Let me be honest for a second: I have a love/hate relationship with book clubs. I love the idea, because book clubs combine things I absolutely adore: BOOKS (obviously), talking about books, connecting with friends and even other women I may not know well, the way the conversation always turns deeper to delve into our own lives . . . but I also hate it sometimes. The time commitment, the obligation, the fact that I have to, you know, put on regular clothes and leave my comfy couch right about the time I want to be winding down for the night. Not to mention the fact that only half of us have read the book and we either can’t talk about how it ends or someone winds up spoiling it.
So at The HerStories Project, we’re going to do something we’ve never tried before, and we really want you to join us! During the month of October, we’re going to have a virtual So Glad They Told Me book club. In my opinion, it’s the best part of book club without the hassle or irritation. And it’s a whole month long, so if your baby ends up throwing up one night, you haven’t missed out on the whole thing! It’s a win for busy moms for sure.
Here’s how it will work:
For an entire month, we’ll be discussing So Glad They Told Me: Women Get Real About Motherhood, in a Facebook group that all our readers can join. It will be super low-key and casual (we won’t blow up your Facebook notifications with hourly, or even daily, updates!) and it will give everyone a chance to ask questions of the authors, interact with them, invite our friends and family members– even the ones who live so far away we could never have a real book club with them!–and talk about the book, and motherhood, in a supportive online environment.
We’ll post discussion questions, members can introduce themselves and virtually “meet” the authors, other readers, and maybe even moms who are in the same stage of parenting they are. We can share which essays we’ve been reading, which ones resonated with us, and ask questions about the book to the editors (Jessica and I!), the contributors, and other readers. We’ll probably do a bit of storytelling, venting, laughing, and supporting each other as well. These things tend to happen when women connect over books and stories, right?
One great thing about having an essay collection for book club is that there is SO much less pressure. There isn’t one gripping “storyline” or dramatic conclusion that you can’t talk about if you’re in different places. There are 60 essays, starting with pregnancy and babyhood and winding toward the teen years and even later. You can read at your own pace, jump in when we’re discussing an essay you’ve read or are reading, and tune out if we’re talking about a piece you haven’t finished yet. You can participate at your own pace, catch up during your lunch break or during naptime, or sneak in a comment or question while watching Netflix on the couch with your partner after bedtime.
So we’d love for you to invite your friends, moms, sisters, and members of your local book club or moms’ groups to join us for a month-long virtual book club and discussion group. We’re going to have SO much fun! Book clubs, and the inevitable discussions that arise from them, always make me reflect on the things that I am most passionate about: my identity as a mother, friendship, feminism, relationships, parenting, and how unique and yet similar all our stories are.
Click here to request to join our Facebook Book Club group, and if you haven’t already purchased the book, you can order a paperback or grab a Kindle copy right here. (Once you read the book, we’d really appreciate it if you left a review on Amazon or Goodreads!)
We’re so excited to meet you, read with you, and talk about motherhood and So Glad They Told Me together! We’ll officially start in October, but we’ll open up the group now for introductions! See you soon!
~Stephanie & Jessica