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Book clubs are great, but they come with certain pressures that I personally don’t like, such as:
- Reading a book that I’m not too interested in
- Deadline to finish the book
- With kids in the mix, we have to get a babysitter just to attend a book club
Instead, have a Book Club for Two! Pick a fun book and you and your spouse can read at the same time. The best part about this: there’s no rush! Do it on your own time. Keep reading below for our experience and book recommendations.
Materials Needed:
- 2 copies of a book: check out your local library or buy 2 copies of the same book (makes a great gift to pass along to a couple of friends too!)
- Discussion Questions
Things we liked about Book Club for Two
It encouraged us to read
Don’t get me wrong, we love to read. But with work, chores, the kids, and wanting to spend time with each other ….. we don’t always have the time to read. Reading the same book helped us discover a new and exciting way to enjoy reading.
We finally got to discuss a book together
We’ve always enjoyed discussing whatever book we’re reading. But because we never read the same book at the same time, one of two things would happen
- We’d read different books and just have to tell the other everything about the book, spoilers and all – OR –
- We’d read the same book but at different times. By the time the second person finished the book and was ready to discuss it, the first person had already forgotten some of it.
Book Club for Two allowed us to discuss the book in real time. Keep reading for some of our favorite books to read together!
Book Recommendations by genre:
Sci-fi
Reading science fiction together can be a lot of fun because you get to dive into a completely different world. Why not ask your spouse if they’d want to live in this world?
For a fun sci-fi pick: Recursion
This book is about time travel and its implications on the entire world. It’s a lot of fun but definitely gets confusing. That’s why it was a great book to read at the same time as Josh. If one of us was too far ahead of the other, we would stop to give each other time to catch up so we could ask questions. It was fun trying to figure out what was going on and how the book would end. It made for a great discussion book!
Historical Fiction
A lot of historical fiction is rooted in real events and can provide an interesting way of learning about historical events through stories. It can be a lot of fun to discover what your spouse knew about a particular topic. Do you remember the event from school? Or did you learn about the event through other means (books, articles, movies, etc.)?
An amazing historical fiction: Once We Were Brothers
I personally enjoy learning about the WWII era. The struggles people had to endure during that time are astounding. It produced a tough generation. While the story in this book is not particularly true, the historical events are. It takes a deep dive into how the war tore apart families, friends, and communities. I love a book with a good twist at the end and this one had one that I did not see coming.
Series Books
Reading a book that is a part of a series with your spouse can be a whole new adventure. It’s like watching a show together because you slowly grow with the characters. Reading a series together also brings about a whole new set of questions that you can ask your spouse. You can discuss which book was your favorite, how the characters developed over time, or how the tone of each book changed. The possibilities are endless when you read a series together.
If you’re in the mood for a fun series: Harry Potter
This is a huge investment in time since there are 7 books and each one keeps getting longer and longer. Josh was very apprehensive about reading them, even though he enjoyed the movies. However when I finally got him to read them, he flew through them! We had great discussions about the extra details that only readers are privy to. In the end, Josh was glad I recommended this series.
Memoirs
Memoirs provide a unique view of a situation by focusing on one person’s experience. By doing a deep dive into this person’s life, you get some great detail and heart. This is a good genre to read with your spouse because it forces you to see a situation from a different perspective other than your own. See how your spouse feels about this new perspective. Do you both agree with everything in the book?
An inspiring memoir: The Heart and the First
Josh and I have recommended this book to a lot of our family and friends. It follows the story of Eric Greitens, a humanitarian that joined the Navy SEALs. His unique experience helped shape his viewpoint on how to help foreign countries in need of aid: with a heart (kindness) and a fist (strength). You can definitely take the lessons in this book a step further and apply them to your own life. It is a great read and will definitely spark great discussions with your spouse.
History Books
I mentioned historical fiction above. But did you know that there are a lot of history books out there that are not nearly as dry as your school days history books?
An inspiring tale of the fight for women’s rights in Syria:
The Daughters of Kobani
This is the most recent book Josh and I have read together. It’s about the YPJ: an all female militia that played a large role in taking back a lot of Syria from ISIS. This book provides a good mixture of history and story. It follows a few different women on their journey in this militia. The book is filled with a lot of facts, names, and content, making it a great pick to read with your spouse. Josh and I talked about the details a lot, helping to clarify questions for each other. This made for a great bonding activity.
If you try this activity, let us know how it went in the comments! Happy Reading!
