Book Club, But Make It Family

My Family Has a Book Club

Our family book club was born in the middle of the pandemic, when my sister came up with the idea as a way for us to stay connected and also to accomplish reading a few more books. It gave us a standing appointment to “see” each other—at least virtually—over Zoom. We’re not all in the same place, so even outside of COVID, meeting in person was never really an option. Three and a half years later, the book club is still going strong, and we all laugh at the fact that we never thought to do this before the pandemic!

We meet once a week to read, chat, and catch up. Personally, I prefer reading physical books, but sometimes I have to go digital—some books simply aren’t available at the bookstores in T&T. Everyone chooses whatever format works best for them: some use Kindle, others stick with hard copies, and then there’s my aunt, who is completely loyal to Audible. We joke that she must have shares in the company.

Unlike traditional book clubs where you read the entire book before a meeting, we take a more flexible approach. We read assigned sections each week, and the pace depends on the book—how long it is, how dense the material feels, and what everyone’s schedule looks like. Some books call for more time to process, especially when the subject matter is heavier. Everyone takes a turn choosing the book, and when it’s your pick, you lead the meetings until we’re through with it.

A couple of times, instead of a book, we focused on a curated set of long-form articles around a theme, reading one or two each week across the month. One of the most memorable was a series on artificial intelligence, led by my brother. That month was part reading, part interactive workshop—with live demonstrations and hands-on experiments using different AI tools for text and images. It really pushed the boundaries of what a book club could be and reminded us that learning and connection can take many different forms. We've even had the authors of the book we were reading join our meetings, which was such a treat!

One of our most remarkable members is my grandmother. At 99, she belongs to two book clubs—ours, and another she's been part of for years. I think she’s the only one among us who had book club experience before we started this one. When we recently decided to compile a list of everything we’ve read so far, she pulled out her old notebooks and carefully tracked down the titles for us. I’ve typed them up and shared the list below.

If you’ve read any of them, let me know! And if something on the list catches your eye and you’d like to borrow it, just holler—I might have the physical copy somewhere on my shelf.

What began as a way to stay in touch during an unpredictable time has become a cherished tradition. For a small family like ours, this book club has become an important anchor—a space to laugh, debate, learn, reflect, and most importantly, spend time together. I’m so grateful we created this time for each other, and I can’t wait to see how many more books we’ll read and memories we’ll make along the way.

Books:

1. Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav

2. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother  

3. Becoming by Michelle Obama 

4. Miguel Street by V.S Naipaul

5. How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman, Angela Duckworth - foreword, et al.

6. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

7. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking 

8. All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

9. The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey 

10. Abundance Now: Amplify Your Life & Achieve Prosperity Today by Lisa Nichols, Janet Switzer, et al.

11. The Wine of Astonishment by Earl Lovelace

12. Anxious People: A Novel by Fredrik Backman 

13. Fortune by Amanda Smyth

14. Critical Race Theory (Third Edition): An Introduction by  Richard Delgado

15. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman 

16. The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

17. The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd 

18. Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends by  Marisa G. Franco PhD

19. Wishing For wings by Debbie Jacob

20. Why People Don't Heal And How They Can By Caroline Myss

21. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama 

22. Song for My Father: A West Indian Journey by S. Brian Samuel

23. The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

24. AI Articles and Demo

25. One Day, One Day, Congotay by Merle Hodge

26. Born a Crime by Trever Noah

27. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

28. Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks

29. The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins 

30. Island People: The Caribbean and the World by  Joshua Jelly-Schapiro

31. Real Estate Project Documents & Agreements

32. The Courage to FLY: How to Follow Your Dreams and Reach for the Sky, No Matter What the World Tells You by Capt Wendy Yawching

33. Sacred Powers: The Five Secrets to Awakening Transformation by Davidji

34. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

35. Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th Anniversary Edition 30th Anniversary Edition

36. The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel by Kati Marton 

37. Dr. Eric Williams – Speeches

38. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

39. Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon by  Dr. Joe Dispenza