my life-long obsession with women's stories and why i'm starting a book club

I was lucky enough to grow up immersed in stories, women’s stories in particular, and surrounded by all sorts of storytellers. My grandma was a writer of historical fiction centred on women from Shetland’s past and she also published anecdotes from her childhood in a local magazine. I heard all about the lives of women in my family (my favourite was a distant aunt who became a milliner); I heard about the tales of our ancestors in Shetland (which was an unusual matriarchal society for several generations when the majority of men were offshore fishing); and, since I was often around groups of women cooking and crafting, I heard them telling their own stories too. I devoured all sorts of books written by women ranging from Agatha Christie’s iconic detectives to Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge and my shelves are now packed full of women writers, old and young, classic and modern. My wishlist for books only seems to get longer and rarely a week goes by without a new book appearing at the door - there’s always so many more stories to get stuck into!

I can’t imagine ever growing tired of seeing the world from the perspective of women whether it’s through a character in a novel or a collection of essays; the thoughts and creativity of women is forever fascinating and enlightening. I can never commit to a favourite type of writing or creating for myself, or for what I consume. I want to access storytelling in all its forms, and my books reflect that eclecticism: poetry, non-fiction (admittedly I have a slight addiction to books of essays that Substack has only increased), novels and short stories in all sorts of genres and styles, books about women artists, feminist classics, and books about writing and creativity… All of them. Some of them are childhood favourites, others are texts from uni courses, and yet more are purchases that are part of that never-ending TBR (to be read) list. Pages and pages full of women’s voices just waiting to be heard, to be seen, or to be re-read and re-discovered all over again. They’re a solace; an ever-evolving, life-enhancing solace.

Women’s lives, of course, have an innate value and listening to and engaging with their ideas and life experiences is one of the best ways that we can begin to more deeply accept our own inherent value as women and, by extension, the importance of our own stories. I want to encourage everyone to read and engage with the creative work of women and to inspire women in particular to preserve and share their stories. I’d love to live in a world where women are genuinely equal, safe, and flourishing: I believe our stories play a crucial role in achieving that outcome. Stories allow us to create connections through shared experiences while at the same time developing a deeper understanding how other women’s lives may be very different from our own for myriad reasons. Knowing one another’s stories means that we can support one another more fully, know one another more deeply, and in doing so learn more about how we may be better allies to other women as well as ourselves.

I have so many thoughts on all the threads of this feminist tapestry but more on that to come. For the moment, this is all about reading…

I love settling in with a cup of tea and a new book (and clearly I have plenty to choose from) but despite my good intentions, shelves of unread books (surely I can’t be alone), a local library (yes I should borrow more and buy less), and a comfortable sofa complete with several snoozing pets, I still find it difficult to prioritise reading time. I do listen to a lot of audiobooks in the car on my commute and enjoy that format (it absolutely does count as reading so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise) but I also want more of those quiet moments in a cosy corner with the feel of a book in my hands.

When I do finish a book I have so many thoughts to share and nowhere to put most of them because it’s rare that the people around me have read the same books at the same time. I know I can’t be alone when I say that I have a real desire to be able to speak to people about what I’m reading, to get some of those random thoughts out, to share the connections I’ve made and themes I’ve noticed, and the reflections I’m mulling over - ideally without leaving the aforementioned sofa. Book clubs on Substack are popular but I haven’t found one that quite fits with my preference for wide-ranging forms of writing while at the same time focusing on women as the storytellers.

So, to help me - and hopefully you - to read more brilliant books by brilliant women, to have some gentle accountability with my reading habits, and to have some like-minded people to discuss them with (and in part to justify my continual book deliveries) I’m thinking of starting a book club right here on Substack.

I absolutely cannot wait to get started and I hope you love the idea as much as I do!

Our book club/essay club will focus on women’s stories that cover a wide range of genres, forms, and themes just like my bookshelves. Some of the books will be light, some will be gritty, some will be unexpected: all of them will be interesting. There will be diversity in these book choices and we’ll read Black, Asian, and Indigenous writers at least 50% of the time. Listening to the experiences of women whose lives are different to our own is an essential part of intersectional feminism and reading books by exclusively white women would be just as dull as reading books by exclusively white men. No thank you to that.

So I’ll share a book on the 1st of the month and then we’ll have a few weeks to read and ponder before we meet in the last week of the month to share our thoughts and ideas. In that final week I’ll share a post with some discussion prompts, reflections, and list of further reading and viewing suggestions connected to the book. We’re aiming to begin on the 1st of November so make you’re subscribed to haver & sparrow if you aren’t already so that you get all the details in your inbox.

For the moment the book club will be free to join and open to everyone so please invite anyone you think would enjoy it! While the book club will focus on women’s stories anyone who is interested is very welcome to join and it will be a safe space for people of all identities. It will be flexible and the format may change slightly from month to month as we discover what works best for each book.

Since this is all brand new, I’d love to hear your thoughts about what format you’d prefer for our discussions and what type of extra elements you might enjoy as a paid subscriber. There are two options for each question so I’ll include polls below so that you can vote for your preferences - you can also share in the comments, if you’d prefer to add some details about your choice.

First of all, which format would you prefer for sharing your thoughts?

• Discussion in the comments section of a post

  • This option is flexible and would allow people to join in at any time. It would also mitigate the inevitable time zone issues we’d come across with anything live. Some people are also likely to feel more comfortable taking time to share rather than feeling a bit more “on the spot” in a live discussion.

or

• Discussion in a Zoom call

  • This would likely take place in the evening UK time (around 7-8pm GMT) during the final week of the month. It would give us the chance to gather and discuss in person but will be tricky for some people to attend due to time zone issues. If we did go for this option I’d make a replay available.

Secondly, in future I’d like to add an additional element to the book club for paid subscribers: either a podcast episode where I share my reflections on the book or a live Zoom discussion with a replay. I have some other ideas here too but for now…

So…what do you think of this idea for haver & sparrow? Do you have stacks of unread books like I do or are you a more disciplined reader? Have you ever been part of a book club before - online or in real life? I haven’t so this will be my first one!

Can’t wait to read and discuss with you all. I’ll share our first book on 1st November along with a bio of the author and an introduction to the book.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for books we should read - I have a long list already but am always looking for more stories…

In the meantime, happy reading and I’ll see you in the comments!