December 21, 2023 • 25 mins
Amy’s friend Claire joins her for a chat about book clubs! Have you wanted to start a book club but are worried about the potential hassle and commitment that comes with it? Claire has figured out the way to make your monthly book club meet ups stress free!
Claire & Amy discuss their favorite books right now and the 4 things you need to set your book club up for success:
- When
- What
- How
- Retreat
Would you want to join Amy’s book club if she started one?
HOST:
Amy Brown // RadioAmy.com // @RadioAmy
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Cast up little food for yourself life.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh it's pretty, but hey, it's pretty beautiful than beautiful
for that for a little more. Family said, he you're
kicking with four Thing with Amy Brown.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Happy Thursday.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Four Things Amy here, and Claire is joining me. She
was with me on Tuesday for the fifth Thing, and
we talked about gift ideas around reading books the readers
in your life or maybe you're wanting to read. So
if you haven't listened to that, go listen. There's some
good ideas also, even coffee table books that just look good,
maybe you're not even gonna read them. But this is
(00:55):
a book cast, not a podcast. Today is a book
cast because Claire is my expert reader. Some of you
learned on Tuesday she read one hundred and twenty books
this year, some physically reading the actual book and some
listening on audible both counts. And she's also in a
book club and that's something we've thought about starting here
(01:15):
with the podcast, somehow doing a book club with four
Things listeners. And I haven't quite figured out the bandwidth
for that or how to best run it. So maybe
one day, Claire, we'll run it. Maybe we do one book,
one book we can try it out all get on
zoom or something.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I'm not quite.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Sure, but Claire is all about structure when it comes
to reading. That's how she was able to get that
many books read in twenty twenty three. So we'll kind
of be going over like a book club structure. So
you can think about this whether you're wanting to start
a book club or you just with yourself want to
(01:52):
map out the books that you're going to read. So
there's a there's a win, there's a what, there's a
how to pick books, and then there's a retreat. So
this is the or things when it comes to a
book club structure.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
So let's start with the win.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
So back in twenty twenty, when everyone was needing like
positive vibes and you know, good energy, I've found a
bunch of my friends that liked to read. I kind
of handpicked the ones that I knew actually read books
because we've all been in clubs, book clubs where no
everybody comes and nobody read the book, or one person
read the book, and that's not very fun. So anyway,
(02:27):
we started thinking about wind so having just a set
time each month, it's always going to be the third
Tuesday of the month, and you know, if that's a Christmas,
if that's on Christmas, then we obviously will move it
up or down. But that was kind of one of
the non negotiables is that we have a set time,
(02:47):
because we're always going to find a date where somebody
can't make it. But if we set it as the
you know, third Tuesday, it's just something everybody can kind
of plan for.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, So do you rotate houses or it varies.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
I have a really good back porch, so do a
couple of the other girls. Because what we didn't want
was it to be a production or like an impediment
to people hosting. Everybody brings their own food and wine
if they want to. You don't have any responsibilities to
cook or make anything. All we do is go sit
on your porch and talk about a book. So we
tried to make sure that we can meet at restaurants
(03:23):
if we want. There's a couple in Franklin that are
kind of quiet and we can do it there, or
we'll go on our back porch and have book club
on somebody's back porch and everybody just brings whatever they
want to eat and drink and we hang there. But
it was really important that we not have people feeling
pressure to have the house clean and have everybody out
(03:43):
and have food for everybody, because we just wanted to
come together and talk about books.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Well, so when it's happening the third Tuesday of every
month and whatever that one day a month is, or
y'all on a new book every time you meet, or
sometimes you're still in the same book.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, No, we have a new book every month.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
What we try to do at the beginning of the
year is set out at least three months where the
book's ahead, and then we add a book each month
so that people who are maybe trying to get them
from the library or whatever have have a chance to
you know, put in a hold so they can have
the book in time. So you've got like three months
of notice. So we typically do a new book each
(04:22):
month and add a book to the end for like
three months from then.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Gotcha, How do you decide what you're going to read?
So that's kind of the when and if you're doing
a book alone.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Yeah, yes, So, like we're going to have our book
club Christmas this week and everybody's supposed to bring three
books that they are interested in us reading next year.
Whether it's something they've read or something they've heard about,
but anyway, so everybody will bring three books they would
want us to consider for book club for next year,
(04:53):
and then we'll just kind of discuss and set out
a plan.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
We've also used in the past.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
There's a lot of different like books calendars that you
can pick, but last year we used for some months.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
It would give you like, for March, you're going to.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Read a book that has a protagonist that has a disability,
or for February you're going to read a book that
has to do with unrequited love, you know, because it's
Valentine's Day. One of them was pick a book that
has been made for the screen since the book was.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Published, y'a'll ever get together and go watch the movie?
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yes, So we did that with Where the crowdad Sing,
And then we did totally random because it wasn't a
book related, but our whole book club went in Saal Barbie.
But then we were going to go see Killers of
the Flower Moon because we read that, but then we
saw that it was so stinkin long. None of us
thought we could sit for three and a half hours
or however long it was.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
It's going to be available on Apple. Oh good, so
we could take some like rest, break.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Watch, stretch, stretching brakes.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, I definitely want to watch that.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I heard it was really really good, and I just
realized that I tied in the One of the four
things was how to pick books, and I kind of
made that the what.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
So you maybe had the what being something else.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Oh well, some I've been in book clubs where the
what would be like they might have been a specific
genre book club so like a parenting like, we're gonna
read parenting books, which I'm kind of not in that
phase of life anymore, but you're definitely still parenting. I'm
still parenting, but I'm so tired of reading the books.
