living artfully

how to start a book club

In the summer of 2009, I was searching locally for a book club to join but was unhappy with the options I found. So with a little forethought, I jumped into establishing my own book club with friends. Three years and 25 books later, we are meeting tonight and still going strong. Putting together a successful book club is easier than you might think.


the 25 books my book club has read

1. Determine who you are going to invite. I sent a wide invite to friends and coworkers, not making any assumptions about who would be "readers" or not. Our initial group was about 10 people; given people's schedules, this guaranteed attendance of at least 5 people for each meeting. Don't worry if your group starts small at first. As members enjoy themselves, they can start inviting their own friends and coworkers and your group will grow.

2. Determine the frequency of your meetings and set the schedule. I'd recommend evaluating your group and your sense of their schedules to set the right frequency. For us, every month seemed too frequent and every two months not frequent enough. We meet every 6 weeks or so and I set the dates a year at a time, avoiding holidays.

3. Find a meeting location. We have an incredibly easy solution for this within my book club: everyone is asked to host in their homes on a rotating basis. Based on the size of your group and frequency of your meetings, this could mean that everyone only needs to host about once per year. Coffee shops, restaurants and even community centers could be wonderful alternatives, as well.

4. Determine how the books will be selected, and who will be doing the deciding. The most fair and agreeable approach for my book club is that the host selects the book. This gives everyone an opportunity to participate in the selection process. 

5. Narrow the focus of your book club. If you'd like the possibility of exploring reoccuring themes, or just want to help your participants to narrow their choices, consider establishing a theme or other guidelines. For example, my book club typically only reads 20th and 21st century novels, with the rare non-fiction mixed in. For even more focus, you could select a genre like mystery, chick lit, or even young adult fiction. How fun might it be to meet with friends to discuss old favorites like "The Babysitter's Club" or "Nancy Drew"?!  

6. Establish ground rules. Consider establishing a rule around what types of books are not allowed. I established a rule that while non-fiction is allowed, we will not be reading non-fiction that focuses on politics, religion or business. Our only other rule? That we ask you to still read along if you've already read the book selection. 

7. Set the structure for your meetings. Will they be structured and guided by the host? Will you allow more "open" discussion based on the interest of the members? Or a blend? There are wonderful resources online to find discussion questions to help guide your book club discussion. My personal favorite is Lit Lovers; and Book Clubs Resource has also been very helpful. 

8. Lastly, determine how you will send invites and collect RSVPs. An easy and free solution is to use FaceBook; we have a private group where everyone can post messages and through which I can send the invites. evite is another great electronic choice that only requires your members to have email addresses. Don't have a tech-savvy group? Paper invitations are always an option.


Tonight, my book club meets to discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, an absolutely thrilling read. If the weather cooperates, there will even be a bonfire! We all have very busy schedules, but we value this time together and appreciate the push to find the time to read. It's truly been a fulfilling experience participating in a book club. If you love to read, I'd definitely encourage you to jump in and start your own book club.

hugs, sharyn 

summer reading

I know summertime is great for being active outdoors.  But honestly, I prefer to lounge in the sun with a good book. It's not a waste of great weather if I'm reading outdoors, right? :)

My book club meets next week to discuss our summer selection:


 
I'm not sure if "A Visit from the Goon Squad" will be a hit with the group, but I liked the way the timeline and shifting narrators really challenged me as a reader. Now that I've finished it, I have two more to jump into on my summer reading list...
 
Have you read "The Borrower" or "The Late, Lamented Molly Marx"? I decided on "The Borrower" after reading Oprah's Summer Reading List. And "Molly Marx" is a random Target purchase when I was there for one item and -as usual- ended up with like a hundred things in my cart. Both look like they will be lighter reads. Not my usual style, but hopefully fun vacation reads.

What are you reading this summer? Do you have any great books to recommend? We have a vacation coming up, and I can definitely use your recommendations!

hugs, sharyn

i heart joshua radin

Favorite musician in town + super sweet husband = surprise concert tickets!

