This will be your coziest and healthiest new routine

If I want to completely tune out for a moment, there's a good chance I'll do that by turning off the TV, tossing my phone aside, and picking up a nice book. Actually, it's just as relaxing as binge-watching Netflix, but at a much slower pace, and luckily you still have to use your brain a little bit. Sometimes after binge-watching yet another series, you can feel a bit crazy, as if you've eaten junk food, devoured a huge meal from McDonald's, without really realizing you were doing that. When you read, that's almost impossible. Especially if you decide to start a book club in the new year. Under the guise of ‘New Year's resolutions’, because such a book club has quite a few advantages.

Just a brief explanation of what the intention actually is

First and foremost, a book club is mainly there to get yourself to read more, but then with a touch of peer pressure. Although you shouldn't really experience it that way, it's more of a kind of nudge to pick up that book at times when you think you're too lazy to do so, but you shouldn't feel forced. Sometimes you notice that it's difficult to motivate yourself, because for simple TV watching, you have to take much less action. The fact that you know your friends are also reading, and you want to be able to discuss it when you eventually have the follow-up discussion about the book, gives you just that extra bit of motivation that is sometimes needed to keep reading. By the way, during that follow-up discussion, you can talk about just about anything. But the idea is to let the conversations arise from the thought and theme of the book you have read.

Because reading is actually super social

Conversations that arise from an unexpected angle, such as from the theme of a book, lead to deeper conversations. You are forced to look at certain situations from different perspectives. For example, you can discuss the point of view of the main character, but then ask how that must have been for the environment of the main character. Guaranteed that you can relate these kinds of situations to yourself, and a good conversation can always be had about this. Another advantage of having a book club: you broaden your horizon. If you take turns choosing which book to read, you will also read books that you wouldn't have chosen yourself. And it may sound a bit exaggerated, but it can also be a kind of creative outlet. You have things like ‘fan fiction’, which for me personally is a bridge too far, but it's about fans continuing to write the story to determine how it could go on. Something I do do: reading the book before you watch the movie adaptation. It's also interesting to think about why the director included certain pieces in the film or why a certain twist was given. One tip

Image: @dualipa