The phase of life of me wanting to read parenting
(06:24):
books is over.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, I've given up.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, okay, I feel that.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
But yeah, so, like you know, we had a parenting
books and then I've done some Bible studies that were
around certain like a book. But this particular book club
that I'm in is just really open season.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's whatever we want to read.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
It might be a nonfiction, it might be fiction, it
might be a Christian book, it might not be It's
it just varies, so yeah, that would be my what.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Well, I have another what I know you've said that
y'all sort of bring your own food and there's no
pressure on the host, which I love that because then
it's like, yeah, okay, I gotta.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Have everybody over. But if you all just be like, hey,
this is the rule, this is how it is.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
We're really just getting together to talk about the book.
But what is your favorite thing to eat at book club?
Like if you were to take a name, okay, what
about what do you like to do when you're reading?
Like if you have a book, do you like to
sip wine or do you like to have like tea?
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Yeah, tea or I'm a Cobey zero person, so like
if it's if it's not hot tea, it's probably going
to be a Coke zero because I'm a I'm a
big fan.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
You just get a Coke zero and a coho book.
I know co hoo is short for Colleen Hoover. We
talked about that and the fifth thing on Tuesday, so
we got the win. We got the what kind of
book club do you want to have? And then how
to pick the books? But I know you and your
friends did a retreat. So that's kind of the fourth
(07:56):
thing that you can share about when it comes to
having a book club. You and your friends did a retreat,
So that's kind of the fourth thing that you can
share about when it comes to having a book.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Club, because I mean a retreat.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Even I would imagine for some people listening, or most
of my listeners, it's like they're already doing a book club.
They likely are moms or got some dads listening, They
are working, and it's like to even think of going
on a retreat.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Why is it important for you?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
And why would you encourage others to carve out time
for something like that.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Well, if you're going to create a book club, I
would highly suggest finding someone to be in the book
club that has a lakehouse. You know, no, I'm kidding, well,
but I'm not kidding, but I am kidding. That wasn't
why she's in the book.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Club, like you, Actually we all enjoy her.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
She actually was in the book club and then got
lake house, which benefited us. But we read these destination books,
you know, it's just set somewhere and we're like, oh,
it'd be so fun to all go there now, And
so we decided that we would try to carve out
maybe thirty six hours and go that. Our friend has
a lake house and it's just driveable. So we read
(09:19):
a book about a lake house or around a lake,
and that was our book club for that month. We
met at her lake house and we cooked there, and
we went on the boat, and we talked about books,
and we talked about just in general, all the fun things.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
And it was literally thirty six hours.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It was barely I mean we left one morning and
we were back by the next night.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Basically, I guess depending on where you live and what
kind of things you have going on, or where people
have a house, because maybe the beach is closer for
some people, you could someone has a beach house, you
could go there and read a book about a beach.
Or if you're in the mountains, yeah, like you could
go to one's house in the mountains for a night
and then.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Read a book. I like that y'all did that about
the lake.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah, Like that's a good idea, and it's that's just
one time during the year.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Yeah, it was one.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
It was just in the summer, and just as an aside,
if you don't have options like that. We have had
friends who just kicked out their husband and kids and
everybody came to that person's house, you know, and it
was in town, and you can still hang out at
the house and watch like we talked about. We didn't
end up doing it because we talked too late into
the night, but we talked about watching some of the
(10:33):
for screen books that we've read that we're now on
like Netflix or whatever. So like All the Light We
Cannot See. We'd read that as a book club a
year or so ago and it's now on Netflix and
different things like you could you could create some other
things to do on your retreat that are about books,
and then books that you've read that you could do together.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
So what about this new genre of books that you
told me that was like romanticy? So what is romance?
To see?
Speaker 4 (11:01):
I'm sure there's a real definition because Goodreads has it
as an actual part of their list this year of
top books of the year. There's a romanticy section, but
it's basically fantasy based that has a romantic element that's
critical to the book.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
So we can talk.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
About my top five books of the year at some point,
but one of them is a romanticy book called Fourth Wing.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Okay, well, let's go over your okay, top five books
of the year.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Okay, Fourth Wing was one of them, and Rebecca Yaris
is the author. She had a second book published in
the series this year. Also, I did not love it
as much. I especially didn't like the end. But Fourth
Wing is fantastic and it is a romanticy. Another one
in my top five complete shift in genre, is not
(11:47):
a new book. It's called Searching for Sunday. It's a
spiritual Christian book. Rachel held Evans, who since passed away,
is the author. Loved it all. My Nodded Up Life
is a memoir by Beth Moore. I strongly recommend listening
to it because she's the narrator and I love her voice.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
You know what throws me sometimes, which I guess some
people just don't want to narrate their own book. But
when it's someone else's book and then you hear it
and it's totally not them, like an autobiography, and it's
not them, well, not with an autobiography. But there's just
some books that I've read where I know the author
(12:26):
like more of a maybe it falls into the self
help kind, and it's not them, Like I know that
they speak a certain way, and then it's some British
man doing it, and I'm like, wait, this is throwing
me off because I know I watch this person on
YouTube or I listen to them on this podcast, and
then it doesn't sound like them. So but I would
imagine that maybe that's just not something they want to
(12:49):
take the time to do, or they're not comfortable doing it.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Or I would think it takes a really long time.
