Who am I? 

I am a pink lover, musical fanatic, and planner enthusiast who found comfort in reading at a young age. The first book series I fell in love with was the Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne. From there, I read many other books in all kinds of genres and as I got older my taste in reading grew with me. I truly felt at peace while I was reading and I still feel a sense of happiness when I have a book in my hand.

My Reading Journey 

As I developed a passion for reading, I discovered that not everyone enjoyed reading as much as I did. Children in my class never expressed an interest in books. Students hated to go to the library and did not like any summer reading assignment. While I lived for library days and summer reading logs. My family always supported my reading obsession. In particular, my aunt was my biggest supporter. Not only did she buy and find books for me to read, she would read along with me. This was the initial formation of The Bootleg Book Club. 

My aunt and I would mainly read young adult novels together. We would find books at the bookstore or library to read. When we both finished the book, I would spend the night at her house to share a few laughs, tears, and ideas about the book. Then one day after returning home from living abroad my oldest sister joined us as we read a new series. All the fun and great memories I made with my aunt increased once my sister joined us. Eventually, my other sister became a part of the crew the next summer. 

After heading off to college, I still loved to read and I even found a few friends who loved to read too. However, between all of the class lectures, assignments, and student organizations I no longer had all of the time to read the books I wanted to read. So, the first summer I came back home from school I created a summer reading list that I wanted to get through. On the top of that list was Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.  

The Official Bootleg Book Club

That same summer my older sisters were home and my aunt lived 5 minutes away from our house. Once they knew of my reading goals they all wanted to join in the fun. But, being very thrifty people we said why buy 4 copies of the same book when we could just get 1. So, I bought the book and we planned to each have the book for two weeks.  By the end of the summer the book was torn up. After taking the book to coffee shops, bookstores, vacations, and all sorts of places it had seen better days. There were countless ripped pages, dog eared corners, and mysterious stains that the book received. 

Our book was well read and well loved. At the end of the summer we talked about the book. The dialogue was intense, hilarious, and wonderful to have. We even had debates about book etiquette and how to read. As four dynamic women we definitely had our fair share of opinions. Overall, it was a great experience, even watching the film adaptation was icing on the cake. We knew it was a bootlegged way to start a book club like this but it worked for us. We were always aunties angels and now we are The Bootleg Book Club. 

What’s Next? 

After graduating from college, work life and adulting has become a bit mundane. Especially with living a post grad life during a pandemic. I really want to feel a spark of joy for something I do every day. Currently, a practical job is providing the stability I need but it is not fulfilling the creative spirit that is stirring inside me. As an avid reader I am excited to combine my reading ambition, writing aspirations, and sisterly love into a new project that will open the doors to more reading and community. 

I urge you to follow us on all of our Social Media Platforms and Save the Date for the Launch of our first Podcast. We are reading Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s debut novel Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? This book is a  timely and perfect fit for Valentine’s Day coming so grab your own copy to read along with us or wait for our review. 

Until Next Time, 

Felicia J.