Meet your hosts
& why we started The Story Social
Helloooo!
Firstly, thank you so much for the excitement around the launch of the online book club, we’re thrilled to have you here…
We thought we’d get the formal introductions out of the way, and share why we started the book club in the first place.
How the Story Social came to be…
If you love a cute serendipitous meeting story, we've got a good one. The first time we ever met was actually at an author Q&A, hosted by our lovely friend Jess. An immediate success story for book clubs connecting people, if ever there was one.
While it was initially a book that brought us together, in the years since we discovered we have a whole lot more in common. Almost everything, weirdly. Our love for nature, yoga, cooking, self care, creativity, gardening, painting, mindfulness, walking, wild swimming… the list goes on.
The idea for the Story Social was sparked by a conversation we had last year. We wanted to go to a book club. A fun one, where you read books you’re actually interested in, meet new people and have really good chats. We searched online, but just couldn’t find one that quite fit the bill. It then just felt really simple: we’d have to just create the book club we were looking for.
The rest, as they say, is history. But before you join the Story Social, we thought we’d tell you a bit more about ourselves.
Jodie
What’s the day job?
Hey, I’m Jodie! I’m a freelance creator, writer and Yoga teacher. My work contains themes around wellbeing, healing and of-course, Yoga.
Relationship with reading
I always thought of myself as someone who just couldn’t get into books and used that as an excuse not to read for a long time. In my mid 20’s I started reading more, but always non-fiction in the pursuit of self improvement. At the start of 2023 I realised just how much I enjoyed reading fiction and how much it bought into my life, and I’ve been focusing on reading fiction and exploring what I enjoy ever since!
Fave fiction book
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
Go-to beverage while reading
Always a classic english breakfast tea with just a splash of milk
When I’m not reading, I’m…
Probably out for a long walk, pottering in the garden or redecorating! We’re slowly redecorating our home which has been taking up a fair bit of free time.
Fun bonus fact
I discovered blogging in 2009 and have had some sort of online blog ever since! I’ve always loved photography, filming and documenting my life so it’s been something I’ve done for more than half of my life now - and I still love it just as much!
Mollie
What’s the day job?
Hi, I’m Mollie! I’m a freelance copywriter, writing creative content for independent brands in the wellness, health, food + drink, fragrance, design and beauty industries.
Relationship with reading
I’ve always been a big reader and writer, but studying English Lit at uni gave me a bit of reading fatigue by the end. Powering through classic Victorian novels, poetry collections, contemporary play scripts and more every single week was a lot. For a while after uni, I lost any kind of routine with reading… it went from being a daily habit, to mainly just reading crime thriller after crime thriller on holidays. I’m loving that the Story Social gives me the structure and accountability to dive into new fiction every month.
Fave fiction book
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Go-to beverage while reading
It’s got to be a classic builder’s brew for me.
When I’m not reading, I’m…
Probably gardening! Or at least just pottering around the greenhouse willing my seeds to grow faster. I’ve really found such joy in growing veg, herbs, fruit and flowers over the past few years– with mixed results!
Fun bonus fact
My current obsession is learning Spanish. I started studying at a language school last year, and find so much joy in it. I can’t wait until I’m proficient enough to read classic Spanish lit. At the moment I’m struggling my way through a translated version of The Jungle Book… and it’s taking me a verrrrrrry long time.
Ahh I've recently become obsessed with learning German and really want to learn enough to read a book in German too!