I can't imagine. Maybe you can ask somebody, but I
would think that recording your own book would take a
really long time to do.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Beth Moore does your own though, which I think she
does great. And you were telling me about it before
we recorded that. Yeah, she's had quite the life and
she's sharing it all.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Yeah, Yeah, she's sharing it all from her childhood all
the way through. She's really candid about mental health and
the way it's affected her life as a child and
as an adult. And it was just a very honest
look at the way she sees the Lord as being
faithful to her even when it's been so hard.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
So I always appreciate those.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Kinds of books. So these are now fiction books. Demon Copperhead.
I think it was the best Book of the Year.
I think it won a pull it. Sir Barbara King's
King Sliver wrote it fantastic book. You're not going to
get warm, fuzzy, uplifted feelings though, So just know that
if you're in a dark place, maybe this is not
the time for that book and save it. Save it
(13:54):
to you're super happy, because it'll bring you way down.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Sorry.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
The Covenant of Water is just fantastic. Abraham Vgeese wrote it.
He also wrote Cutting for Stone several years ago. This
is his second book and it's been years coming. It
is very long, but it is a fantastic read. And lastly,
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. I
(14:20):
listened to that one and it's just the accents and
the voices and it are fantastic. The book is precious
and uplifting and you just have all the feels at
the end. So I do say, if you're in a
not great place, this one, that one is a good
one to listen to.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
All right, I'm gonna have to check out that book
for sure. And accents makes me think of Modern Love.
Have you heard of this show?
Speaker 2 (14:41):
I have not.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
It's on Amazon Prime and there's two seasons. Every episode
is different and they're based on New York Times has
a column that's called Modern Love, and these are actual
columns from the paper and they turn it into a show,
so some of it's from the column, and then there's
(15:02):
fiction stuff that's been added in. But one of the
episodes that I watched last night was Accents. They had
these beautiful accents.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I don't even know where in Europe they were from,
but I love the.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Accents and Mini Driver was, oh yeah, I just is
going to recommend that that show. Okay, people are looking
for something, right, and it was based off of stuff
that was written for that column Modern Interesting.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
So each one stands alone.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Totally stands alone. You don't have to watch them in
any kind of order. You could start season one, season two, whichever.
I'm on season two now. I do think I enjoyed
season one better, Okay, so start.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
There, okay, and they stand alone, so you can.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
And one of the things we mentioned it, I think
in the thing, but the audible option for a lot
of books. One of my favorite books of the year
I listened to called Tom Lake and Meryl Streep is
the narrator and it's just I don't know why I
never noticed her voice is so amazing, but it was
just the most lovely thing to hear her reading to me.
(16:05):
I don't know if I would have loved the book
as much had I been reading it with my eyes,
but hearing her voice read it to me was delightful.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Have you seen the movies book Club? Have you seen
the movies book Club?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yes? Okay, I started to think Meryl Streep's not in that,
is she?
Speaker 3 (16:33):
No, it's Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Version, Mary Steinbergen Bergen,
So they're the Okay, yeah, I started to look it up.
When you said Meryl Streep, I was like, oh, is
she in that? Because there's the first book Club that
came out in twenty eighteen. And then I heard the
book Club the next chapter which came out Italy, were
was really good?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Was it you that told me that?
Speaker 3 (16:53):
No?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Because I just watched it on a plane like last
week and it was really really cute.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Okay, I'm gonna now.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I've added book Club the Next Chapter as a movie
to watch. It's cube over Christmas break. I could probably
go back and watch the twenty eighteen one to two
and do like a double back to back, because I
don't know that I remember that.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
One, but I remember it being they were cute.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Yeah, And I liked this one because it goes through
like they're like, because we did this in my book club,
but they show how they maintain their book club through
twenty twenty, like through COVID, and we did exactly what
they're doing, like we did zoom book clubs and we'd
sit on everybody would get on their back porch and
do a zoom and talk about the book. That's the
(17:33):
intro to the new chapter.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I guess it's called so well since you mentioned Meryl
Street narrating and talked about Audible, that's still a gift
that's easy to get and in time for Christmas. Is
gifting a book to someone over Audible or gifting them
your subscription or whatever that may look like. And there
are still books to be bought at your local bookstore
wherever you live, support that locally, or you can always
(17:59):
still order stuff fun Amazon two and it should get
here in time. I can't believe we're already to the
point where are things going to arrive in time for Christmas?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
I know I had to check some stuff this morning.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Because I was like, oh, shoot, let me make sure
that says they're being really nice. Though on Amazon it'll
say in the description arrives after Christmas, like in big
red legs, very clear, very clear, because they do not
want angry people.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
FYI.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, I ordered my sister, her husband, and they're three kids.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
They're gifts, and they're.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Arriving to me like right before Christmas, so I know
by the time I send them to her. So I
just already sent them all a note. I'm like, hey,
I'm receiving your gifts on this date. I want to
wrap them up for you, like I didn't.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I wanted them.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
To be wrapped cute when they get to them, because
my sister's very good at rapping and it always looks
so cute.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
I say, you're so much nicer than me. All my
stuff got shipped to my sister directly.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Now I'm not typically, but I just feel like she
would appreciate that because I can tell the time she
puts into it, And so I'm trying to notice at
about others, even though that's not me. But at the
same time, because it's my sister, I don't think it's
me trying to come across as not me. I think
it's me trying to recognize what would feel special to her.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, I think that's great and that's a really good
thing to be.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Doing, trying to pay attention to that because I'm just like,
sorry I didn't wrap it.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Here you go here it is look in the box.
