Book Club Night Kit
The Functional Home
Julie Jones
Cozy night
The Functional Home invites readers to think about what makes a house feel like home, and the small, everyday routines and relationships that keep one running. It is a natural fit for a cozy evening where everyone brings their own idea of home to the table.
Come Home for Book Club
Bring your coziest socks and your thoughts on The Functional Home. There will be pot roast, warm cider, and a soft spot on the couch waiting for you.
Reading level: Moderate
Best for: Friendly, close-knit clubs who like long talks on the couch and sharing personal stories as much as talking about the book
Discussion
Warm-up
- 1.Before we open the book, what is one small thing (a smell, a sound, a lamp, a mug) that instantly makes a place feel like home to you?
- 2.Where were you curled up while reading this, and did your own home feel any different to you while you were in the middle of it?
Digging in
- 1.The title puts 'functional' right next to 'home.' What does a home that truly works look and feel like to you, and how is that different from a home that just looks tidy?
- 2.Which moment or passage gave you a warm, comforting feeling, and what do you think it was reaching in you?
- 3.The book thinks about the daily routines that hold a household together. What is a routine or ritual from your own home, past or present, that you would want to pass on?
- 4.Did anything in the book make you think of the home you grew up in? Share a memory it brought back, happy or bittersweet.
Going deep
- 1.By the time you finished, had your idea of what makes a home 'work' shifted at all? What feeling did you carry with you when you closed the book?
- 2.Homes are rarely perfect. Where did the book make you feel more forgiving toward the messy or unfinished parts of your own life, and where did it gently challenge you?
On the table & to sip
To eat
Slow-Cooker Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
The classic dish of a home that runs itself, set in the morning and ready by evening. Fills the house with that lived-in, welcoming smell before anyone arrives.
Warm Crusty Bread with Honey Butter
Bread at the center of the table is the simplest symbol of home. Buy a good loaf and warm it, or bake a no-knead version the night before.
Skillet Apple Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream
A generous, homey dessert served straight from the pan, family style, which is just the kind of unfussy indulgence the evening calls for.
To sip
Mulled Apple Cider (no alcohol)
Simmered on the stove with cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel so the whole kitchen smells like home. Perfect for anyone skipping alcohol.
Mulled Red Wine
A slow-simmered pot on the back burner that people can ladle from all night, easygoing and warming.
Spiked Hot Chocolate
Rich cocoa with an optional splash of Irish cream or bourbon, topped with whipped cream. Tastes like a cozy night in.
Run of show
7:00
Welcome In
Greet everyone at the door with a warm mug of mulled cider or wine. Let the playlist and the smell of pot roast do the welcoming.
7:15
Settle and Nibble
Pass the bread and honey butter, get everyone comfortable on the couch, and share the 'what makes a place feel like home' warm-up.
7:35
Supper Together
Serve the pot roast family style. Keep book talk light and let stories about home come up naturally.
8:15
Heart of the Book
Move to the living room with the question cards and work through the theme and deep questions at an easy pace.
9:00
Cobbler and Trivia
Bring out the warm cobbler and hot chocolate, then play the home-themed trivia for gentle fun.
9:30
Cozy Close
Fill out the scorecards, hand out bookmarks, and ask everyone to name one home ritual they will try this week.
Host tips
- Put the pot roast and mulled drinks on in the afternoon so you can relax and enjoy your own home when guests arrive.
- Set out blankets and extra pillows and keep the lights low. Lamps and candles work better than overhead lighting.
- Let personal stories run long. If a question sparks a good conversation, skip the next one without worrying about it.
Playlist
Soft, acoustic, and warm, like an evening with the lamps on low and the kettle about to boil
- 01 Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- 02 Home - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
- 03 This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
- 04 Better Together - Jack Johnson
- 05 Homeward Bound - Simon & Garfunkel
- 06 A House Is Not a Home - Dionne Warwick
- 07 Home - Phillip Phillips
Trivia
- 1.The Latin word 'focus' originally meant which part of a home? (The hearth (fireplace))
- 2.Which Roman goddess was the guardian of the hearth and home? (Vesta)
- 3.Who is the Greek counterpart of the Roman goddess of the hearth? (Hestia)
- 4.The English word 'economy' comes from the Greek word 'oikos.' What does 'oikos' mean? (House or household)
- 5.The song 'Home! Sweet Home!' first appeared in an opera in which decade? (The 1820s (1823))
- 6.Which 1939 film made the line 'There's no place like home' famous? (The Wizard of Oz)
- 7.Which Scandinavian word describes a cozy feeling of comfort and contentment, often at home? (Hygge (Danish and Norwegian))
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
“A home is made by what we do each day.”
The Functional Home
Julie Jones
bookclubnight.com
“The kettle's on, the lamp is low, stay a while.”
The Functional Home
Julie Jones
bookclubnight.com
“Not perfect, just lived in and loved.”
The Functional Home
Julie Jones
bookclubnight.com
Rate the book
Warmth Factor☆☆☆☆☆
Felt Like Home☆☆☆☆☆
Stirred Up Memories☆☆☆☆☆
Would Reread on a Rainy Day☆☆☆☆☆
Blanket-and-Tea Worthy☆☆☆☆☆
This book felt like a ______ in book form: ______________________
One home ritual it made me want to try: ______________________
The moment that felt most like a hug: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.