What image do you conjur when you hear the term “Book Club?” If you have never been in a book club, you may be thinking “boring intellectuals” or “seedy romance fantasies.” When I affectionately mention my book club I see eyes roll or blank stares. I just smile. I love my book club!
We are the Literary Lattes. Literary means concerned with or connected with the writing, study, or appreciation of literature (Collins Dictionary); literature being books and writings published on a particular subject (Oxford Languages Dictionary). Lattes are … well … yummy coffee or tea drinks. We meet once a month at a Barnes and Noble Café, hence the lattes. Usually we add a scone or breakfast sandwich since we meet mid-morning.
In my professional, working years, I had time only to read those things that furthered my knowledge of the position I held and the industry I was in. Once retired, I was starving for some intellectual stimulation, camaraderie, and the expansion of my realm of understanding. A book club seemed to be a good option.
Honestly, I tried starting my own, but after a couple of years, it fizzled out. The people I invited were not committed to process – read the book, discuss, drink some wine, eat some appetizers. Then I tried another but there was too much drama. The organizer was an extremely rule-bound, control freak – nice lady but so obsessed with the rules she created that members of the club began to drop out. That book club was a bit too intense for my retirement entertainment.
Now I have found the perfect match for myself. The group is small, allowing each person to have the space to share her interpretation of the month’s selection. We use one of the many free services available for scheduling and sharing ideas – Book Clubs. I opted to pay for the Premium version so we can have multiple administrators. Our book club is fluid and flexible, so anyone can send messages to others, create book lists, schedule meetings, and post reviews. In this way, no one person is “in charge.” It works for us.
We select books four-to-six months in advance. If someone has extra time or wants to take along a book when traveling, we always know we can read a book in the queue. The books we pick come from various genres: historical fiction, memoir, occasional “beach reads”, mysteries, Pulitzer prize winners, best sellers, and so on. I like the mix. When I am not reading a book club choice, I can always read another book of my own liking.
Recommendations often come from friends outside our club who have read a particular book and shared his or her thoughts. Often, we run across a review or see the book mentioned so many times we figure “maybe we should read this one.” Almost always, we will read a book I otherwise would not have selected for whatever reason. This expands my horizons.
We read the format we prefer for the title and the time –hard cover, soft cover, electronic, or audio. Members have commented that the audio version provided a voice for the characters or author. Of the Kindle version eliminated the extras that appeared at the end of the hard copy.
I enjoy hearing the varying perspectives. Others find passages I may have skimmed over or validate ones that really “spoke” to me. We don’t always agree on the intent of a character or the author’s underlying purpose, be we respectfully listen to each opinion and openly and honestly share our own. How refreshing it is to be able to engage in civil discourse over the content of a published work.
Books can transcend time and place. They can take us where we have never been or where we wish we could go. And according to research, the act of reading stimulates one’s mental capacity and possibly cognitive longevity.
If you are a member of a book club, you probably are nodding your head. If you are not but would like to be, check with your local library, look online, or even a local bookstore – many of which sponsor book clubs. You may have to try a few to find the right fit. Once you do, I believe you will find new friendships in the people who attend or in the characters in the book. Happy reading!
Silver Sage Sisters 