It says from Amy.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
But as I, you know, get more intentional with things.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
That's love it.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
So anyway I sent them all know, I like, so,
just know that you're going to have Christmas after Christmas,
which will be fun. Everybody loves having something to look
forward to after for Christmas. Something that I read this
year that I really enjoyed. I know you shared for
and I need to go through my audible. This is
one that I actually have the book with me, but
I've talked about on the podcast before. But it's Corey
ten Boom. I post about it on Instagram and so
(19:53):
many people are like, oh, I love that book. I've
read it multiple times. My friend that told me about
it has read it once a year for the last
deca and it's called The Hiding Place. It's really really good.
Corey Timboom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine
of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and
(20:14):
one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century.
So it's all about World War Two and how she
and her family they totally risk their lives to help
Jews and underground workers escape the Nazis, and it's such
a powerful story. So I highly recommend that if you're
looking for a non fiction book to read another gift
(20:38):
that might be good for someone else or just for
yourself as you enter the new year and you want
to work on your creativity or tap into other parts
of your brain that you maybe don't feel like you
can access. Sometimes you feel like you have writer's block
or you just don't feel like you're functioning. Reading is
(20:58):
a way to get there exercise the brain. But this
is a book I've talked about before, but I'm gonna
say it again. It's called The Artist's Way, and it's
a spiritual path to hire creativity. And it's a work book,
but it's been around for a really, really long time.
But it'll guide you through a twelve week long program.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
There's exercises, there's different things.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
They'll just help you loosen up your artistic self, your
creative side, if that feels lost. Martin Scorsese said, this
is a book that addresses a delicate and complex subject.
For those who will use it, it is a valuable
tool to get in touch with their own creativity. And
maybe you don't work in the creative space, but no
(21:41):
matter what you're doing, you are having to think outside
the box. Whatever field you're in, or if you are
a stay at home mom, you got to get creative.
And this is a way where it's been very therapeutic
for me. My therapist is actually who recommended this book
to me. One day in the middle of one of
(22:01):
our sessions, she goes, have you heard of the Artist's Way?
And I was like no, and she goes, order it
right now. And so you're giving yourself or someone else
a gift, and it's like a course and discovering or
even recovering. For me, it was trying to recover my
creative self that I feel died when my mom died. Yeah,
(22:22):
certain parts of my brain just shut off and they
weren't working as well. And you can take yourself through
it as slower as fast as you want to, but
this is where I got my morning pages where you
write every single morning and you just write, no, whatever
comes to your brain, you just go. And I started
journaling with our four Things Gratitude journal. But even that
(22:43):
was simple, like you could just think of four things.
It could be a word, it could be like coffee done.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Journaling was just.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
So intimidating to me. But through that it opened me
up to more journaling. And then this book and Ali
fallon our friend that is an amazing writer and has
so many awesome prime to help you journal and write.
She's a big proponent of this book as well. And
if you're wanting to journal and write, that's my recommendation
(23:10):
for twenty twenty four. Get yourself a new journal, get
this book The Artist's Way, and start your morning pages
and just go. If you don't have anything to write,
literally say I don't have anything to write, and write
that over and over and over, and then you'll start
to have things to write.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
And it's magic.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
The neuroscience, I'll you know, I love neuroscience, but if
you don't use it, you lose it. Right, So, if
you're trying to use a part of your brain that
you don't often use, and you want to have access
to it. That's a great way to do it. Like
for people like me that are not creative in their
job or need a that's just not part of their day,
(23:50):
it would be a great way to utilize that rights
out of your brain a little bit more and you know,
activate those neurals.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
That's what we're going to do.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Activate them.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Well, thank you, Claire. What's your goal for twenty twenty four?
How many books?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
One hundred feels manageable.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
I feel like I don't need to increase my you know,
number of books. I'm going to continue to try to
be more diverse in my reading and type of author
and also just type of book, genre, et cetera. So
I'm probably gonna practice being more intentional about the diversity
of my reading and carve out more time for reading
(24:25):
with my eyes kind of like what you said, because
I feel like that's its own kind of self care.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Do you do baths and read?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
I do baths and watch.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
It's like my time when I watch the shows that
my kids either don't care anything about or I don't
want them to watch with me. So yeah, I usually
get my iPad and set it up and watch something
while I'm in the bath. So I should read, but
I'm not going to should but I know.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
If that's your time to watch anything.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
No, but I created a reading book this year and
like wallpaper to wall that's really pretty and got a
really super comfy chair and so that's my reading space.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Okay, reading nook, reading nook. Yeah, I think that is important.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
If you're setting yourself up for a goal, where are
you going to journal every day? Where are you going
to read every day? Creating that space is more likely
to get you there, Yes, for sure. All right, well, Claire,
thank you for sharing all your love for books with
us this week. Again, if y'all miss the fifth thing,
go check.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
That out with Claire.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
And whatever you want to do with your free time
over break, I hope you've got some. And whether it's
reading or watching, there's no should, there's no shame.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
You get to do whatever that you want to do.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Maybe it's puzzles, maybe it's games, whatever that looks like
for you. Hopefully you get some time to do it.
