Bring Some Badass To Your Next Book Club Meeting
“Book clubs are totally dope - like English class if you were allowed to read only books that you actually like and snack and sip while discussing them.”
--- Sam Maggs, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks
This past week I hosted a Holiday Sip & Swap for the members of my local Badass Women’s Book Club. The idea was pretty simple – bring a gently used book you love (any genre) that you are willing to part with. Go home with a great new (to you) read!
When guests arrived, I had them place their book on the display table and let everyone browse the table for about 30 minutes, picking up and reading the book jackets. Then, I invited January - March birthdays to come to the table to pick their books. I continued through the months until everyone had a turn. Simple! And, because some people had brought extra books there were enough for everyone to have two. Between the two rounds l let everyone “pitch” their book - next time, I’ll do that at the beginning!
I had the event at a local wine store – so wine samples and cheese tastings added to the festive atmosphere!
Keep reading for more ideas for how to make your next book club meeting more badass! All the ideas were generated from real Badass Women’s Book Club picks!
Raise a Glass
There's nothing like a little bit of liquid cheer to add some badass to your next book club gathering! But why settle for the same old lame merlot? To accompany our book, "Educated", we enjoyed sipping Accumulated Knowledge IPA. Why? The memoir is about being sheltered from accumulated knowledge of the modern day, making it an appropriately delicious choice!
Go on a Field Trip
One of the key messages of the book "Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence" is that DOING is the key to BEING - that we must act to move beyond the fears holding us back.
To reinforce this message the members of our New Orleans Badass Women's Book Club held their book club meeting at the Grow Dat Youth Farm, an urban farm collaborative founded by a bold and brave badass woman!
Get crafty
“What Would Josh Do?” That was the question posed by author Jessica Bennett in the clever and creative “Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace”. We all know a Josh – a mediocre white dude who succeeds as he moves forward with inexplicable confidence. The books suggests that – in order to get ahead in the workplace - we should all act and react the way Josh would act in the workplace.
And how better to remind yourself of this? Get out your markers and scissors and create a Josh paper doll, give a place of prominence on your desk, and use it to remind you to do what Josh would do. Every single day.
Mix in Media
In this age of podcasts, YouTube and TED talks, there are so many options for expanding the message of your book in innovative and engaging ways. “Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know” was a popular read with our members. Amy Cuddy’s uber-popular power posing TED Talk (Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are) was a great way to reinforce the book’s message with practical and actionable strategies – and provided further discussion topics for our group.
(Looking for TED Talk ideas? You can check out my suggestions for great TED Talks for, by and about badass women here!)
Add Creative Challenges
Looking to add some creativity to your discussion questions? “Change the ending” and “Cast the Movie” are two fun challenges to pose to your group. Another one of my favorites is “Dream Book Club”: If you could invite ANYONE you wanted to discuss this book with you, who would it be? Here were my choices for “Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win”, a book about a woman running for U.S. Senate in a tough midterm race. I would love to discuss this book with Donna Brazile, Jennifer Palmieri, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and Stacey Abrams!
I hope you enjoy these ideas of how to Bring Some Badass to Your Next Book Club Meeting! And I’d love to hear any creative ideas you have! Feel free to email me at hello@badasswomensbookclub.com.
And, if you’d like to start your own Badass Women’s Book Club, you can sign up here! I try to make it super easy for all you busy, badass women! I send the book pick and ready-to-go discussion guide straight to your inbox every month!