Since today is International Women's Day, I thought I'd share something that is dear to my heart, has occupied my mind for the past few months and changed my life in more than one way:

The "Our Shared Shelf Book Club"

Ever since I started University I have started to truly understand the value of reading and have made it a point to read one book a month outside my university reading list. I was not always successful but determined to get better at sticking to that goal.
Reading gives me a sense of accomplishment and forces me to sit down and engage in the topic. It sparks new creative thoughts and has become an essential to my every day life.
When looking for new books, I have always appreciated Emma Watson's book recommendations on twitter, so when on the 8th of January 2016 she announced that her feminist book club "Our Shared Shelf" was up and running on Goodreads, I was more than happy to sign up.
I was also curious to see what an online book club of that size would look like and couldn't wait for the first book to be announced.
"Our Shared Shelf" focuses on all topics surrounding feminism and equality and creates an open dialogue about these important issues across all nations. It lives through the input of it's members and the interesting topics they bring up for discussion.
At the beginning the thought of actively participating in an online book club scared me to pieces, as I imagined every single member to be smarter than me and better educated on the topic.
But then I realised that this self-doubt and the self-conscious behaviour was probably part of why this book club came about. The fact that women doubt themselves before they see their potential is part of the problem that feminism faces.
I was impressed by how seemingly fearless Emma Watson approached this project.
I can only imagine how nerveracking and intimidating it must have been to start something so big, while putting yourself out there completely. In my opinion there aren't many things that make you as vulnerable as sharing your thoughts on a book because it can be painfully personal but at the same time stunningly liberating.
Inspired by Emma Watsons courage and my own curiosity, I decided to be brave and jump in the cold water, come what may.
What"Our Shared Shelf" taught me was that I am not alone with my thoughts. A lot of the topics discussed have been on my mind for a long time and by talking about them I not only got the opportunity to discover more about the variety of perspectives but also learned more about how I thought and felt about a those issues. I learned that sharing really is caring and that it doesn't matter whether your messages are written in flawless English.
Occupying myself with the topic of feminism has made me more open to sisterhood relationships and embracing my strengths without trying to fit in a category. Being part of "Our Shared Shelf" has also encouraged me to choose Gender Studies as my focal point in law school and I am very much looking forward to learning as much as possible while solidifying my knowledge and experience with the literature and conversations on"Our Shared Shelf".
If you are looking for a book club that is educating, connecting and incredibly well organised, I highly encourage you to join the "Our Shared Shelf" book club.
Feel free to follow me on Goodreads and connect with me via social media sites like Twitter , Facebook or Instagram to continue the conversation.

I would love to know about your experiences with "Our Shared Shelf" or any other book club you're paricipating in. Leave a comment or tweet me at @thecapitalF using #favorite