 

Joshua Radin was in Milwaukee this past Thursday, playing at the gorgeous Pabst Theatre. Ever since I heard his first album, I have loved his music. Being a singer songerwriter, he's also a great story teller. I love how he talks to the audience between songs. And when he sings live - ah. may. zing.

 

 

 

Love him. If you want a free listen, check out Joshua Radin's my space page. I always love a good music recommendation, so hopefully I can pass this one along to you!

Who is the musician you must see whenever they come into town??

 

wicked was wonderful

We were so lucky to have tickets to the Broadway tour of Wicked!

 

Last night we saw the show as part of the four week run in Milwaukee. I haven't read the book and didn't know much of the story line in advance, leaving much of the evening to surprise. And I was absolutely blown away!

The costumes, the set changes, the music; it was nothing short of amazing. If it was possible, I'd see it again today. And again and again!

 

 

We saw the show with my beautiful sister-in-law and our cute husbands. Such a treat to get to spend a magical evening together!

I'm off to download the soundtrack and do a little scrapbooking today... maybe about last night! Have you seen Wicked before? What did you think??

 

summer reading

Summertime is great for adding to your book list. With the longer days and the possibility of outdoor reading and reading on vacations, it's a chance to pick up a few books on your favorite topics and to explore new authors. For me, I always have two goals when it comes to my summer reading list: to read off the Booker Prize winners list and to try at least one new author.

My love affair with Booker Prize-winning novels started when I read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. It is breathtakingly painful and beautiful; I have read it numerous times now and consider it a favorite. Whenever I'm feeling at a loss for what book to pick up next, I visit the winners list to see what else I could enjoy.
 
This year, my Booker winner for summer reading is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Wolf Hall is the 2009 winner and has been on my shelf since Christmas, waiting for uninterrupted time for me to tackle its 560 pages. Mixing fiction and fact, Mantel tells the story of 16th-century Europe as King Henry VIII challenges the church to divorce his queen and marry Ann Boleyn. But, in a twist, this novel tells the story from the perspective of one of Henry's closest advisers, Thomas Cromwell. I have read very little, if any, historical fiction set earlier than the 19th century so I am excited to see if this is a book I enjoy.

As for selecting a new author to try, this is something I always find both challenging and fun. This summer, the author I have in mind to explore is Aimee Bender. I came across this author while on Amazon reading about another book I loved: The Help. At the time, one of Bender's novels was displayed with The Help as an option to buy both and save. After doing a little research, I'm fascinated by her unlikely plots and have read she blends stories that are both funny and sad... and a little warped. I'm interested!

 

Have you read anything by Aimee Bender before? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this author and your recommendation on which of her books to start with!

And of course, another great way to find out about new authors is to ask your friends. If you can count Oprah, she's published her 2010 Summer Reading List with some interesting recommendations. Great for ideas, but I still love an honest recommendation from an honest friend.

So please do share! Who is your favorite author? Or what is your favorite book? I can't wait to grow my list of must-reads! 

 

review: sarah's key

The most recent selection that our book club has read is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. The novel is one that I found myself quickly and wholly drawn into; I read the entire book in just a few days. Part historical fiction, part modern day mystery and love story, this novel was enjoyed by our book club but not without certain objections.

Sarah's Key is a story told in two time periods. First is the heartbreaking and painful story of the Vel d'Hiv roundups, a 1942 act in Paris in which over 13,000 French Jews were arrested and deported to concentration camps. We meet a young girl, whose family is arrested, but not before the young girl locks her brother into a secret cabinet for safe hiding. Told in nearly alternating chapters is the story from the second time period. It is 2002 and an American journalist, who has spent the greater part of her life in Paris and is married to a Frenchman, is researching the Vel d'Hiv. As the novel unfolds, you learn more about each woman and how their stories are connected in unexpected ways.

