Hearthstone Book Club: Spring
An invitation to discuss 'The Circle of Seasons' (with the author!)
“Rooted in time, in community and in the greatest, truest story of all, the church year focuses our attention, moment by moment, season by season, year after year, on the one thing that is needful, enabling us to enter together into the very life of God as he enters into life with us.”
, The Circle of Seasons
Welcome! Whether you’re a longtime friend or a new kindred spirit here (I recommend visiting the Village Green to get your bearings), I’m delighted to be a companion to you through the liturgical year.
I’m so thrilled to be entering into a new season of book club with you - feel free to peek back through our previous book selections & discussions, which are always so fun.
Pax+bonum, Kristin.
With winter gradually giving way to signposts of spring, I’m sure many of us are anxious to spend a bit more time outside.1
I have the perfect springtime selection to accompany our reading group of kindred spirits - it’s a re-energizing book that makes you want to take it out into the world and put its wisdom into action. It’s written with such a beautiful posture of curiosity, making it a resource of wonder & inspiration for those who are new to the liturgical year, as well as a welcome revitalization for those who are familiar with it.
This spring, we’ll be savoring ’s memoir The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year!
(AND we’ll even get to be joined by K. C. in one of our discussions!)
From the back cover:
The church year is a uniquely Christian way of marking time. When K. C. Ireton began to understand this, even the most ordinary moments of her life began to resonate with the stories of Scripture. In this book, she traces the circle of the liturgical year—from Advent to Ordinary Time—describing the origin of each season and its ongoing relevance for our lives. The Circle of Seasons presents a simple and traditional way of building your life around your faith, rather than the other way around.
This book is small but mighty: K. C. walks us through her growing experience in the Church year, diving into the origins of these liturgical rhythms and also bearing them forth into modern life. She looks at the liturgical year as a mode of spiritual formation, not a dusty museum.2
I met K. C. through our mutual friend/poet
, and I’ve found that she’s one of those warm souls who blends wise counsel with humility and approachability. She carries that gift through her book and gives us the Church year in a real, approachable form.
is the author of several books, including The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year; A Yellow Wood and Other Stories; and This Gladsome Light, her debut novel (due out in summer 2026). She holds a Master of Arts in Apologetics from Houston Christian University, where she studied literary apologetics and wrote her thesis project on Christological imagery in the fairy stories of Hans Christian Andersen. Visit her online at kcireton.com or kcireton.substack.com.
GATHERINGS
Hearthstone Book Club is open to all subscribers - so, whether you’re a paid member or a free subscriber, I’d be delighted for you to read along, discuss with other subscribers in our Chat, or share thoughts in the comments here.
I’ll also be hosting two live Zoom gatherings for paid members, giving us a chance to connect with each other across the miles as we read!
And I’m so incredibly grateful that lovely
will be joining us for our second Zoom discussion. As we’ve found in our earlier book club seasons, it’s a beautiful thing to steep ourselves in someone’s writing and then enjoy conversation with the creative mind who wove all those words together.Book Club Gatherings:
ZOOM
For paid members.
Details and a Zoom link - as well as recipes for a festive beverage - will be sent the week of each gathering, and a reminder (with link) will be posted in Chat. If you can’t make it to these gatherings live, no worries; they’ll be recorded and posted for you to watch on the re-play!
Friday, April 4 at 5 pm PST
Just an informal gathering as we launch our spring book club as a group!Thursday, April 24 at 2 pm PST - WITH THE AUTHOR!
Delightful , author of our spring book selection, will be joining us for Q&A and discussion!
SUBSTACK CHAT
For all subscribers.
We’ll discuss the book using Substack’s text Chat feature! Details will be sent out a few days before we gather. In the meantime, you’re always welcome to discuss the book in Chat throughout our book club months!
Saturday, April 26 at 11 am PST
To help you keep track of our Book Club dates amidst your busy spring days, here’s another library card for your (growing) collection!
The “stamp” for our spring library card features a Swallow - harbinger of spring, so often tied with the Blessed Virgin Mary - bearing an Easter Lily. As we move through Lent and into Eastertide this spring, we’ll also be moving through our book club selection alongside each other!
Feel free to print it out and place it in your book (pop it on the fridge, pin it to your calendar) to keep those dates close at hand.
A few suggestions for finding your copy of The Circle of Seasons (if you have other tips, send ‘em my way!):
As energetic springtime growth begins to surround us, this is the perfect book as a companion - asking us to send our roots deep, looking at the calendar and the life of Jesus from new and varied angles.
Feel free to invite your friends to read along!
And, as always, reach out with any questions.
Pax et bonum,
Kristin
READ ON
And for our Southern Hemisphere friends, I’m sure you’re hopeful for a shift from summer’s heat to more mild temperate fall temperatures!
With all due respect to dusty museums, which I do love.
Well, adding THIS to my calendar. K.C.'s book was my first introduction to the church calendar and it has made such a big difference!
Kristin! What a lovely introduction you've given me. Thank you so much! I look forward to chatting with you and with your readers next month!