now that i don't feel completely alone in my desire to make new friends, i have a proposition to make.
it's a proposition to those who live near and far.
to those of you living in or around Long Beach, in the LA/Orange County-ish area, this is what i'm doing:
i am starting a blogger book club.
//via ffffound//
one that meets in person on a monthly basis.
if you don't have a blog, that's okay. if you're reading this right now, you're included. this is an invitation to you.
we will be reading a book a month, or maybe a book every two months, based on the feedback i get back from you.
the point isn't really to expand our libraries, but to make new friends. however, i think having a book to discuss will give our meetings some purpose and make them a little less "scary."
our first meeting is going to be in the middle of november. it's less than a month away, but i think we should get started before the holidays take away all of our time. we will meet at peet's coffee on 2nd street in belmont shore (long beach). future meetings can be at a restaurant, someone's house, a book store, etc.
i'm going to take on the role of coordinator, but if you live in the area and you'd like to tell your readers about the club, please do! just link to this post, or tell them to email me if they are interested. the more people who come, the more opportunities we will all have to make new friends.
if you are interested, please send me an email that includes:
your name
the city you live in
three-five books you're interested in reading
(anything goes, but i'm vetoing the time traveler's wife since so many people have read it already)
days and times you are free
(for example, if you are out of work or school at 1:00 on fridays in fullerton, please let me know what time you would be able to meet in belmont shore)
please let me know if you would like to read one book a month or stretch it out over a longer period of time
you can email me at:
jasmine.lael@gmail.com
i'll save all of your email addresses and send out a group email filling everyone in on the details.
to those of you who do not live in the area, here's my proposition to you:
1. start something like this in your own area. don't be scared; just do it. i guarantee there are women who live near you who want to make new friends just as badly as you do.
2. if you ever plan on being in my area, please let me know! i would love to include visiting bloggers.
so that's the idea. i hope you like it, and i hope some of you are interested. let's do this thing!!
p.s. if you're getting to this post late, and you'd like to join in, please do! there's no time limit.
p.p.s. if any boys would like to join, you're welcome too! happy, justin? ;)
wish i lived near! this sounds so fun!
ReplyDeleteI love this! So are you asking just anyone in your area to email you? Because I think because you have a rather large following that even out of towners could email you the same thing and if you get even just two emails from a person in the same state maybe you could pair us together or something! I will send an email none the less and just let me know if any Utah bloggers respond ;)
ReplyDeletethis is such a cool idea Jasmine!!! I will totally be emailing you:)
ReplyDeleteI've never commented before but I just wanted to say...Brilliant idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm not in your area (I'm in Alaska!) but was in your area two weeks ago. You started too late. j/k :-) My BF grew up in Long Beach and he has family all over Southern California. So we visit with some frequency. If I find myself down there again when a book group happens to meeting, I'd love to join.
Anyway... I mostly just wanted to give you encouragement...An acquaintance (now a friend!) and I just did this very thing a few months back. It has been pretty awesome. If you ever find yourself in Alaska when our book group is meeting, you will be more than welcome to join us. :-)
P.S.
ReplyDeleteI actually meant to comment on your original post about needing to make friends. I'm 29 and only finished my degree a year ago. I (like, apparently, so many other women) really identified with many of the issues you're having. Feeling older than all the students around you included. Hang in there, it sounds like you're wrapping your brain around how to fix the issue!
AHHHHH I LOVE YOU for doing this! I am so excited!
ReplyDeletei'm really incredibly jealous that i don't live in your area because i would have loooved to participate. maybe i still will from afar.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! Please include me and maybe sometimes I can make it. If not, I'd still love to know what everyone's reading. You know my email address, but here it is again anyway... kathleenparker.b@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see you next week!
ahhh! I'm so excited! I'll be back in Long Beach in February. I'm absolutely going to come!!!
ReplyDeletenice idea jasmine...good luck with that!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I already have a little book club here in L.A., but what the heck? I will do my best to actually make it through both books. ;) hahaha! Looking forward to it! I'll email you my info and post a link to this post on my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI adore you and your idea. I would give anything to be included in this (in person, that is). I can't wait to hear how it goes and it's now my life goal to someday make it to Long Beach and visit you. xo
ReplyDeleteSounds fun. I'm in.
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived in california so I could join your super awesome book club :(
ReplyDelete...AND be your friend!
good luck! i love the idea... just need to move a bit closer... japan is a little too far :)
ReplyDeleteReading my mind! I JUST left a comment on someone's blog about a book club and how fun it looked.
ReplyDeleteI.Am.IN!!!
Emailing you in the morning! Ohhhh I am so excited!
Hey my name is Jaeme I found your blog through a friends. I love reading your posts. You seem like such a fun person. I would totally join the book club if I lived close, sounds like a great way to make new friends! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jasmine! I've never commented on your blog, but I do enjoy stopping in for a visit. I wish I was living back in So Cal so that I could join this book club. Hope you meet a great group of gals!
ReplyDeleteawesome awesome awesome idea {and a little daring, if i do say so myself}!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea, I sooo wish I could be apart of your book club, alas I am Far away :-(
ReplyDeleteI AM IN CHICAGO.... if any other bloggers are also and would like to start one with me there!??! Maybe we could read the same books with the LA club and blog about it?!
I love that you say "women." As if men don't read books... :-P
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived close. I'd totally sit in on this if I were welcomed...you know...as a man.
And I hope you realize I really AM joking about that. I take no offense.
I can totally relate to your problem and would love to join your group but I don't think I would have time to read anything other than school books right now. And I'm already waaayyy behind on that.
ReplyDeleteI just saw this on facebook today
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Long-Beach-CA/LONG-BEACH-CRAFT-MAFIA/142487374530
It sounds like a really fun cool group that you might enjoy. Good luck!!!
thanks, christine! i just pulled up the link. it looks cool!
ReplyDeleteyou're still welcome to come even if you don't have time to read the book. let me know if you get time away from school. i'm always behind on school reading too. :)
Oh my gosh...can i just say THANK YOU so very much?! this is like EXACTLY what i need right now! i LOVE books, I LOVE blogging, I want to make some new friends and meet some bloggers! AND i live in the orange county area! (ok i realize how incredibly psycho i sound right now, but seriously, i'm super happy).
ReplyDeletenoooooooooooooooo. i want to be a part of it! oh man. okay, time to put my money where my mouth is and start a book club in my area. ahhhhhh, i'm so jealous right now of all those that live near you.
ReplyDeleteI'm not in a place to commit to reading a box regularly, as I'm already assigned so for work, but I just wanted to say how much I LOVE this concept and how proud I am of you for doing it. If you start a monthly craft group, you know I'm in! ;)
ReplyDeletewow this sounds awesome! I live in The Valley and would love to come if they're still going on.
ReplyDeleteangelique.scarpelli@gmail.com