And I hope you'll have a very very merry Christmas
coming up on Monday, and uh yeah, we'll talk soon.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Bye bye
Cast up little food for yourself life.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh it's pretty, but hey, it's pretty beautiful than beautiful
for that for a little more. Family said, he you're
kicking with four Thing with Amy Brown.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Happy Thursday.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Four Things Amy here, and Claire is joining me. She
was with me on Tuesday for the fifth Thing, and
we talked about gift ideas around reading books the readers
in your life or maybe you're wanting to read. So
if you haven't listened to that, go listen. There's some
good ideas also, even coffee table books that just look good,
maybe you're not even gonna read them. But this is
(00:55):
a book cast, not a podcast. Today is a book
cast because Claire is my expert reader. Some of you
learned on Tuesday she read one hundred and twenty books
this year, some physically reading the actual book and some
listening on audible both counts. And she's also in a
book club and that's something we've thought about starting here
(01:15):
with the podcast, somehow doing a book club with four
Things listeners. And I haven't quite figured out the bandwidth
for that or how to best run it. So maybe
one day, Claire, we'll run it. Maybe we do one book,
one book we can try it out all get on
zoom or something.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I'm not quite.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Sure, but Claire is all about structure when it comes
to reading. That's how she was able to get that
many books read in twenty twenty three. So we'll kind
of be going over like a book club structure. So
you can think about this whether you're wanting to start
a book club or you just with yourself want to
(01:52):
map out the books that you're going to read. So
there's a there's a win, there's a what, there's a
how to pick books, and then there's a retreat. So
this is the or things when it comes to a
book club structure.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
So let's start with the win.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
So back in twenty twenty, when everyone was needing like
positive vibes and you know, good energy, I've found a
bunch of my friends that liked to read. I kind
of handpicked the ones that I knew actually read books
because we've all been in clubs, book clubs where no
everybody comes and nobody read the book, or one person
read the book, and that's not very fun. So anyway,
(02:27):
we started thinking about wind so having just a set
time each month, it's always going to be the third
Tuesday of the month, and you know, if that's a Christmas,
if that's on Christmas, then we obviously will move it
up or down. But that was kind of one of
the non negotiables is that we have a set time,
(02:47):
because we're always going to find a date where somebody
can't make it. But if we set it as the
you know, third Tuesday, it's just something everybody can kind
of plan for.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, So do you rotate houses or it varies.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
I have a really good back porch, so do a
couple of the other girls. Because what we didn't want
was it to be a production or like an impediment
to people hosting. Everybody brings their own food and wine
if they want to. You don't have any responsibilities to
cook or make anything. All we do is go sit
on your porch and talk about a book. So we
tried to make sure that we can meet at restaurants
(03:23):
if we want. There's a couple in Franklin that are
kind of quiet and we can do it there, or
we'll go on our back porch and have book club
on somebody's back porch and everybody just brings whatever they
want to eat and drink and we hang there. But
it was really important that we not have people feeling
pressure to have the house clean and have everybody out
(03:43):
and have food for everybody, because we just wanted to
come together and talk about books.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Well, so when it's happening the third Tuesday of every
month and whatever that one day a month is, or
y'all on a new book every time you meet, or
sometimes you're still in the same book.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, No, we have a new book every month.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
What we try to do at the beginning of the
year is set out at least three months where the
book's ahead, and then we add a book each month
so that people who are maybe trying to get them
from the library or whatever have have a chance to
you know, put in a hold so they can have
the book in time. So you've got like three months
of notice. So we typically do a new book each
(04:22):
month and add a book to the end for like
three months from then.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Gotcha, How do you decide what you're going to read?
So that's kind of the when and if you're doing
a book alone.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Yeah, yes, So, like we're going to have our book
club Christmas this week and everybody's supposed to bring three
books that they are interested in us reading next year.
Whether it's something they've read or something they've heard about,
but anyway, so everybody will bring three books they would
want us to consider for book club for next year,
(04:53):
and then we'll just kind of discuss and set out
a plan.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
We've also used in the past.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
There's a lot of different like books calendars that you
can pick, but last year we used for some months.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
It would give you like, for March, you're going to.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Read a book that has a protagonist that has a disability,
or for February you're going to read a book that
has to do with unrequited love, you know, because it's
Valentine's Day. One of them was pick a book that
has been made for the screen since the book was.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Published, y'a'll ever get together and go watch the movie?
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yes, So we did that with Where the crowdad Sing,
And then we did totally random because it wasn't a
book related, but our whole book club went in Saal Barbie.
But then we were going to go see Killers of
the Flower Moon because we read that, but then we
saw that it was so stinkin long. None of us
thought we could sit for three and a half hours
or however long it was.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
It's going to be available on Apple. Oh good, so
we could take some like rest, break.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Watch, stretch, stretching brakes.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, I definitely want to watch that.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I heard it was really really good, and I just
realized that I tied in the One of the four
things was how to pick books, and I kind of
made that the what.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
So you maybe had the what being something else.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Oh well, some I've been in book clubs where the
what would be like they might have been a specific
genre book club so like a parenting like, we're gonna
read parenting books, which I'm kind of not in that
phase of life anymore, but you're definitely still parenting. I'm
still parenting, but I'm so tired of reading the books.
