Wellbeing
Published on September 26, 2020
Comments 21

Reaching a milestone: being asked to join a cool Book Club

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Me aged 3 thinking about going to school, where there ARE lots of new books to discover

Dare I state the obvious? I LOVE to read. One way I resist Capitalism with glee is to lie on the couch buried in a book for a few hours.

I’ve always been like that: as a quiet, dreamy child, I was never happier than when lost in the world of a book. Well, actually, playing with our guinea pigs was pretty good too (Lord Palmeston and Lady Windemere- photo sadly not available).

So imagine my delight when last Sunday the phone rang, and my dear friend’s husband asked me in his deep formal voice if I would care to join his Book Club?

I felt like a kid again, I was so excited. As soon as the invitation began to sink in, I immediately thought about what book I would suggest- somehow I have learnt along the way that this is the protocol.

‘”Girl, Woman, Other”, G, that’s a great book. They’ll think you’re edgy and cool/well-informed. And it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2019.’

Calm, succinct words continued to flow down the phone line:

‘Our book this month is “Girl, Woman, Other”, have you heard of it?’

I gasped.

View from verandah

‘Are you serious? I’ve read it twice! Got to the end, waited a week, started again cos I loved it so much. It’s what I would have suggested.’

A long pause on the other end (he’s a slow-talking, thoughtful man).

‘This is better than a Hollywood script isn’t it? It’s meant to be. We will see you at the end of the month then?’

Oh yes you will. I’m going to read it again, and make notes this time :~)

What about you Dear Reader?

Have you been in a Book Club? How old were you when you joined- I’m 54- been waiting a long time. Have you read this book? And most importantly, WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR ME TO RECOMMEND NOW? I’ve no ideas…

In gratitude for letters, words, sentences, and books, G xO

21 Comments

  1. gigglingfattie says

    I was in a book club in South Korea in 2015! It was nice to meet other expats and make some friends, but I didn’t really enjoy the books they picked haha!

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    • bone&silver says

      I KNEW you’d have been in a Book Club T!
      Yes, I’m looking forward to meeting the other 7 people in it (I’ve met a couple of them socially but it will be interesting to sit and discuss books)- I hope I like their other choices 😉

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    • bone&silver says

      Thanks S 🥰
      And on the back of it, in my Dad’s distinctive curly writing, it says ‘Gaby, aged 3, trying to decide if she wants to go to school or not- already speaks French with a better accent than we two!’ 😊

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  4. Donna Cameron says

    Thanks for the recommendation, G. I’ve reserved Girl, Woman, Other at my library. There’s quite a wait for it, so word is getting around. I hadn’t heard of it before. Here’s one I can recommend to you: The Rent Collector, by Camron Wright. Don’t be put off by the description–it’s not dreary or depressing. Quite the contrary. The setting is a municipal waste dump in Cambodia, where the residents live and eke out a living scavenging through the mountains of garbage. As grim as that sounds, it wasn’t! It was uplifting, captivating, and even funny. Plus, it was a love letter to books, words, ideas, and the power of literacy. Just writing this make me want to read it again.

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  5. cultivatingjoy says

    I’ve been part of a bookclub for 5 years and I love it! We have super interesting conversations and it has led me to read books i would never have chosen myself but were really great! Enjoy your bookclub!!

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  7. Holly Smith says

    We had a book club on our lunch our once a month and it was the best time I’ve had at work. We were all happy to get together and share our thoughts on the book. Unfortunately work picked up and we had to set it aside. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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    • bone&silver says

      Thanks for commenting Holly- that sounds like a smart way to improve workplace morale- maybe you could get it back again? I hope I enjoy it too 😃🙏🏼

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  9. Ann Coleman says

    It sounds as if you have joined a wonderful book club! I belong to our neighborhood book club, and it’s a nice way to get to know my neighbors a little bit better, but as a book club, it leaves a bit to be desired. We tend to read the same sort of book over and over and our discussions aren’t exactly deep. As for books to recommend, that’s so hard, because it’s so subjective. But personally, I think you can’t go wrong with Magdelyn Nabb’s books, or Ann Patchett.

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