The lovely autumn leaves have long since fluttered to the ground (thank you early snow storm) and although the days are crisp and blue and sunshiny, Thanksgiving just passed us by and Christmas stealthily tiptoed behind as it usually does.
This season is crazy. I know it, I get it, BUT it is the perfect time to plan a Christmas-esque literary party to welcome in the New Year (or in December if you can pull it off!) We make time for the things that matter. I believe that gathering together, being still together, and enjoying a story together is worth every word read and every page turned. There are many ways to gather people, this is one of mine.
PICK A BOOK, ANY BOOK. Choose one you’ve wanted to read, but haven’t gotten around to yet. The accountability of throwing a party helps to get reading done…we all need deadlines (This may be the only reason we have read so many books together. We have a mother-daughter book club meeting every month ;-))
{Literature Kits currently offered in the Shop:}
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio (free download)
- The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
- Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John
- Nancy and Plum by Betty Macdonald
- + Bonus Lit Kit The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken [available in the Christmas Trio]. It will be released on its own after the New Year.
PICK A DATE ~ Often, Sunday evening works well because less is scheduled. We’ve used Sunday evenings for our mother-daughter book club for years.
E-MAIL a small group of mother-daughter pairs. (I think a total gathering of 8 and 12 is best, but totally up to your preference. If people are busy on your chosen date, you can pass the invitation on to others mother-daughter pairs. Another option: Use the Lit Kit for just your family. We have often. Or invite one other family or one or two friends to join in.)
READ THE BOOK with your daughter or family. Read it aloud, read it separately or listen on audiobook (we have finished many audio books in snippets during daily car commutes).
HOST & SAVOR~ Use one of our handcrafted Lit Kits if planning this evening seems overwhelming. Or bake your own favorite treats, write a few questions, pick a simple activity and enjoy the time together. Create the gathering you want with whatever bandwidth you have.
A Note: We want you to simply enjoy reading the book. We don’t enjoy picking apart stories while we read them so we don’t want you to either (and is there anyone who enjoyed reading comprehension questions while in school??).
If you choose to use one of our Lit Kits, you don’t need to have them on hand before or even while reading the book. After finishing the book, the Lit Kits will have everything you need to host your party. And although we do what we can, our long list of discussion question options will have some spoilers and they are not written in order by chapter.
BUT, if you are creating your own gathering, we find it helpful to have a pad of paper nearby to jot down ideas. We mark our books up with Book Darts as we read. The Book Darts help us mark favorite passages as well as pages that spark ideas for our family or for our group gatherings.
Happy Reading & A Happy Christmas Season to you all!
~Stephanie
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