and it has stuck with me throughout the year. We all went to Amber’s condo in our pajamas where we enjoyed a nacho bar and then played a really fun game. I remember laughing so much during this game!

The book was a bit of a dud for most of us. What we liked about this book was learning more about the tobacco production process and tobacco marketing in the 1940s, but the writing wasn’t great and the execution of the book fell flat. (During this meeting, I remember talking to my friends about my uncle’s recent lung cancer diagnosis. This memory is heart-wrenching because I had no idea he’d be gone 10 months later.)

March

In March, we all got together at Lynn’s house and brought our own charcuterie board. We had a good mix of breads, dessert, meats, cheeses, and lots more. I brought a yogurt parfait board! We enjoyed a few rounds of food, had lots of chit-chat time, and discussed the book. It was a good time!

This book had some mixed reviews, but I loved it! It was a thriller and I thought it was so well-written and intriguing. We had a pretty good discussion about this, especially about some of the feminist aspects of the book.

April

In April, we had a more low-key book club experience as we all met up at one of our favorite local restaurants for dinner and to celebrate Amber, as it was her birthday! We had a good time.

The book we read was one that most of us enjoyed; it was about a traveling circus during World War II. I’m a bit burned out on WWII novels at this point, but I do enjoy a WWII novel that brings something different to the table and this one definitely did that.

May

This is another evening that I look back with immense fondness. It was such a fun night! Only four of us were able to go—Bri was under the weather and Mikaela had a doggo emergency (everything ended up okay!). We had dinner at a Greek restaurant downtown and then headed to a shuffleboard club to play a few games. Afterward, we found a delicious dessert shop for a late-night treat. The best part about this evening, though, is that our friend Lynn offered to drive us around. The three of us parked in a parking garage and then Lynn handled the driving and downtown parking, which we greatly appreciated as three women who have parking/driving anxiety.

We had a pretty good discussion about the book, too. We talked about the way power can be harmful, no matter who is in charge, and we all raved about the final chapter, which is one of those endings I’m still thinking about. It’s such a great final chapter!

June

June was my month for choosing a book club experience, and I chose axe throwing! We met up for dinner at a bar right next to the axe-throwing place and then had a fun few hours learning how to throw an axe and compete in various games. Some friends were a little skittish about this experience beforehand, but everyone ended up having the best time and it warmed my heart!

After we threw some axes, we found a cute little ice cream shop to have dessert and discuss the book. It was one of my favorites of the year and it felt good to be able to talk about why this gay love story meant so much to me.

July

One of the BEST experiences of the year! We all had such a great time doing a murder mystery party and I think the majority of us were able to correctly guess the murderer (it ended up being Bri’s character—she claims to be a villain, so this further proves her theory). We’ve already decided to do this on a yearly basis and in 2024, we’re going to try to get our act together to get dressed up and make it a big event!

We took a break during the murder mystery for dinner—we ordered in pizza, so something simple and delicious! And we discussed the book while we ate. This one had some mixed reviews: half of us enjoyed it and the other half were “meh” about it. I fell into the “meh” camp. We had an interesting discussion about women and autonomy, what was permissible and what wasn’t, and that helped me better understand why the other ladies enjoyed the book so much.

August

Wait, was this the best experience of the year? We still talk about how fun this escape room was! We had a great time trying to figure out all of the puzzles. This escape room was an all-time favorite for me and there were so many different rooms to go through and unique puzzles to solve. They did a fantastic job putting this room together!

After the escape room, we all went to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner and to discuss the book. I just loved the book selection this month and enjoyed talking about the impact it had on me. I can’t remember if we got super deep with our discussion, but I don’t really need that with my book club. I just like talking about the book and hearing why people liked it or didn’t like it.

September

We all had a great time at our September experience: making pottery! This was the first time most of us used a pottery wheel and it was mostly terrifying but also so much fun. I felt like I learned a lot and I was happy to have two beautiful pieces by the end of the event. Also, I don’t know how I did this, but I ended up getting clay everywhere: my face, my hair, my clothes, my shoes… nothing was safe!