The phase of life of me wanting to read parenting
(06:24):
books is over.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, I've given up.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, okay, I feel that.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
But yeah, so, like you know, we had a parenting
books and then I've done some Bible studies that were
around certain like a book. But this particular book club
that I'm in is just really open season.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's whatever we want to read.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
It might be a nonfiction, it might be fiction, it
might be a Christian book, it might not be It's
it just varies, so yeah, that would be my what.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Well, I have another what I know you've said that
y'all sort of bring your own food and there's no
pressure on the host, which I love that because then
it's like, yeah, okay, I gotta.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Have everybody over. But if you all just be like, hey,
this is the rule, this is how it is.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
We're really just getting together to talk about the book.
But what is your favorite thing to eat at book club?
Like if you were to take a name, okay, what
about what do you like to do when you're reading?
Like if you have a book, do you like to
sip wine or do you like to have like tea?
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Yeah, tea or I'm a Cobey zero person, so like
if it's if it's not hot tea, it's probably going
to be a Coke zero because I'm a I'm a
big fan.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
You just get a Coke zero and a coho book.
I know co hoo is short for Colleen Hoover. We
talked about that and the fifth thing on Tuesday, so
we got the win. We got the what kind of
book club do you want to have? And then how
to pick the books? But I know you and your
friends did a retreat. So that's kind of the fourth
(07:56):
thing that you can share about when it comes to
having a book club. You and your friends did a retreat,
So that's kind of the fourth thing that you can
share about when it comes to having a book.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Club, because I mean a retreat.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Even I would imagine for some people listening, or most
of my listeners, it's like they're already doing a book club.
They likely are moms or got some dads listening, They
are working, and it's like to even think of going
on a retreat.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Why is it important for you?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
And why would you encourage others to carve out time
for something like that.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Well, if you're going to create a book club, I
would highly suggest finding someone to be in the book
club that has a lakehouse. You know, no, I'm kidding, well,
but I'm not kidding, but I am kidding. That wasn't
why she's in the book.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Club, like you, Actually we all enjoy her.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
She actually was in the book club and then got
lake house, which benefited us. But we read these destination books,
you know, it's just set somewhere and we're like, oh,
it'd be so fun to all go there now, And
so we decided that we would try to carve out
maybe thirty six hours and go that. Our friend has
a lake house and it's just driveable. So we read
(09:19):
a book about a lake house or around a lake,
and that was our book club for that month. We
met at her lake house and we cooked there, and
we went on the boat, and we talked about books,
and we talked about just in general, all the fun things.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
And it was literally thirty six hours.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
It was barely I mean we left one morning and
we were back by the next night.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Basically, I guess depending on where you live and what
kind of things you have going on, or where people
have a house, because maybe the beach is closer for
some people, you could someone has a beach house, you
could go there and read a book about a beach.
Or if you're in the mountains, yeah, like you could
go to one's house in the mountains for a night
and then.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Read a book. I like that y'all did that about
the lake.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah, Like that's a good idea, and it's that's just
one time during the year.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Yeah, it was one.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
It was just in the summer, and just as an aside,
if you don't have options like that. We have had
friends who just kicked out their husband and kids and
everybody came to that person's house, you know, and it
was in town, and you can still hang out at
the house and watch like we talked about. We didn't
end up doing it because we talked too late into
the night, but we talked about watching some of the
(10:33):
for screen books that we've read that we're now on
like Netflix or whatever. So like All the Light We
Cannot See. We'd read that as a book club a
year or so ago and it's now on Netflix and
different things like you could you could create some other
things to do on your retreat that are about books,
and then books that you've read that you could do together.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
So what about this new genre of books that you
told me that was like romanticy? So what is romance?
To see?
Speaker 4 (11:01):
I'm sure there's a real definition because Goodreads has it
as an actual part of their list this year of
top books of the year. There's a romanticy section, but
it's basically fantasy based that has a romantic element that's
critical to the book.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
So we can talk.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
About my top five books of the year at some point,
but one of them is a romanticy book called Fourth Wing.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Okay, well, let's go over your okay, top five books
of the year.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Okay, Fourth Wing was one of them, and Rebecca Yaris
is the author. She had a second book published in
the series this year. Also, I did not love it
as much. I especially didn't like the end. But Fourth
Wing is fantastic and it is a romanticy. Another one
in my top five complete shift in genre, is not
(11:47):
a new book. It's called Searching for Sunday. It's a
spiritual Christian book. Rachel held Evans, who since passed away,
is the author. Loved it all. My Nodded Up Life
is a memoir by Beth Moore. I strongly recommend listening
to it because she's the narrator and I love her voice.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
You know what throws me sometimes, which I guess some
people just don't want to narrate their own book. But
when it's someone else's book and then you hear it
and it's totally not them, like an autobiography, and it's
not them, well, not with an autobiography. But there's just
some books that I've read where I know the author
(12:26):
like more of a maybe it falls into the self
help kind, and it's not them, Like I know that
they speak a certain way, and then it's some British
man doing it, and I'm like, wait, this is throwing
me off because I know I watch this person on
YouTube or I listen to them on this podcast, and
then it doesn't sound like them. So but I would
imagine that maybe that's just not something they want to
(12:49):
take the time to do, or they're not comfortable doing it.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Or I would think it takes a really long time.
