The Family Book of the Month Club (Or: How to Keep Your Young Adults Reading)

Last year, I tried something new, and this year I’ve developed it more … which means I felt it was time to share. Most of us who home educate in this Classical, Charlotte Mason style have a deep love for books and reading. We have a huge desire to see our kids continue reading as they grow up and leave home. We cannot, however, make our young adults read. But we still have the power of being a support to their reading endeavors.

Enter the Vencel Family Book of the Month Club. If you grew up in the 1980s, you might remember clubs like these. Books would magically appear on your doorstep once a month. It was fantastic, especially if the person curating the books knew what they were doing. This is a similar concept. I curated a list for the year, one book per month, that I am willing to buy and give to my young adult children (and daughter-in-law, of course). I didn’t want this to feel like a burden to any of them, hence the guidelines I set:

• You can choose to accept as many (or as few) of these books as you wish.
• You don’t have to read the book in the month I bought it for you.
• You don’t have to talk with me about the book (though I always love to hear your thoughts on what you’re reading and thinking).

I haven’t heard back from everyone yet, but the ones who did reply want all the books. Music to my ears! I would love for us to have a real family book club where we met and discussed a book once a month, but we live in two different states and, even if we didn’t, my busy college kid wouldn’t have the time. Perhaps that is a good long term goal? A girl can dream!

Want to know what I’ve curated for 2026?

The 2026 Book of the Month Club