April 2026
The Founders Edition
April was the very first month of The Book Studio Book Club — the Founders Edition.
Only 15 spots were available - the OG 15. The people who said yes before they even fully knew what Book Club was going to become.
The theme for April was dark romance, which felt like the only acceptable way to start.
The featured read was The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori — obsessive, chaotic, tension-filled, and the exact kind of book that has you saying “one more chapter” at 1:30 in the morning when you absolutely should be asleep.
I spent way too much time trying to get the book choice right. Not just something popular, but something that felt worth building an entire month around. There may or may not have been Goodreads stalking involved.
Every detail inside the box was intentionally chosen to feel a little indulgent, slightly unhinged, and still very The Book Studio.
Inside the Founders box:
- A wrapped dark romance blind date
- A custom Founding Member tote
- Two handmade velvet ribbon bookmarks (because one bookmark felt disrespectful)
- one featuring dagger, snake, and skeleton key charms
- the other featuring a cute little penis charm
- Caffeinated chocolates for the inevitable late-night reading decisions
- Dainty hand tattoos
- An all black bling pen
- Penis soap, inspired by one of our founding members, Kendra, who once said spicy books make her feel like she needs to wash her hands after reading them
Honestly, the soap may have become one of my favorite parts of the entire box!
April also introduced the Discord side of Book Club. Spoiler-tagged spiraling, live reactions, chaotic commentary, and everyone collectively losing their minds in real time. We also opened up an optional StoryGraph buddy read so members could follow along together throughout the month.
Looking back now, April really became the blueprint for what I want this Book Club to be moving forward: beautifully curated, community-centered, immersive, and genuinely fun.
No pressure. No deadlines. Just good books, good people, and a shared inability to emotionally recover from fictional characters.
The Founders Edition will always be special around here.