What are you reading in your Book Club?
My Book Club isn’t reading an actual book. I know, I know. Why a Book Club with no book? It’s not that we don’t read books. We do. And we actually have conversations about them. Make recommendations to one another. Pass books around our group. There are no “assignments” to finish the book. We just plan to meet once a month. Share a meal and chat. If you aren’t in a Book Club I think you should be and here are some reasons why:
1} It’s an opportunity to be a part of a social group (my preference is a group of women, but do whatever you want).
Whether you are new to town or struggle to feel like you belong or want to reconnect with some old friends-A book club could be the start of some beautiful relationships.
2} For me, it’s a guaranteed timeout once a month.
A night away from the family (usually), where I don’t have to spend any money and the hardest decision I’ll make is what to bring for the potluck.
3} Speaking of food, it’s an opportunity to eat some.
My Book Club always does potluck, but maybe in your Book Club the host makes the whole meal. Or maybe you go out. Or maybe you just have desserts. Either way, snacks of some sort are usually part of the deal.
4} Additionally, wine.
Or beer, or coffee, or gin and tonics, or seltzer. Whatever the beverage of choice, don’t you just want to sit and have a drink with a friend without being interrupted by your children/partner/phone? Cause I do.
5} So since I’ve had a glass of wine, I might start getting a little personal.
I might talk about things that bother me in my home. Or listen to what’s bothering other’s in theirs. Book Club is an opportunity to commiserate with peers or alternately, celebrate things you can’t tell anyone else yet (like that you are pregnant, or got a new job). It’s basically free group therapy. Because if there is one rule about any book club it’s that “what happens in Book Clubs stays in Book Club.”
6} It makes me a better writer.
When I read lots of books-some that I may not have picked up if someone else hadn’t suggested it-my writing is better. The more you read the better you write. It’s as simple as that. Book Club inspires me to read better so I can write better.
This particular Book Club works for me because it’s just my speed. The other women in the group (some with children, some without and a few babies on the way) seem to get the need for flexibility and are sensitive to each others needs. The group I meet with are a bunch of social workers. We all used to work together, but one by one, many of us have moved on to different jobs. Book Club guarantees that I will be able to continue relationships with these women. Life gets so busy and it’s easy to let people slip away merely because you are unable to coordinate a time in your action packed lives to see one another. Book Club can solve this problem.
Finally, I’d like to provide you with a list of my top 5 reads in the past year that are perfect Book Club books:
5. Master Butcher’s Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
4. Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
2. Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty
1. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
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I am just this humongous reader, but have never been a part of a book club. It sounds like my ideal way to spend an evening. Thanks for the recommendations. I’m reading The Son by Phillip Meyer right now and really enjoying it.
We just read The Language of Flowers! Some of the other books we have read are: Gone Girl, The Kitchen House, The Girl You Left Behind, Dream With Little Angels, and The Deep Zone by James Tabor