Positive

[close] This year I am determined to not only find, but keep my joy in all that I do! Life can become so mundane, challenging and overwhelming with all that we face from day to day, both internally, and externally. Reading has long been an escape, stress reliever and joy inducing hobby in my life, and I want to share it with you! Keeping Up with the Joy is a social book club that will meet both virtually and IN PERSON, monthly; and is designed to allow space for fellowship, friendship, food and finding the joy in reading and social connection! Each book is unique in genre, but similar in that each title contains the word JOY in some form or fashion. Below is our reading list for the year! January Walking in my Joy: In These Streets by Jenifer Lewis February Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration by Tracey Michae’l Lewis- Giggetts March Possessing the Secrets of Joy by Alice Walker April Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah May The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan June Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia July Pride and Joy by Louisa Onome August Feeding the Soul (Because It’s My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom by Tabitha Brown September Joy is My Justice: Reclaim What Is Yours by Tanmeet Sethi October The Girl Who Found Joy by Amy Vansant November The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found by Angela Gorrell Williams December The Black Joy Project by Kleaver Cruz The group will meet in-person on the first Saturday of each month to discuss the previous months book, and introduce the following months book! Meeting location will likely be a local eatery for food, fellowship and fun as we explore each book together.

[close] Basically, what I’m trying to do is create a community or a “spot” if you will, where readers can come together and encourage each other to finish their TBR piles. I see so many people on Twitter/Channels/Blogs/Instagram mention how they want to finish the books they have this year, but it’s hard. My idea is for someone to come into this group, state the books on their TBR pile (or top priorities) and have others give POSITIVE feedback about that book. “Hyping” that book up for them. PLEASE, no negative comments. We want to encourage others to finish their piles, not shy away. If you dislike a particular book mentioned (and that is completely understandable), please refrain from commenting, unless asked directly. This way, other people’s opinions (some of which we may never have agreed with anyway) can’t influence us into thinking negative thoughts before we even give the book a shot. Make sense? I think the biggest trouble we find with our piles (the reason they BECOME piles :P) is because we hear or see something exciting about a book. We grab that book up! Then, we see a new video or a new blog post. Ooo there’s a new and exciting book! We now want the “new” shiny book. Eventually, we forget why we bought the original books. Maybe if we can help each other rediscover that “shininess” we can conquer our piles! Please feel free to post your TBR pile list. If you own a book another member posted, and you love that book, please comment. Share the love of books with each other! My goal is to keep this Group open until the end of 2017 or until no one is interested anymore. Hehe As of Jan-March, I will be dealing with some family commitments. I’m still going to be commenting as much as I can and overseeing the positivity! Hopefully you can all help me as much as I want to help you! Happy Reading!

[close] We’re just a couple of people trying to be more positive :D

[close] Pretty self explanatory. I’m the only one here!! But, for the record, in this group we love God, books, and music!!