During the second half of the pottery experience, we were hanging out together painting our clay pieces and this is when we spent some time talking about the book. I found the book to be pretty interesting but I had some quibbles with it that I talked about during our discussion time. Overall, it wasn’t a hit for most of us.

October

We had such a good time at the escape room in August that we returned in October to do the other escape room. This one was said to be much harder than the first, but we were confident in our ability to get it done. And we did, with a few seconds to spare. I did not enjoy this escape room as much as the previous one because it was a bit scarier! It felt more horror-based than thriller-based, which was perfect for an October escape room, but not great for my psyche, ha.

After the escape room, we went to dinner at the same restaurant we went to in August. We had a great discussion about the book, as we all really loved it! It was 4 or 5 stars for the majority of us. I think we all agreed that we want to visit New Zealand after reading this book.

November

I was hoping to host book club in November for a game night, but I had to switch plans because that was the week my apartment’s roof was getting worked on and parking was atrocious. Instead, we went to my favorite local pizza place for dinner and conversation. It was a lovely night!

We also had a really great discussion about the book, and I was happy that everyone loved it. I thought it was such a well-done story and liked this exploration of what it means to be married, have strong female friendships, and discover yourself. We talked about the infidelity plotline and if we’re turned off by these types of tropes, and we were pretty split between those who don’t like them and those who don’t mind them. I don’t mind them myself, but they have to be handled in the right way, of course!

December

Our final book club meeting of the year was such a fun one! We had our annual book club Christmas party at Bri’s house. Bri cooked us breakfast, we put together mini gingerbread houses, and we played a super fun game. And then we had our favorite things gift exchange! Here’s what I gifted: one microfiber hair twist towel (yes, the towel that has been all the range in bloglandia and is truly one of my favorite things!), two face masks that you peel off your face in an incredibly satisfying manner (remember when you used to let glue dry on your finger and then peel it off? Like that.), and two Blow-Pops because I re-discovered Blow-Pops in 2023 and love them.

And here are the favorite things I received:

  • A pair of super cozy slippers
  • A box of green tea with cozy socks “that don’t slip down your ankles!”
  • Dr. Bronner’s peppermint lip balm with a $5 gift card to Dunkin’s
  • A beautiful notebook with a selection of pens
  • A mini bottle of Prosecco with a package of Mighty Patch acne patches

It was such a wonderful gift exchange and it was a really lovely way to see what things had made an impact on my friends this year. For example, the friend who gave us the notebook and pens did so because she started a habit of listing out the things she’s grateful for, and encouraged us to do the same.

There wasn’t any discussion about the book, though, because only two people had read it by the time our meeting came around, ha. (We had a two-week turnaround from November’s book club meeting to December, so that was cutting things a bit tight.)

And that was Book Club 2023! I am so, so grateful to have these women in my life. We lift each other up, cheer each other on, and support each other when things are hard. And, along the way, we read together and have some of the most exciting experiences that will be with us for a long time. Speaking of books, here are the final stats:

  • Genre breakdown: historical fiction (4), contemporary fiction (4), thriller (2), dystopian (1), romance (1)
  • Overall rating: 3.8
  • My format breakdown: audiobooks (7), print books (3), e-books (1)
  • Highest-rated books of the year: The Power by Naomi Alderman (4.25 stars) and When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal (4.25 stars)
  • Lowest-rated book of the year: The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers (3.25 stars)

If you made it through this super-long post, thank you! This was a lot. Do you belong to a book club?

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Comments

  1. Your book club is so organized! We just meet on Sunday nights, eat lots of food, and talk about the book. We don’t do activities, but I love that you do. What a fun way to pair the books with a tangible memory.

    Demon Copperhead was definitely the favorite book for our book club this year and Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker was the least liked. It’s always fun to recap our book club year and I was riveted by this post.

