by Jeanette O'Hagan
As an avid reader, I am always looking for new books. Not that there is a shortage of available books – with hundreds of thousands
of new ones published each year, libraries with overloaded shelves and old
classics available at the click of a mouse. But how does one sort through the
chaff to find the precious grains of wheat? For me, new releases by known
authors, trusted publishers or genres, reviews on Good Reads or elsewhere, Blog
tours, recommendations from friends and browsing the aisles of bookshops or
libraries are all good ways to discover new treasures.
And then, over the last couple of years I have discovered delightful,
challenging, poignant books and new authors amid a whirl of laughter,
conversation, coffee and delicious food. Why? I joined two book clubs, both
meeting monthly.
One of the book clubs is more traditional in format. It is
the smaller of the two – about eight to ten people each month with one brave
male. Our leader (with some consultation) decides which book the group will
read. Mostly this is determined by what book club offerings are available at
the local library though on a few occasions we will all buy the set book. We (endeavour to) read the book during the month and then, over hot drinks and
cake, we discuss what we think about it. We have covered a wide range of genres
– literary, romance, science-fiction, detective, historical, memoir, comic,
inspirational. While a couple of titles have been a drag to read, I have found
many gems and have been enriched by the experience. We don’t have any trouble
discussing the book and it is fascinating hearing everyone’s responses. Where
one may love a particular title, another might hate it. And everyone sees different
things in the story. This enhances my understanding and appreciation of the
book and author. Our group is fairly diverse – ranging from 40s to 70s in age,
from different walks of life and interests.
I have to say though, that the other group is my favourite.
I was saddened when, due to the time commitments of the leaders, this group
finished up at the end of the last year. This was a larger group with usually fifteen
or more women coming together the hostess’s lounge room. There was a range of
ages from young mums to grandmas. Instead of having a set book, we would go
around the group and talk about the books we had read that month. If we wanted,
and most did, we could bring the books with us to lend them to anyone intrigued
by the owner’s review. Some books circulated through almost the whole group as
the succession of readers were enthused by it. The whole night was casual and
relaxed. Everyone understood when someone hadn't managed to read because
the month had been busy. This was a very lively group and the spirited chatting
before we settled down to share our treasures was just as much fun as listening
to each other talking about the books we had loved to read – and the few we had
hated. I discovered many books and new authors I liked this way. The advantages
of this format was that we were not restricted to what the local library had
chosen to provide in multiple copies nor were we committed to buying a particular book. We
did a few different things as well. One evening we had a local author come to
speak to the group about her book, another we went to hear a well known author
at a public speaking event. We also went as a group to see the latest movie
version of Jane Eyre when it came out, we talked about our childhood favourites
and we had a pyjama party to support the Pyjama Foundation. At the end of the
year we would have a Christmas party, bringing along a gift wrapped book to be
exchanged.
Both book clubs were associated with a church as a way of
connecting with people.
There are certain logistics involved in running a book club –
who should be invited, where to meet, what format to run, how often, how casual
or formal it should be, how books are chosen, and who leads. Yet these decisions
are not too onerous and a book club can be a great way to share your love of
reading and favourite authors with fellow book lovers. It is also a great way to discover books and
authors you might never have considered reading before.
Have you ever been part of a book club? Would you consider it?
Jeanette O’Hagan
Jeanette has practiced medicine, studied communication, history and theology and has taught theology. She is currently caring for her children, enjoying post-graduate studies in writing at Swinburne University and writing her Akrad fantasy fiction series. She is actively involved in a caring Christian community. You can find her at her Facebook Page or webiste JennysThread.com .
