introducing the milk & cookies book club!!!

Aug 17, 2025

there are ideas that sit with you for months, sometimes even years. you carry them around the way you carry a line from a book: quietly, like a secret that keeps you company. this club started as one of those lines.

one year ago, i started milk & cookies with one small essay and zero expectations. i wrote while my baby napped or during my morning coffee. sometimes i used some dear drafts i had written years ago between classes and trains, through my bachelor’s and then my master’s in marketing, always with a book in my bag. school taught me frameworks and behavior and why people pay attention; reading taught me how people feel. the mix of those two: the analysis and the ache, is what became milk & cookies. you showed up, week after week. you left notes that sounded like voice memos from a friend. you asked for more. and eventually, i realized: i don’t just want to write at you, i want to read with you. i want the feeling of finishing a chapter and knowing someone else, somewhere, is pausing on the same paragraph. i want the kind of conversation that books make possible: slower, more honest, less performative. that’s the story behind this club.

what this will be (and why it matters)

we’ll read one book a month (i did not want this to feel like a race or homework). i would like all of us to have a shared ritual that cuts through the noise a little. i want this to be the part of your day that’s human and unhurried and i want it to be generous: to your time, your budget, your attention..

books are personal, but reading alone can feel… lonely. a book club changes that. you notice what other people notice, hear ideas you wouldn’t have thought of, and borrow courage, insight, or laughter from someone else’s perspective. you get to wrestle with the story together, compare notes, and feel like you’re part of a small, thoughtful community. if milk & cookies has been a place to think, this will be a place to think together, to connect over ideas, and to experience the books in a way that’s richer than reading alone. and of course, share your unique insights too.

our first pick

we’re starting with tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin. it’s a novel about friendship and creativity and the lives we build around the work we love. it’s tender without being precious, smart without being cold, and full of those little lines you carry around for weeks. i love this book because it asks the questions we ask here all the time: what does it mean to make something? to love someone for a long time? to try again? i can’t wait to hear what you underline (mentally! or in your own copy).

where we’re reading together (and why)

we’ll meet on fable (it’s an app) because it feels most like a living room that fits all of us and because many of you recommended it in our subscriber chat. after trying other platforms, this is what i like about fable for our club:

chapter-by-chapter threads: conversations open in step with the book, so you can drop a thought in the right place without spoiling anything for someone still on page 42.
structured pace, zero pressure: i’ll set easy-going checkpoints (think: week 1 / week 2, etc.) so the discussion doesn’t get chaotic, but you can still read whenever your life allows.
polls & prompts: we’ll vote on future picks, drop weekly questions, and keep it democratic and fun.
announcements & pinned posts: a tidy home for timelines, resources, and “start here” notes so no one is lost.
mobile + web: join from wherever you actually read — your phone, your ipad, your kindle, or if you’re like me… a physical book.

join here → milk & cookies book club on fable

important: i’m not asking you to buy the ebook on fable. bring your own copy from anywhere, we’re just using fable as our discussion room.

how i’ll show up there: i’ll open each section with a short note (what moved me, what confused me, what i’m noticing), add a few open questions, and circle back during the week to respond, connect threads, and highlight brilliant points you bring up. think of me as your very enthusiastic host who also loves to sit on the floor and listen.

how to get involved (practical, simple)

1) stay tuned on substack
this is still home base. i’ll announce monthly picks, share reading calendars, and post reflections + end-of-month reviews here. if you’re new, you can [subscribe here] to get updates in your inbox.

2) join the club on fable
click here to join: fable: milk & cookies book club
once you’re in, introduce yourself if you feel like it. lurkers are welcome, too.

3) come hang on instagram
i’ll run occasional q&as, little polls, and share behind-the-scenes thoughts while i’m reading. tag me so i can see your setup, your margin-notes, your snack of choice. [@ayushi_thakkar]

how to read (and how to support, if you’d like)

this club is free, there’s no fee to join and no one is expected to pay. i’m putting in my time, energy, and resources to make this happen, and all i ask in return is that we show up together. read along, share your thoughts, reply to others in the club, tag me on instagram, engage in the conversations on fable. reading is fun, but it’s better when we do it together, and that’s what will make this club alive and meaningful. also, i care deeply about books and the kind of curiosity they spark, and i want as many people as possible to be part of this. if you can, share the club with your friends, your family, your group chats, it would mean the world to me, and it’s one of the best ways to help this grow.

grab the book however you like: library, local bookstore, kindle, audiobook, or even a friend’s copy. the point is to participate, discuss, and connect. by engaging with me, with each other, and with the books, you’re supporting the club and helping us build a space that’s sustainable, thoughtful, and full of curiosity.

what you can expect

thoughtful curation: we’ll choose books that are human, questioning, and culturally alive: stories that stretch how we think about love, family, work, identity, belonging.
variety without whiplash: contemporary lit, memoir, translated gems, modern classics, different textures, same standard: worth finishing and worth discussing.
accessibility first: i’ll aim for picks available in paperback, libraries, and multiple formats. i’ll also share the next month’s pick early on substack/instagram so you can reserve or borrow in time.
easy structure: light checkpoints, clear threads, and a monthly wrap-up so you always know where to jump in.
real conversation: we’ll disagree kindly, follow tangents, share context (music, articles, interviews) that enrich the read.
no perfection required: join even if you’re behind. add your thoughts even if they’re half-formed. especially if they’re half-formed.

and when we finish a book, we’ll come back to substack for a deeper review and a few big questions i’ll write through.

if you guys need a video essay version of these, i’ll post video essays on youtube, say the word in the comments and i’ll start. (and no, substack isn’t going anywhere, after all this is where it all started!!).

i want more time to write long-form again, the kind of pieces you curl up with. maybe one day, a book of my own (a few of you have asked for a memoir so maybe, someday; i’m gathering the thread). until then, this club is my favorite way to keep us honest and curious and connected.

spread the word

invite a friend, a sibling, your work bestie, your mom. post it to your story. text this link into a group chat that’s been quiet. the club is free to join! the more voices we have, the better the conversation gets, and the more likely we are to stick with the ritual.

tl;dr (for the skimmers i adore)

one book a month.
first pick: tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by gabrielle zevin.
join the discussion on fable → here
support by tagging me when you post, engaging in the discussions, and inviting friends who’d love to read along. the more we share, the more this grows.
stay tuned on substack for calendars + reviews; instagram for q&as + polls.