A couple of my girlfriends and I started a book club last year. My goal was to be motivated by them to read more – they read a lot (and quickly!) – and we figured it would be a great way for us to plan meetups in advance since we were all living in different cities (Toronto, Hamilton and Barrie).

Our book club trio is small but flexible, making it easy to coordinate get-togethers, timing and book selections. The girls have also kindly catered to the slowest reader (me!), and while we are committed to reading books on a relatively regular cadence, it feels very low pressure.

Things I’ve loved:

• Although we get together outside of our book club, it’s been a nice way to set aside time to chat about something different. A lot of novels have book club questions online, sometimes even by the author, which can help guide a meaningful discussion.
  • For example, Delia Owens Book Club Kit for Where the Crawdads Sing has book club questions, Q&A with the author and even recipes for some of Kya’s favourite meals. Spoiler Alert – don’t read it until you’ve finished the book!
• We’ve used our club as a way to read books outside of our go-to genres
• It’s been a great excuse to have a brunch potluck!

Although I’ll admit that I’ve done my fair share of shopping at big name box stores, there’s something so special about a local bookshop that you can’t find elsewhere.

Here are some of Toronto’s great independent bookstores. Many of them also deliver and currently have some really neat offerings including virtual book clubs, subscription services, writing mentors and curated book recommendations via phone or email.

So go ahead, settle into a great story and support a local business.

*Check their websites for the latest delivery details and offerings.