Welcome to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met, well-read, and well-fed.
Alright friends, gather round. I need to get something off my chest. Maybe it’s the awareness of my 30s, or maybe it’s the utter disrespect that some of this country’s leaders have for the bodily autonomy of all persons. All I know is that I’ve been feeling super angry and frustrated lately and I think many of you have too.
So I want to dedicate today’s newsletter to all women and persons who can get pregnant, to all those feeling attacked right now. Let’s have some candid and open discussions about our bodies, about sex, about our health, about us. I hope some of the topics today will be of interest, be of use, be a source of healing for anyone who needs it. I’m with you. Thanks for being here with me.
Weird, my eyes are… leaking? Anyway: to the club!
This newsletter is sponsored by Living Lies by Natalie Walters and Revell Books, a Division of Baker Publishing Group.
In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name—but no one knows your secret.
At least that’s what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.
Lane must work with Walton’s newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she’ll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.
Question for the Club
May’s club query is:
Don’t forget to get your responses in by May 31st!
A More Inclusive Feminism: “Muslims from all over the globe are subjected to a lot of vitriol, which is rooted in years of internalizing misconceptions about Islam. While every religion has its own unique way of oppressing women, these kinds of sweeping generalizations are baseless and detrimental beyond words. The world needs to see that feminism is not just the monopoly of white women.” Rioter Dee Das shares these sentiments and beloved quotes from Muslim writers that have bolstered her feminism.
Book Club Bonus: Real feminism should be inclusive and not just in support of cis-het white women, yet we continue to see whitewashed versions of the movement everywhere we look. Examine your own biases here: where do you succeed and where do you fall short? Does your feminism include women of all backgrounds or is it purely self-serving?
Related: Need suggestions? Here’s list of reads to get you started.
Anti-Choice Anxiety: Last week felt like getting kicked in the guts, first by Alabama legislators and then by other states that followed suit. Whether you’re already angry or want to read up on the issue, this list of reads on abortion rights and experiences may do the trick.
Book Club Bonus: Pick one of the books on this list and have a thoughtful discussion on reproductive rights. Discuss how anti-choice does not mean pro-life; why bodily autonomy is of such importance; what late-term abortion really looks like and the reasons a person might have one. It’s possible that not every member of your book club feels the same on this issue; that’s what makes this discussion so important.
Some Murder, Some Sex, Some Ancient Burial Chambers: Why yes, I AM going to talk some more about nonfiction! If you didn’t catch me YouTubing last Friday, check out my little vid on three more nonfic reads for great book club discussion. Can a novel kill? Why do we bury the dead? Why don’t we focus on pleasure when talking about sex? LOTS to unpack.
Book Club Bonus: One of the titles I mention in the video is all of that wrapped up in a pretty pink package: Gia Lynne’s On Blossoming: Frank and Practical Advice on Our Bodies, Sexual Health, Sensuality, Pleasure, Orgasm, and More. Consider picking books like this for your book clubs and pick apart all of the negative messaging women have traditionally received about our role in sexual relationships. Talk stigma, talk consent, talk health, talk pleasure-based approaches that aren’t only focused on the cis-het male.
Suggestion Section:
- BuzzFeed news: Laura Prior-Palmer’s “Rough Magic” is BuzzFeed Book Club’s June’s pick
- Stylist: Best book club books: Fiction, non-fiction novels and memoirs that start discussions
Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter, get it on the Read Harder podcast, and watch me booktube every Friday too.
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa
More Resources:
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page