Linda Stoll: In Which The Book Club Morphs Into An Open House Before It Even Starts

All week I've been thinking about the best ways to make the Invitation to Solitude and Silence Book Club more accessible to every book lover who's interested.

And all I kept thinking about was the New Year's Day open houses we used to have back in the day. I'd bake and cook and whip up all kinds of concoctions and then we'd throw open our doors for eight hours or so. It was so much fun squeezing dozens of people into our little ranch house ... and no one seemed to mind that there wasn't a seat to be found and that the noise level could get a bit numbing with laughter and shouting and kids running every which way.

Some people were there at the stroke of noon and stayed til long after dark, claiming a prime seat on the sofa and not in the least interested in leaving. Others came late and left early, or arrived when the dishes held nothing left but crumbs. It didn't matter a bit.

We were all together and we had a good time.

My sister called yesterday with a bunch of really good questions on how this Book Club will work. Just a few clarifications are in order.

The Book Club will now be known as The Open House. I want you to feel comfortable and free to come and go as you can. Calling it a Book Club doesn't capture where I want to go with these gatherings.

We'll be talking about Ruth Haley Barton's Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence for six weeks beginning next Thursday or Friday, February 1st or 2nd. The Kindle edition is here.

The 1st post will go up at some point during those days. We'll be discussing the first 2 chapters of the book, Beyond Words and Beginnings.

You don't have to sign up or commit or tell me you're coming.

The book is only about 140 pages, but you don't have to read it to join us.

You don't have to show up at every gathering.

You can sit quiet and just observe.

You participate by leaving a comment just like you do on any blog post.

Comments don't close after the weekend, the conversation continues as long as someone is talking. I'll be encouraging you to not only leave a comment but also to graciously respond to each other's musings by hitting the REPLY button under their comments. Just like in a real in-person book club.

No pressure at all. There's no pass or fail. Just come as you are. The welcome mat is out.

I can't wait!

Questions? Please ask ...