A little over a year ago I invited a few friends to start a book club.  I’ve written a few posts about some of the things we’ve done, including the month I hosted and then another night that some of us painted beautiful pictures on canvas.

I don’t think I’ve ever shared how Book Club was started.  It started for a couple of reasons.  First, because a few years ago I started listening to audio books nonstop and found myself needing recommendations on what books to should read next as well as a way to share all the wonderful books I was reading.  Second, I was just hoping to get a group of women together, many of them friends of mine who I felt I just wasn’t seeing enough. And third, I had heard several people talk about how much they loved their book club.  I don’t know if I ever realized how much more this book club was going to be.

In March we celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary! It was the first time, the entire year, that all of us were able to attend and we had a blast reminiscing over the past year.  Over the last 12 months, collectively, we’ve experienced a lot (so many good but not all) and I love that we’ve had each other to share those experiences with, to celebrate with, to contemplate with, and just to confide in with.  Many of our gatherings are less about the books we’ve read that month and more about the stories that we create together.  Here are just a few pictures of our anniversary party!

In February a few friends and I started a book club we call B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Book).  Our book club is very similar to others, we meet at someone’s house each month to discuss the book that the host has chosen for that month. We have food and plenty of wine and end up talking more about our lives then about the book in particular.

I’ve grown close to all of these wonderful ladies and can’t imagine why I waited so long to start something like this.  It’s hard to get a group of women together once a month because of schedules and daily lives but when you create a specific reason, like discussing a book that you’ve spent the month reading then it’s not nearly as difficult.

I like my book c lub so much that I’ve started thinking of how I can create other groups or clubs, like a knitting club or quilting club or drinking wine club, just so I can find an excuse to get together with my friends more than once every six months.

This year we’ve read: Hunger Games, What Alice Forgot, Never Let Me, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Room, Escape, Half Broke Horses, Modoc – The True Story Of The Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived, The Night Circus, Sarah’s Key, Still Alice, Teacher Man.

I hosted the first book club and we read Hunger Games because the movie was coming out shortly after.  We even planned a movie day for those who could come.  Here are a few pictures from when I hosted. I found a website that had great Hunger Game party favors, bookmarks, and decorations.