Book Club

When I became an empty nester I realized I had a lot of extra free time for the first time in a long while.  With my children away at college, there was so much silence, so much aloneness.  After years of running kids to sports practice, games, play practice, doctor appointments, and birthday and graduation parties, it was time for some “Me Time”.  I could do anything I wanted.  What should I choose?  Having weekly Netflix binges, finding a new book series that I loved, vegging out on the couch watching all the new tv shows?  No, I was thinking too introverted.  I needed to get out and be social.  I needed to interact with others in a fun cheerful kind of way.  I know!!!  BOOK CLUB!!!!! It combines my favorite thing–reading- with social interaction.  Perfect!!

book club  /book kleb/ noun  def. 1.  A group of people who get together once a month to eat yummy food, drink delicious cocktails and enjoy decorations around a theme of a book that they rarely get around to discussing.

I started a book club with several friends when my youngest went off to college and it has grown over time to include several more friends.  I have learned something about book club that I would like to share with you, especially any bookworm introverts, like me,  who may be on the fence about book club.

The idea of book club seems marvelous to me.  If you don’t already know this about me, I am an idealist.  I imagine book club will be like my favorite English Lit class in college; the one where I had the most amazing professor who leads the class in passionate discussions about the works of Thomas Hardy.  Life Changing, idea sharing, thoughts on life death, fate and love.  And we get to drink wine while discussing it!  Amazing!

In reality book club is not like my ideal.  In book club we focus on the food and drinks we serve.  In book club there are people who haven’t even read the book.  In book club there are people who didn’t even BUY the book (or borrow it from the library like I usually do)!  In book club we get sidetracked and talk about every topic other than the book we read.  But we have had some amazingly fun times in book club meetings.  I wouldn’t change a thing about any one of them.  We have opened each others eyes to many different genres and expanded our horizons together.  We read Agatha Christie and had a murder mystery dinner where we dressed up and played a part.  We read Jane Austen and had an English high tea sleepover during which we watched Pride and Prejudice.  We read Anne Rice and enjoyed a New Orleans Mardi Gras feast.  We even had a pool party!  I really truly cherish the times I have spent with my book club gals.

The bottom line is this.  The real purpose of book club isn’t just reading a book.  Anyone can do that on their own, anytime they want.  The real purpose of book club is connecting with friends, sharing what is going on in our lives, helping each other heal from a loss, supporting each other during times of stress or change, and giving encouragement that life is good and full of beauty and lovely things.

And if we get around to talking about the book, well then that’s good too!