When we asked you what you wanted to see on Rock My Style in 2015 (here if you missed it) a book club was one of the most popular ideas. So, without further ado, here goes, the launch of the Rock My Style book club. Cue klaxon!
The way we see it working is for us to read a book a month. We’ll let you know the chosen title at the start of the month and then get together a month later to discuss it, kicking off the discussion with a post outlining the thoughts of at least one Rock My Style team member. On the same post we’ll announce the next book, and so on. The only thing missing from an actual book club is the cheese and wine (or was that just my book club?!). Perhaps we could all write our reviews with a glass of Cab Sav and a chunk of Camembert to hand? Just as soon as I’ve gotten through not-drinking-January, of course…
This being a Rock My Style book club we’d love your suggestions for which books we read. Feel free to leave your ideas below this post and we’ll ask for suggestions via our other social media channels throughout the month too.
Charlotte and I put our heads together to choose the first book. We’ve decided on The Miniaturist
Going forward should we stick to fiction or could we read an autobiography, a cookbook, or another type of book entirely together? Have you already read The Miniaturist? (No spoilers please!). What do you think our next book should be? Leave any and all book club related thoughts below. Thank you!
Sounds fantastic! Im in!
Yay!
Yay! Can’t wait for this. Love books and this is SUCH a good idea. Am ordering the book now… I tend to read trashy novels on Kindle but buy “better” books, I think this is a buy a hard copy one.
I have The Luminaries to read which I just cannot get into – I think I need to take it on a long journey as reading snippets I get lost.
Definitely should do novels/autobiogs I think – reading a cookbook or other such technical one just isnt the same.
Some recommendations I have;
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
One Day by David Nicholls
Us by David Nicholls (not read it but recommended to me)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Kate Atkinson books, Lucinda Riley books, Sebastian Faulks books
The Luminaries is such a fantastic book – it is worth holding out for. I recommend it to anyone who has been to NZ 🙂
I will be ordering the bookclub book shortly!
I’m dying to go to NZ Jess, perhaps I should give The Luminaries a try.
oooh you should come here first and then read the book – the gold trail here is steeped in history and I thoroughly enjoyed knowing all the places that were mentioned in the book; having been to most of them! It is set mostly in the South Island which is where we live; such a picturesque place <3
A friend of mine had a similar experience with The Luminaries Victoria. Thanks for all your suggestions for future reads!
I am IN! I’d say stick to fiction. with autobiographies / cookbooks you’ll start ready having already decided whether you’ll like based on whether you like or dislike the person its about/chef. I haven’t read it yet but can I suggest gone girl next month. all my friends say its great. Will the book your starting with be in the library?? x
Good point Clare. Not sure if the book will be in libraries, it’s been out in hardback for a while though and was on the bestseller list so I would imagine so. Can you order books from a library? Worth an ask. x
I am IN! I’d say stick to fiction. with autobiographies / cookbooks you’ll start having already decided whether you’ll like it based on whether you like or dislike the person its about/chef. I haven’t read it yet but can I suggest gone girl next month. all my friends say its great. Will the book your starting with be in the library?? x
Yes – good timing as I was just wondering what book to read next!!! Just downloaded onto my Kindle. Happy reading everyone x
Happy reading Diane! x
Count me in! Just downloaded the book on my kindle and hoping it will also spur me on to finish the current book I am half way through but never seem to find the time to read!
I’m looking forward to reading more on my daily commute Emma, hope you get time to finish your current book and The Miniaturist!
Yeah, a good book list source! So much I’ve read recently is utter twaddle – mainly due to downloading random stuff on kindle. The other downside of kindle is I find books instantly forgettable; not seeing the cover, title and author every time I pick up doesn’t help my memory either. I’m currently reading an old classic, Little Women as that’s how bad my awareness of the good book market is right now. Shall be downloading The Miniaturist when I get home.
Little Women is one of my favourites Steph, I reread it around once a year and I still always cry when, well, you know, but no spoilers in case anyone reading this hasn’t read it!
Done and done! Count me in! Just bought it for my Kobo, will download it tonight and get started 🙂 yay for RMS Bookclub!
Hurrah!
Brilliant idea!
Just downloaded to my Kindle.
I much prefer fiction, it’s very rare that I’ll read an auto-bio. Though I am a huge fan of cookbooks – but I’m quickly running out of space to store them!
I’m a huge fan of cookbooks too Sarah, but yes, space is an issue!
Just downloading this right now!! Now I need to crack on and finish my current read in time to have read this one for next month. eeeep!
Happy reading Emma!
Read it and loved it! Great choice for the first book of the club. Lots of discussion to be had thereafter. Looking fwd to hearing everyone else’s views and comments 🙂
Yay, that’s great to hear Krysia!
Yes! Just reading the Minitarist at the moment.
It took me a while to get into it but now I am hooked, feeling a bit itchy waiting for my commute home so I can continue reading! will look forward to the reviews!
