Caitlin’s Book Journey: The Beginning

Hello friends of the interweb!

Yep, I used interweb for some ~flair~. I’m finally on summer break after what seems like years of grueling studying for classes that didn’t really matter because I was in the process of changing my major to a different program. While I’m happy it’s summer, I’m anxious to begin my vet tech classes next semester, to do something I’m actually interested in. In the meantime, now that summer is here, I have plenty of time to engage in my favorite activities: watching Netflix and reading books.

Today, I went shopping with a friend. Sephora was what we had in mind; I needed new eyeliner and she needed new foundation, of course we picked up a million other products along the way but that’s not the point. The way my hometown’s mall is set up, there’s like a billion different entrances into the mall. We happened to enter through the Barnes & Noble entrance. For whatever reason as we walked through row after row of books I thought aloud that I wanted to join a book club. I’ve always loved reading and tend to devour books the second they’re placed in my hands. All that grueling studying didn’t allow for much time to read so I’ve been a bit book deprived. So maybe it was the thought of summer on my brain that caused me to blurt out my thoughts or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, a few hours later I found myself Googling “free online book clubs”. Free because well, college, online because I have too much going on to meet in person. I came across Emma Watson’s club “Our Shared Shelf”.

The second I found Our Shared Shelf’s page on Goodreads, I knew it was the one. I have a deep love for Emma; she is Hermione after all. The Feminist Book Club label didn’t scare me either. In fact I think it drew me in even more! I took a Women’s Studies class this past semester and consider myself a feminist, though not to the same extent that Emma is (she is really making waves for women, another thing I admire about her). So I signed up for this club immediately. Who wouldn’t? When I saw the book assigned for May/June I already knew I’d made an amazing choice. The Handmaid’s Tale is a book I’ve been wanting to read for a looooong time. I had the chance to attend a Q&A with Margaret Atwood at school and all the Hulu buzz had me vying for a copy. I downloaded the book onto my Kindle and started reading right away.

When I was taking a snack break I had the idea to create an Instagram of my book journeys with Our Shared Shelf. I found the group’s Instagram page and saw that they featured readers and thought, why not me? I wanted to keep my personal Insta and my book Insta separate because I’m not sure my followers would appreciate a hundred hashtags and book related pictures the same way other book enthusiasts would. When looking for other people to follow I came across pages of people who blogged about the books they read and thought once again, why not me? So that is a long winded tale of why I’m here. To share my book journey through photos and writing with people who will appreciate, and maybe even share, those thoughts. I hope you’ll embark on this journey with me!

Signed with love and probably a little dog hair,

Caitlin.

My Bookstagram: @caitlinsbookjourney

My Book Challenge: 3/50 books read in 2017 (and counting!!)