Bookmarks for Book Club

I love my book club.  A couple of years ago, DH and I simultaneously and unbeknownst to each other started looking for more social opportunities.  He found a group who kayaks, something he had been wanting to take up, and I found a book club that meets monthly about 15 miles from us. My group has been around for a long time but I just hadn't gone searching for anything in many years.  They are the best!  And it isn't just me saying that.  A few people have joined after me and some have left having moved away.  We always get reports back through their friends that they have tried to find a group as good in their new town but haven't been successful.

What makes my book club great?  We talk about the book.  It isn't gossipy.  Our organizer starts and ends on time and generally keeps us on track.  We don't do food or drink so there are no obligations to whip up an impressive dessert when it is your turn to host.  You don't even have to ever host or lead the discussion.  We all read the same book each month with a mix of fiction and non-fiction. We nominate and vote on the books to read once per year.

Through our discussion, we discover a bit about each other here and there whatever people want to share but only as it relates to the book.  Very few members are native to this area originally and many have moved here in recent years.  They are also 'my people' politically which is a rarity in this part of the country.

The first Christmas I was in the club I made these types of bookmarks.  I placed them on the table in the center of the room and let people choose one if they wanted.  I think most of our members are still reading printed books at least part of the time.  Since we've had some new people join up, I thought I'd do this again this year. I've also made some more traditional bookmarks using stamps and and papers from October Afternoon's Public Library collection.

Ironically, I just bought myself a tablet so I'm starting to read books in that format and am enjoying it.  I still like the traditional bound book and many of the ones we read - both fiction and non-fiction - are found at our local libraries so my bookmarks won't sit idle.

Making these is easy with a gelli plate, stencils and packing tape.  It takes a little time as you have to wait between coats for the paint to dry but you get 5 bookmarks per print on an 8x10 plate.  Here's the video:



At our December meeting, the author of our latest book "With Love from the Inside", Angela Pisel, is coming to our meeting.  She is local and I'm anxious to find out how she did the research for this book with one of the characters on death row and what inspired her to tell this mother/daughter story. 

Do you have a social club you just love?