Finding a good book to read can be a challenge on its own – should you go thriller or sci-fi, what about romantasy or memoir? And then trying to find a group to read and talk about it with? Even harder!
Book clubs are a wonderful addition to the social structure of the book community, and thanks to Good Land Reads, it’s becoming even easier to find one to join.
We talked with the founder of Good Land Reads, Christie, to hear her story and learn what sparked the idea for this reading resource.
How did Good Land Reads get its start? What is your background?
I’m a product manager by trade and spent the last 5+ years working in the software space. I’m also a voracious reader and have been in a book club for over a decade, which a friend invited me into after our failed attempt at starting our own.
In addition, last year I was part of a group of families trying to continue Fred and Linda Burg’s 40-year legacy of the Little Read Book in Wauwatosa; however, that didn’t happen for a number of reasons. One of which was that I was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after my 40th birthday.
Those two things came together into a year that put a lot in perspective and left me with a strong pull toward doing something for the reading community. I’m driven (and impatient) by nature, so when a friend asked why there wasn’t a dating app for book clubs and hinted that I should be the one to build it, I took the ball and ran with it.
How long have you been in business? Have you faced any major challenges with growing your business or any triumph stories?
I started working on Good Land Reads this spring and we launched in June.
The software landscape has changed a lot in the last couple years, and it’s changed who gets to build. Most of my career, I was the person writing the roadmap and handing it to an engineering team. This is the first time I’ve been able to go from idea to something live myself, without a co-founder or a dev team, using tools that didn’t really exist when I started my career. That’s been so fun and rewarding. I’m not just describing what I want anymore; I’m building it, and building something I actually want to use myself!
What is Good Land Reads, and why did you feel it would be a good fit in the Milwaukee area?
Ultimately, it’s becoming a map of Milwaukee’s reading community.
Reading, BookTok, bookstores, all of it is having a moment, including here in Milwaukee, and I am here for it. It feels like people aren’t shy about what they’re reading anymore. But I always wonder how many of those readers have found their people yet, like I have. I believe all Milwaukee readers should have that opportunity.
What’s the mission behind Good Land Reads?
At the core, it’s about connecting readers with clubs that actually fit them, so people stop guessing, joining the wrong one, and quitting, or never trying at all. It’s also about giving book clubs a home. A permanent presence whether or not they’re actively taking new members, and another way to get the word out about their meetings. Even if a club meets in someone’s living room with the same five people every month, they have a place on Good Land Reads. And if folks are already in a book club and just curious about what others are reading, where they’re meeting, etc., they’re welcome to browse too.
What is it like being a small business in MKE? If you’re a woman, minority, or LGBTQ+ owned business, please feel free to touch on your experiences as an entrepreneur in that space as well.
It’s still early days, but almost everyone I’ve reached out to – bookstore owners, club organizers, local small businesses – has been more than willing to meet for coffee and chat. I’ve especially appreciated other woman-owned businesses supporting me with even just general encouragement. It definitely feels like we’re trying to build each other up.
This has proven true as I sought founding clubs, a small group of clubs that helped shape what Good Land Reads is: The Well Red Damsel (@thewellreddamsel), TBR MKE (@tbr_mke), Gabbi and Karianne with @mkemillennialbookclub, Lucia with @pageflips_powersips, Sam and Michelle with Bad Bitches of Wisconsin (local chapter of @badbitchbookclub), the team at Epilogue Books (@epilogue_books_wi), and my very own club, Babes, Books, and Beers. They represent the diversity of ways readers come together in the area, and I’m grateful for their willingness to be part of something new.
What do you like about being in Milwaukee?
Where do I start? I came here for college and never left. My friends likely get a bit annoyed by my unabashed love for my adopted home: the lakefront (where I learned to surf), the coffee shops and festivals and bookstores, the neighborhoods with their unique personalities. These days, I also love that people embrace small businesses, unique ventures, and creators.
What’s your favorite part about what you’re doing?
Most of my career has been spent building software for people I’ll never meet. You ship something, run some reports or get feedback from sales, and move on to the next thing. Building this has been a different experience entirely. I get to build for a city I love, for readers I actually run into, and the conversations with them have honestly been the best part. What they’re reading, what their book club means to them, what they wish existed out there. That’s the stuff that makes this so fun. It’s also just good, after a year that put a lot in perspective, to be building something instead of waiting.
What can people expect when using Good Land Reads to connect with local book clubs?
You can browse registered clubs on the website without creating an account. When you’re ready, create a reader profile and answer a handful of questions about how you like to read and discuss books. Some people want a club that finishes the book, while some don’t. Some want a meeting that includes twenty people and wine, while others would prefer four people and a very clear agenda for the night. We’ll match you with Milwaukee-area clubs that fit, based on the kind of reading experience you’re looking for, not just genre.
From there, how you connect depends on the club. Public clubs post their meetings through social media, Eventbrite, or their own website, and you can follow them on the site to keep tabs. Private clubs review new members, so you’d request to join, the organizer sees your reader profile and can accept or decline, and it all happens directly on the site. Once you’ve arranged a first guest meeting, both sides privately let each other know if they’d like to continue.
I loaded over 130 Milwaukee-area book clubs by hand before launch so the site wouldn’t feel empty on day one. Clubs can claim their listing and start managing it themselves, and if yours isn’t there yet, you can add it in a few minutes.
Anything else we should know about your business or anything you’d like to mention? Any favorite stories as you’re just starting out?
Like any good product person, I appreciate user feedback. Any thoughts or ideas are genuinely useful as I figure out what to build next.