I found myself wrapped into the story quickly, especially the chapters telling the intense and painful story of the roundup. With the chapters alternating between time periods, I found it hard to put down Sarah's Key because I wanted to find out what was going to happen and the author often left you hanging at each switch of the time periods. Some of our book club members didn't like this strategy, but personally it is something that kept me drawn into the book.

Although the subject was far heavier, I did prefer to read about the young girl involved in the Vel d'Hiv more so than the present-day journalist. The journalist already had the difficult task of researching the Vel d'Hiv. And on top of that, the author threw on maybe a few too many additional challenges related to her personal life. I think part of my frustration with the present-day story line stemmed from the author's attempt to portray the "American-ness" of the woman and the "French-ness" of her husband and her large band of sometimes unnecessary in-laws.

Despite these minor critiques, Sarah's Key is a novel that our book club group enjoyed, myself included. Though it should not be given credit as a text book, it provided me many learning moments and taught me about an event in history that I was not previously aware of. This is a book that I am glad I read.

Do you do more reading in the summertime than the rest of the year? I love reading outdoors when the weather is nice and always manage to add a few more books to my list this time of year. I'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on summer reading!

 

review: city of thieves

The book club I participate in just finished reading a wonderful book, City of Thieves by David Benioff. What is at once a dark and grim tale is also a charming and uplifting story. It was a book loved by our entire book club group and I think part of the appeal is that it is one of those novels that has a little bit of everything: part historical fiction, part "coming-of-age" tale, part war novel, with witty humor and themes of friendship and love.

City of Thieves tells the story of two young men on an impossible mission during the siege of Leningrad. Both have been imprisoned for separate crimes, but are offered their freedom if they can return to the Colonel in one week's time with a dozen eggs for his daughter's wedding cake. With no food in the city and the Germans advancing toward Leningrad, the men set out on a journey to save their lives. What they see and experience is at times gruesome. But their journey is truly remarkable.

The story is very engaging and I found the book to be a page turner. I was not surprised to learn after the fact that Benioff is also a screenwriter (he adapted Kite Runner for the screen), as I could picture this novel being easily adapted into a movie. And therein lies my only complaint. In all the plot and suspense, perhaps some of the historical accuracies are lost for the sake of the story.

In the end, it was a very entertaining read. And for me, all the grim scenes and foul language were worth the emotional cost. I am glad to have come across this book and it is one I hope to pass along to other friends.

Next, our book club is reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I would love to hear your thoughts if you've read either book!

 

dexter marathon

Tonight, we are having our good friends over for appetizers and a Dexter marathon.

 

Our friends haven't seen this show before, and we are so excited to watch it with them and see what they think.

Before I had seen Dexter myself, I was very skeptical. A show about a Miami PD blood spatter analyst who is also a serial killer? Seriously? And is it going to be super gory? After watching the first episode, though, I was completely hooked. It's actually a really funny show and it's not entirely gruesome. We don't have Showtime, so we haven't seen the latest season and are anxiously awaiting it on DVD.

Do you watch Dexter? Or are there any TV series you could watch over and over?

 

review: the happiness project

Last week, I shared my personal commandments inspired by Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. With the same enthusiasm I felt last week, I continued reading and finished up the book this past weekend.

 

In The Happiness Project, Rubin takes you on her organized and methodical journey of spending a year trying to add more happiness to her life.  My quick assessment of The Happiness Project, now that I've finished it, is that it can become an immensely helpful springboard for a happiness project of your own or even just a tool for adding simple practices of encouraging more happiness in your day. 

I don't gravitate toward this genre and have never read a self-help book before. But The Happiness Project seems to expand the genre by coming across more as a memoir of a year in the author's life than explicit instructions on what you are doing right or wrong. Rubin does not claim to be a happiness expert  in your life, though she does reference happiness studies and quotes, and often reflects that happiness is a very personal matter with personal choices.