    Reply

    • I’m glad you enjoyed this post! It was really fun to put together. We used to be a lot more low-key but we recently decided that we really love making each meeting an experience. Essentially, it’s more that we’re friends who have a book club, so we enjoy putting together these really fun nights out!

      Reply

  2. Wow. This is like a book club on VERY FUN STEROIDS.

    I don’t belong to an IRL book club and don’t really have a desire to. Adding something else on my to-do list feels too overwhelming for this stage of life. But when I’m older and the kids are grown: SIGN ME UP.

    I did participate in NGS’ book club, though, and loved that experience. I’m hoping she does it again in 2024.

    Reply

  4. This looks so fun! Your book club is like THE book club I dream of when I dream of book clubs. In the past, I was part of one with my grad school friends (“Online and Wine/Whine”), but we disbanded a handful of years ago.

    Reply

    • Aww, that is such a sweet comment! We have a whole lot of fun with each other and share a lot of the same interests, so that makes it easier for us to plan these fun nights out!

      Reply

  6. This all sounds SO FUN!!! I don’t belong to a book club, but I totally would if it could be this fun. I should probably organize one, but then I think how hard it would be to find a time for everyone to get together… you guys did well with that. I guess for now I’ll stick with Engie’s book club (eagerly awaiting the next book!)

    Reply

    • It can sometimes be challenging to find one night where everyone is free – a few members have children, some travel a lot for work, etc. But generally, we’re able to find at least one night every month where all (or most people) can attend.

      Reply

  7. Wow, what a fun club and fantastic book selections! I would love to have something like this in my life. I am very impressed at everyone’s pottery making skills, I’m taking a class now and that is awesome you all had a useable piece at the end!

    Reply

    • We had an AMAZING teacher! She was determined that everyone left with two pottery pieces at the end of the night. I had a looooot of help from her to make my pieces, lol.

      Reply

  8. I’m very impressed that you captured the average rating for each book you read! As a number/stats obsessed person, that is so fun! Our club doesn’t do that. We don’t share our personal ratings for the book usually, though.

    Your book club seems so fun, though! Ours has gotten kind of big… maybe too big? We had to cap membership but prob should have done that sooner. We have 11 members now. It can be tricky to get reservations if everyone can attend. That doesn’t happen often, though.

    Reply

    • Most of us are on Goodreads so that’s how I captured the average rating! The rating is slightly skewed because Bri doesn’t use Goodreads so I could only use 5/6 of our ratings, ha.

      Eleven people seems big for a book club – at least to me. I like our book club being on the small side with 6 people. I feel more apt to share my opinion that way. But that’s just me! Some people probably like having a larger group with more opinions and discussions to be had.

      Reply

  9. What an amazing, fun group of women! I’m so impressed with all the fun things you do – it’s inspirational!
    House on Fire sounds really interesting, I’m going to look it up right now before I forget!

    Reply

  10. I loved reading this and all the “wait, was this the best experience?” They were all so great! I am curious if you remember the games you played that you loved so much (like February at Amber’s) – I am always looking for fun game ideas.

    I am excited to see what y’all do next year!

    I don’t belong to a book club! But I know that one I was invited to and didn’t want to join has been going strong for 10 years! I hope they have as much fun as you all do!

    Reply

  13. The relationships and bonds you have with this group seem truly special. 🙂 Thank you for sharing a recap of what looks like an amazing year! (My only book club is Engie’s Cool Bloggers Book Club, so I am hoping it comes back for round 2 in 2024…)

    Reply

  14. I am so jealous of your amazing book club meetings. I want to have those too.
    I am part of an online book club but all members live in Munich and I am the only one in the north of germany in Berlin (600 km away) so its hard to see each other in real life. But I did manage to do so with three members. Which was so nice.

    I have only read The Power which was also a book club pick and made for great discussions. I didn’t like it all too much when I read it but I am thinking about it more than I thought so I might not have been fair in rating it at the time. When we believed in Mermaids is on my TBR.

    Reply

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