What happens in book club!

What happens in book club!

I am so proud of our little book club Suzy's Books and Brews. So pleased with how it is growing and developing that I felt I needed to write a blog about it! When I first started thinking about properly starting a club, I never dreamed it would be this lovely! And that is down to you lovely people who interact virtually on social media and those who meet up and share your love of books. Love this from Zazzle on pinterest!

I had wanted to start a book club for so long. I had been a member of some lovely book clubs and was inspired to start my own. It started as a conversation in the Old George coffee house with lovely friends who spurred me on to start one virtually, on facebook. I set it up and posted a few book recommendations and quotes and it grew from there. 

A book club is only as good as its members and they are amazing! I appreciate every quote and book shared and every lovely comment. I have added to my To Be Read pile so much! Not that it needs any more! I have so many books but not enough time to read them!

I do love this quote from pinterest about the love of finding and buying books, to smile atcin your bookshelf. I do love love spending time in bookstores! The collecting of books to be looked after is as lovely as reading them!

I had planned for us to meet before lockdown but during lockdown it was really good having this little group to share book ideas with. I loved posting my book and cup of tea and still do it now! It is fab when other people share theirs too. Here is my most recent one as I have carried on staring to facebook and instagram. Love this book, set in Scarborough, so much!

I will find one of my very first ones! I started this book and started another one so I do need to read this still! A book really has to grab me there and then to keep going! I will go back to it though! I read a lot of Trollope in the 90s. Along with Erica James and Maeve Binchy.

One more as there were so many lovely book and brew photos I shared! Oops! The Tearooms book is here again!

Go on then. One more! This beautiful book was a birthday present to me from a lovely friend. Such gorgeous words and wonderful illustrations. 

I was so excited, but nervous about hosting a book club. I met with the lovely Kacey at Falco Lounge though and we both had lovely ideas. She was amazing! 

After lockdown, we were able to meet at Falco Lounge in Barnsley. I used their social media photo they had used to promote the Falco as a community place for meeting up. I love this! I really need to read Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine!

Kacey and I worked really well together and she made some lovely introductory bags with bookmarks and quotes in them. We popped our first book swap in them too. 

It was so lovely to see everybody on that first Sunday meet up and I loved listening to everyone sharing their love of books with folk they had never met! The teacher in me felt the need to do some ice breakers, which were funny, but not needed as everyone was so warm and friendly. And everyone was there through a love of books! These were all our first Book Swap books that went into the mystery bags. A fab variety of genres! I do bring spares and we have made a bag of books between us so hopefully everyone gets a book they are interested in. We have a little chat about each book and why they were so good.

I love our venue. The staff are so friendly and the vintage atmosphere is lovely and cosy. We meet every month and each meet up is very informal. The book swap is brilliant and I have read books I would not have read before. This was our first set up with our Book Club plaque and the date Sunday, 12th September. We are nearly at our first birthday for our meet ups!

I love how every meet up is made of different folk each time. Such lovely people who all get along so well. Who all bring something different to the table. We do talk books but talk allsorts of other stuff too! I feel I have made some lovely friends from our meet ups. We always have a good natter and a laugh!

We have met twice a month now, one Sunday morning and one Thursday evening, for nearly a year now and I have enjoyed every meet up. I have met some fab people and we these, as well as my friends have bonded over the love of reading. 

We have also raised money for our local hospice, through Blind Date with a book. Kacey's mum kindly donated many of her books, wrapping them up and writing the genre and three clues about the story on the book. This photo is from our October meet up. Such a lovely idea!

We also added some Christmas books that I bought from different charity shops and in the December meet ups, we raised money by choosing a Christmas book too and giving a donation. I really do love the community feel to our book club. 

I do love my coffee, tea and book selfies. Especially at The Falco Lounge, with their fab teapots! I love this photo from a January meet up, with the kissing teapots! The books from the fab Book Swap look really good too. I am a Jane Austen fan and they are on my TBR pile.

In April, we decided to still keep to the Book Swap but also have a book that was an optional read. I remember being in a book club, The Happily Ever After Book Club, where we had a set book each month and I read books and authors I never would have. Each month was someone's choice and my good friend's book was chosen one month. It was Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Such a lovely, deep book and I have read The Timekeeper by him. So good!

Our first book was one I had recently read, as had a few others. The Thursday Murder Club was really good. I have bought the 2nd book too but I am holding out reading it for a bit!

I thought it would be good to have an Author of the month too. Our first one was Liane Moriarty, author of one of my favourite books, The Husband's Secret. I love suspense and mystery and she is such a good writer.

We have just held our Christmas book club and it was so lovely. I have a pile of Christmas books that need reading. I need another week to read them all before I go back to work!

I am looking foward to our next meet ups. They are so enjoyable. Such lovely people. We have some wonderful discussions and always have a laugh.