By establishing this tone, the reader is able to take an outsider's view and decide what, if anything, they might want to incorporate or fine-tune for their own happiness. I did not find the author preachy, just honest and educated, and sometimes humorous, too. Other readers may find Rubin too neurotic or too self-involved, but this wasn't an issue for me because I considered that this whole book was about her year trying to add happiness to her own life -- of course it's all about Rubin's thoughts, actions and feelings. 

Over the year, Rubin takes each month to focus on a specific area in her life: for example, February was "marriage" and June was "friendship." Then within each area of her life, she defines specific and measurable goals, like "fight right" or "be generous." Some chapters spoke to me more than others, and I imagine that will be a typical reaction for readers depending on your own life circumstances.

Rubin shares at the beginning of the book that she is not depressed and that there is already a good amount of happiness in her life. She is married, well-off financially, with two healthy children, a beautiful New York City apartment, a law degree and a best-selling writing career. She did not survive an illness, go through a divorce, lose a close family member or get fired from her job. And she wants to be happier. If you find that annoying already, you will likely not enjoy this book. But I think her circumstances speak to the fact that what you have doesn't automatically make you happier and that many of us ordinary people (if you can call her ordinary) could use a little boost of joy.

I'm glad I read this book and am still feeling very inspired to examine my own life and my personal opportunities for greater happiness. I think this is a book that deserves re-reading because it is packed with ideas, quotes and inspiration. I wish I had taken notes the first time-around, but I think I'll enjoy a second reading and that doing so will help me to further organize my thoughts.  This is a book I plan to save and revist again over the years.

 

the happiness project: my commandments

Instead of making a real dinner, catching up on Design Your Life, or doing anything on my "to do" list, tonight I'm going to keep digging into this...

 

I am so fascinated by the idea of playing an active role in determining your own happiness that I can't stop reading. It begs the question, instead of waiting or assuming happiness is just around the corner, what if you made conscious decisions and took actions toward goals that you knew would bring you more happiness.

Gretchen Rubin wrote "The Happiness Project" after her year-long project to add more happiness to her own life. There are multiple schools of thought on happiness, whether it's something that can be increased, and whether you have a say in the matter. After her own extensive research, Rubin decides that "yes" you can influence your own happiness. With that settled, Rubin determines her plan for the year and chronicles the project.

Although I'm not far in the book, it's been packed with thought-provoking ideas and quotes. For example, as Rubin develops her plan, she establishes some guiding principles and "commandments." And she whittles down all the research, theory and opinion to this basic concept: "To be happier, you have to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth."

I'm very inspired by Rubin's idea to think about and record your own personal commandments. Recording your own commandments is an opportunity to identify the values and the principles that you want to guide your own actions and thoughts. I think it's a useful exercise to help you reframe situations when your gut-reaction is not the best choice. So today, I reflected on my own values and came up with these ten personal commandments:

• Be Sharyn.
• Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
• Lighten up.
• Outer order contributes to inner calm.
• Act the way you want to feel.
• Do it now.
• Always with love.
• Be polite and fair.
• No judgment.
• Take good care.

I already had the chance to practice these commandments. My drive from work to home takes me through very busy Milwaukee streets, where drivers are known to frequently switch lanes and speed at minimum of 10 miles over the limit. On the drive home tonight I was cut off by a car that was speeding. My usual reaction: "what a stupid driver!" Or worse! Today, I told myself, "no judgment," said a little thank you that there was no car accident, and immediately got back to enjoying the radio. I know it sounds minor, but I really do believe that small daily choices to be positive add up to overall feelings of joy.

If you like the idea of recording your own personal commandments, I encourage you to visit two places:
Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project Blog
The Happiness Project Toolbox

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that this concept didn't fully click for me until I picked up the book. I had been following the blog for a couple of weeks, but I wasn't inspired to action and didn't make as many connections until I started reading the book. Which is not to say the blog and toolbox are useless! But if it's not 100% clicking for you but you know you're intrigued by the topic, I encourage you to pick up the book, too.

I'm looking forward to sharing more thoughts as I continue to read "The Happiness Project." Have you been following Rubin's blog or read her book?