Tools of the Trade: Book Club

Later this week I have my second ever meeting of a book club. It’s hard to believe that I’ve never been in a book club before, but part of it was that I just never knew anyone who lived near me that had one, and another part of it was that I was always “too busy”. Now I wish I’d joined one sooner. I’m very introverted, but I can talk to anyone about books. And this is a group of people who get together for the sole purpose of discussing books. How awesome is that?!? Full disclosure: part of my extreme delight in these evenings may have something to do with the fact that the host happily makes us all dinner, and even makes mine dairy free.

I think it’s also been good for me to expand my range of reading. None of the books on the list are books that I would ever choose to read for myself, so it’s nice to get a little push out of my comfort zone and broaden my horizons. Left to my own devices, I get on kicks where I’ll read nothing but mysteries for months on end, then maybe jump to fantasy, then science fiction, and back to mysteries, and rinse and repeat.

One of the reasons I love discussing books with people is that reading is such an interactive experience. What you bring to the book is as much a part of the reading experience as the words on the page in front of you, so no two people will ever have the exact same reaction to it. Listening to other people’s interpretations helps me think about the book in a new way, and in a great discussion, helps me think about other books in a new way.

So those are all the reasons why I love my book club. What about you? Have you ever been in a book club? What is the main reason you like it?