Love it when I’m so into a book I look forward to my commute Jessica. I have been known to miss my tube stop in the past when I’m totally engrossed!
excellent! I’ve just downloaded it on the kindle, and will get cracking once I finish Beautiful Ruins (which I think was also recommended on another RMS post a while ago). I love a good cookbook, but for book club I think Fiction all the way
I love sBeautiful Ruins Julia. Both Beautiful Ruins and The Miniaturist were recommended to me by my friend James, who has excellent taste in books!
he does indeed, more suggestions from James are very welcome! I’ve also bought The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion) and The Children Act (Ian McEwan), so those are my recommendations for future months. A good book for discussion would also be The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – but it’s a BIG book so would need a couple of months to get through
Excellent idea – and I’ve just finished my really trashy series of warewolf-crossed-vampire-crime fighter books so I need something as a literary detox!
I really enjoyed Before I Sleep recently, it has been made into a film but I’m not sure how successful it was.
I very much enjoyed Before I Go To Sleep, but haven’t seen the film yet Sara, I’m not a big fan of Nicole Kidman tbh…
Oh and we could do a separate cookery book club if people were so inclined? A lot of authors host a few of their recipes online so you wouldn’t necessarily have to go out and buy a full cookery book each time.
Great idea Sara, and I’ll continue to include healthy cookbooks in my Healthy Haul posts, although I did say I wasn’t going to buy another one for a while. I have already got a couple that I haven’t written about yet, working my way through them so I can give thorough reviews!
What a brilliant idea! I just finished a book so am in that limbo period of not having one, knowing I need to find one but nothing has grabbed me so I’m in. You wrote about I Am Malala which is on my list- might be a good one to follow a fiction novel?
Yay, happy to help fill your book limbo Becca!
I’m in! Currently reading Lucinda Riley – The Midnight Rose. As this book is so good, I think I will finish it soon and then I will start with The Miniaturist.
The Midnight Rose sounds like a great read Mia, enjoy!
Yessss! I am so in! I think for the purposes of a book club it’s best to stick to fiction, biography or autobiography – but you could branch out to other titles from science, history etc if they are suitable for a lay person audience. I love fiction, but really appreciate recommendations in those areas I wouldn’t normally look in myself. It’s easier to have discussions about those types of books, but I’d still really like it if RMS could do a more general book recommendation feature that included cookery, gardening, interiors, design etc books. For cook books it would be great to get feedback from someone who has tried a couple of recipes so we can know how easy they are, how much prep is involved, any special kitchen equipment needed etc.
Sorry that was a bit long, I used to work in Waterstones when I was at uni so I’m into my books! 😀
Thank you RMS! x
Thanks for your thoughts Kitty! I love having cookbook recommendations, it’s easy to get swayed by beautiful design and photography but then when you get it home find that the recipes are complicated, time-consuming and require huge amounts of ingredients, all of which put me off trying the recipes. x
I am so excited and definitely in! It is one of my New Year’s resolutions to read more and this will help me along! Will download it to my Kindle and start over the weekend! x
Hurrah, hope you enjoy Marianne! x
Fantastic! I want to get back into reading in 2015 and what better way to do it than with a fab group of people I can discuss it all with! Can’t wait to see what everyone thinks – and thanks RMS for the push I needed 🙂
Pleasure Clare!
ah yes! Have been so looking forward to RMS book club since the group I used to go to has now disbanded! Woo hoo! Really looking forward to getting my head well and truly stuck in a book again. Thank you for spurring me on! Xxx
Me too!
Yay!
My book club fell apart last year too Hannah (two of our number moved away and the three of us that remained have been a bit rubbish in keeping it going!). Hope you enjoy the book! x
Can I recommend “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett? I read it over Christmas and it was completely absorbing.
Unusually as I always like to read the book before I see the film I’ve seen the movie of The Help but haven’t read the book. I’ve heard good things though. Thanks for suggesting it Laura!
I’m in too! Just ordered it. X
Yay! x
Great timing ! I was just pondering what to use this month’s Audible credit on. I haven’t yet read Gone Girl and so that would be my suggestion – or Revival, the new Stephen King book.
Gone Girl is a great read Claire!
Yes, I’m in! Will download it to my kindle when I get home! Thanks RMS x
Pleasure! x
Jessie Burton – early thirties and her first book is being published in 31 languages. Wow, that is some going!
I’m looking forward to following this blog!
I know, so inspiring, right? She’s written a blog about the road to publication and beyond, it’s an interesting read.
Amazing! I just bought a new kindle and loved your post from last year on recommendations…
Room was my favourite book of that year! Now to download the next recommendation!
Room is brilliant. Hope you enjoy The Miniaturist Rebecca!
This is the best news I’ve had all week! Will be purchasing this one ASAP! Can’t wait to discuss x
Yay, looking forward to discussing it too Jo! x
Fab idea! I’m in 🙂 Just finished reading The Running Boy by my very own husband! Strongly and obviously slightly biasedly recommend it if anyone fancies a WW1 based novel marking the centenary of Whitby being bombed during the war… and love stories in France. 🙂
Miniaturist is one I keep picking up in bookshops… judging solely by its cover I admit… its very pretty. Looking forward to having a slightly better reason to buy it now!