I can't imagine. Maybe you can ask somebody, but I
would think that recording your own book would take a
really long time to do.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Beth Moore does your own though, which I think she
does great. And you were telling me about it before
we recorded that. Yeah, she's had quite the life and
she's sharing it all.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Yeah, Yeah, she's sharing it all from her childhood all
the way through. She's really candid about mental health and
the way it's affected her life as a child and
as an adult. And it was just a very honest
look at the way she sees the Lord as being
faithful to her even when it's been so hard.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
So I always appreciate those.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Kinds of books. So these are now fiction books. Demon Copperhead.
I think it was the best Book of the Year.
I think it won a pull it. Sir Barbara King's
King Sliver wrote it fantastic book. You're not going to
get warm, fuzzy, uplifted feelings though, So just know that
if you're in a dark place, maybe this is not
the time for that book and save it. Save it
(13:54):
to you're super happy, because it'll bring you way down.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Sorry.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
The Covenant of Water is just fantastic. Abraham Vgeese wrote it.
He also wrote Cutting for Stone several years ago. This
is his second book and it's been years coming. It
is very long, but it is a fantastic read. And lastly,
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. I
(14:20):
listened to that one and it's just the accents and
the voices and it are fantastic. The book is precious
and uplifting and you just have all the feels at
the end. So I do say, if you're in a
not great place, this one, that one is a good
one to listen to.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
All right, I'm gonna have to check out that book
for sure. And accents makes me think of Modern Love.
Have you heard of this show?
Speaker 2 (14:41):
I have not.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
It's on Amazon Prime and there's two seasons. Every episode
is different and they're based on New York Times has
a column that's called Modern Love, and these are actual
columns from the paper and they turn it into a show,
so some of it's from the column, and then there's
(15:02):
fiction stuff that's been added in. But one of the
episodes that I watched last night was Accents. They had
these beautiful accents.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I don't even know where in Europe they were from,
but I love the.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Accents and Mini Driver was, oh yeah, I just is
going to recommend that that show. Okay, people are looking
for something, right, and it was based off of stuff
that was written for that column Modern Interesting.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
So each one stands alone.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Totally stands alone. You don't have to watch them in
any kind of order. You could start season one, season two, whichever.
I'm on season two now. I do think I enjoyed
season one better, Okay, so start.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
There, okay, and they stand alone, so you can.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
And one of the things we mentioned it, I think
in the thing, but the audible option for a lot
of books. One of my favorite books of the year
I listened to called Tom Lake and Meryl Streep is
the narrator and it's just I don't know why I
never noticed her voice is so amazing, but it was
just the most lovely thing to hear her reading to me.
(16:05):
I don't know if I would have loved the book
as much had I been reading it with my eyes,
but hearing her voice read it to me was delightful.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Have you seen the movies book Club? Have you seen
the movies book Club?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yes? Okay, I started to think Meryl Streep's not in that,
is she?
Speaker 3 (16:33):
No, it's Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Version, Mary Steinbergen Bergen,
So they're the Okay, yeah, I started to look it up.
When you said Meryl Streep, I was like, oh, is
she in that? Because there's the first book Club that
came out in twenty eighteen. And then I heard the
book Club the next chapter which came out Italy, were
was really good?
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Was it you that told me that?
Speaker 3 (16:53):
No?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Because I just watched it on a plane like last
week and it was really really cute.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Okay, I'm gonna now.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I've added book Club the Next Chapter as a movie
to watch. It's cube over Christmas break. I could probably
go back and watch the twenty eighteen one to two
and do like a double back to back, because I
don't know that I remember that.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
One, but I remember it being they were cute.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Yeah, And I liked this one because it goes through
like they're like, because we did this in my book club,
but they show how they maintain their book club through
twenty twenty, like through COVID, and we did exactly what
they're doing, like we did zoom book clubs and we'd
sit on everybody would get on their back porch and
do a zoom and talk about the book. That's the
(17:33):
intro to the new chapter.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I guess it's called so well since you mentioned Meryl
Street narrating and talked about Audible, that's still a gift
that's easy to get and in time for Christmas. Is
gifting a book to someone over Audible or gifting them
your subscription or whatever that may look like. And there
are still books to be bought at your local bookstore
wherever you live, support that locally, or you can always
(17:59):
still order stuff fun Amazon two and it should get
here in time. I can't believe we're already to the
point where are things going to arrive in time for Christmas?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
I know I had to check some stuff this morning.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Because I was like, oh, shoot, let me make sure
that says they're being really nice. Though on Amazon it'll
say in the description arrives after Christmas, like in big
red legs, very clear, very clear, because they do not
want angry people.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
FYI.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, I ordered my sister, her husband, and they're three kids.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
They're gifts, and they're.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Arriving to me like right before Christmas, so I know
by the time I send them to her. So I
just already sent them all a note. I'm like, hey,
I'm receiving your gifts on this date. I want to
wrap them up for you, like I didn't.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I wanted them.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
To be wrapped cute when they get to them, because
my sister's very good at rapping and it always looks
so cute.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
I say, you're so much nicer than me. All my
stuff got shipped to my sister directly.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Now I'm not typically, but I just feel like she
would appreciate that because I can tell the time she
puts into it, And so I'm trying to notice at
about others, even though that's not me. But at the
same time, because it's my sister, I don't think it's
me trying to come across as not me. I think
it's me trying to recognize what would feel special to her.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, I think that's great and that's a really good
thing to be.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Doing, trying to pay attention to that because I'm just like,
sorry I didn't wrap it.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Here you go here it is look in the box.