The cover is so pretty isn’t it and I love that the whole story was inspired by the author seeing a doll’s house in Amsterdam. Off point but there’s a doll’s house exhibition at the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, it’s free and so good. I always wanted a doll’s house. Your husband’s novel sounds intriguing and I do love a story set in France.
Totally on board with this, although having just started a new book I don’t know if I’ll finish it in time to start and finish this one! I tend to go from one book straight into another with no break (seriously, I will finish one on my train home and immediately pick up another that evening), so it would be handy to know the next few books in advance so I can get hold of them (no kindle for me!) and read them! Other than that, look forward to this over the next few months 🙂
I go through stages of reading books back to back and then I don’t read anything for ages Jo. Love that this will get me reading at least a book a month. Good idea to plan a few books ahead. We’ll wait until we have a few more suggestions before deciding on the next ones.
I’m in, just about to order it from Amazon and I have a holiday coming up so perfect!
I have 3 books on the go just now – a bit unusual for me. Elizabeth is Missing – I’m not far in and will probably hault to read our book club but it’s shaping up to be good and is already very thought provoking so maybe a February idea? I got Lena Dunham Not that Kind of Girl for Christmas. It’s good but I’m finding I can only read in short bursts as she’s an intense lady!
I started reading Kate Atkinson – One Good Turn which I borrowed from my in-laws over Christmas but I just don’t enjoy her style of reading. I started reading When Will there be Good News ages ago but gave up after concluding there would never be any good news in this book!
I’m in! Now I just need to decide whether I’m going to take the plunge and also buy a kindle or get it in paperback
Yay! I am SO in for this and have the Miniaturist in my “to read” folder on my kindle as well, so happy days!
We’re traveling for the next few months, so it will be great to do an online book group!
My suggestion is an oldie but goodie… I’ve just finished The Godfather and it was superb – far better than I expected (the films lost me a bit…) and I read it in one day on a long bus journey!
Looking forward to the first gathering of RMS Bookclub – I’m sure I can source some Cab Sav in Asia!
K x
Downloaded it to my iPad and have spent most of my work from home day reading it! Oooops! Think I’ll have some catching up to do on Monday…
Love this – one of the many things I miss about university is reading books at the same time as other people (English grad!). I read Gone Girl at the end of last year and found it surprisingly fascinating, so would recommend to others. Loved David Nicholls’ One Day (but not the film at all, despite liking both main actors) and have Us unread on my bookshelf so would also put in a vote for that. Other interesting reads (in my opinion): Ready Player One, The Beach, The Book of Lost Things, Life of Pi 🙂
Just purchased The Miniaturist and a few other books on Amazon (well it made sense to get the free delivery!). I’m just back from a four week honeymoon so read quite a few books, my favourite was The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. Very clever and totally compelling!
I’m so tempted to join in with this and The Miniaturist is only £1.80 at the moment. Wow does my reading list for this month keep growing!! I just finished reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles, I can’t believe I haven’t read it sooner. A beautiful, tragic read. I was pretty much in tears reading it. I’d stick with fiction too, I love the idea of everybody reading a cook book or craft book but it’s very niche and could get a little pricey. Maybe just a good mixture of new releases, classics and even a young adult or child’s classic to mix things up a little. I just ordered Peter Pan to read aloud to my son.
*£1.80 on the kindle.
I’m so in! I’m a massive reader but work shifts so have never been able to commit to a book club. This is obviously the perfect answer! Like Amanda, I’ve picked this book up several times (love the cover!) but never got around to reading it, so now I’ve got a reason to. When will we start discussing/when do we need to finish by?
Hi Kerrie, we’d like to give readers about four weeks to enjoy the book.
We’ll be sure to let you know when the review post is coming so that everyone is prepared to join in with the comments x
I’ve just downloaded the minituarist for £1.80 from amazon (bit of a bargain) before seeing this post (serendipity?) so hope to get it read in time to join in =^_^*
I would love to be part of a book club but the thought of having another social commitment in the diary was too much so this is perfect! I have never contributed to blog discussions so this will all be new! I’ll be playing catch up but with a ski trip next week and long transfers I think I can do it! Thank you for this – great idea x
Currently laid up in a knee brace and on crutches, devouring books at a rate of knots, whilst flitting between Rock my Style and Rock my Wedding. A book club will be a welcome distraction from the impending panic of only having 7 months to plan and book the wedding from my armchair!
I have just finished the book and really enjoyed it! What’s next? I am back in reading mode and it is helping me stay awake whilst feeding my baby in the middle of the night! X
Book finished, loved it!
When do we find out whats next on the reading list??? Super keen to keep going 🙂
Oh…. Hope I’m not too late for the RMS Bookclub! I’m in!! Has February’s book been picked yet? Xx
Hi Katie, it’s Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. Enjoy x