It says from Amy.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
But as I, you know, get more intentional with things.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
That's love it.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
So anyway I sent them all know, I like, so,
just know that you're going to have Christmas after Christmas,
which will be fun. Everybody loves having something to look
forward to after for Christmas. Something that I read this
year that I really enjoyed. I know you shared for
and I need to go through my audible. This is
one that I actually have the book with me, but
I've talked about on the podcast before. But it's Corey
ten Boom. I post about it on Instagram and so
(19:53):
many people are like, oh, I love that book. I've
read it multiple times. My friend that told me about
it has read it once a year for the last
deca and it's called The Hiding Place. It's really really good.
Corey Timboom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine
of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and
(20:14):
one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century.
So it's all about World War Two and how she
and her family they totally risk their lives to help
Jews and underground workers escape the Nazis, and it's such
a powerful story. So I highly recommend that if you're
looking for a non fiction book to read another gift
(20:38):
that might be good for someone else or just for
yourself as you enter the new year and you want
to work on your creativity or tap into other parts
of your brain that you maybe don't feel like you
can access. Sometimes you feel like you have writer's block
or you just don't feel like you're functioning. Reading is
(20:58):
a way to get there exercise the brain. But this
is a book I've talked about before, but I'm gonna
say it again. It's called The Artist's Way, and it's
a spiritual path to hire creativity. And it's a work book,
but it's been around for a really, really long time.
But it'll guide you through a twelve week long program.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
There's exercises, there's different things.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
They'll just help you loosen up your artistic self, your
creative side, if that feels lost. Martin Scorsese said, this
is a book that addresses a delicate and complex subject.
For those who will use it, it is a valuable
tool to get in touch with their own creativity. And
maybe you don't work in the creative space, but no
(21:41):
matter what you're doing, you are having to think outside
the box. Whatever field you're in, or if you are
a stay at home mom, you got to get creative.
And this is a way where it's been very therapeutic
for me. My therapist is actually who recommended this book
to me. One day in the middle of one of
(22:01):
our sessions, she goes, have you heard of the Artist's Way?
And I was like no, and she goes, order it
right now. And so you're giving yourself or someone else
a gift, and it's like a course and discovering or
even recovering. For me, it was trying to recover my
creative self that I feel died when my mom died. Yeah,
(22:22):
certain parts of my brain just shut off and they
weren't working as well. And you can take yourself through
it as slower as fast as you want to, but
this is where I got my morning pages where you
write every single morning and you just write, no, whatever
comes to your brain, you just go. And I started
journaling with our four Things Gratitude journal. But even that
(22:43):
was simple, like you could just think of four things.
It could be a word, it could be like coffee done.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Journaling was just.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
So intimidating to me. But through that it opened me
up to more journaling. And then this book and Ali
fallon our friend that is an amazing writer and has
so many awesome prime to help you journal and write.
She's a big proponent of this book as well. And
if you're wanting to journal and write, that's my recommendation
(23:10):
for twenty twenty four. Get yourself a new journal, get
this book The Artist's Way, and start your morning pages
and just go. If you don't have anything to write,
literally say I don't have anything to write, and write
that over and over and over, and then you'll start
to have things to write.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
And it's magic.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
The neuroscience, I'll you know, I love neuroscience, but if
you don't use it, you lose it. Right, So, if
you're trying to use a part of your brain that
you don't often use, and you want to have access
to it. That's a great way to do it. Like
for people like me that are not creative in their
job or need a that's just not part of their day,
(23:50):
it would be a great way to utilize that rights
out of your brain a little bit more and you know,
activate those neurals.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
That's what we're going to do.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Activate them.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Well, thank you, Claire. What's your goal for twenty twenty four?
How many books?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
One hundred feels manageable.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
I feel like I don't need to increase my you know,
number of books. I'm going to continue to try to
be more diverse in my reading and type of author
and also just type of book, genre, et cetera. So
I'm probably gonna practice being more intentional about the diversity
of my reading and carve out more time for reading
(24:25):
with my eyes kind of like what you said, because
I feel like that's its own kind of self care.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Do you do baths and read?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
I do baths and watch.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
It's like my time when I watch the shows that
my kids either don't care anything about or I don't
want them to watch with me. So yeah, I usually
get my iPad and set it up and watch something
while I'm in the bath. So I should read, but
I'm not going to should but I know.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
If that's your time to watch anything.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
No, but I created a reading book this year and
like wallpaper to wall that's really pretty and got a
really super comfy chair and so that's my reading space.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Okay, reading nook, reading nook. Yeah, I think that is important.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
If you're setting yourself up for a goal, where are
you going to journal every day? Where are you going
to read every day? Creating that space is more likely
to get you there, Yes, for sure. All right, well, Claire,
thank you for sharing all your love for books with
us this week. Again, if y'all miss the fifth thing,
go check.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
That out with Claire.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
And whatever you want to do with your free time
over break, I hope you've got some. And whether it's
reading or watching, there's no should, there's no shame.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
You get to do whatever that you want to do.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Maybe it's puzzles, maybe it's games, whatever that looks like
for you. Hopefully you get some time to do it.
And I hope you'll have a very very merry Christmas
coming up on Monday, and uh yeah, we'll talk soon.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Bye bye
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Amy Brown
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