The Book Club

Over the past couple of months life's thrown me some curve balls.  I don't want to imply that it's a bad thing.  It's life, it's what it does.  If nothing was unexpected, it might get darned boring.  Since this is my year to say yes, I decided it was ample time to follow through with what I was handed.

My friend Millie started a book club, of which I am a member.  I'm so thrilled.  I'd tried to start one a couple years ago, but we only met a couple of times.  Because of the craziness of my life, I decided that our group didn't need to pick a book for the month.  Mostly, it was an exchange.  Then work got crazy and I was planning a wedding.  I didn't have time to wrangle everyone together.  I also realised that without a common book to read the group wasn't as compelling. 

So bless Millie for this one.  I wasn't thrilled about the first choice of book.  We read "The Shack."  It's about a man's relationship with God.  Being raised Jewish and adopting Buddhism later in life, it was a perspective I had otherwise not known.   As this is the Year of Yes, I decided that I would read it, even if it wasn't something I was sure to enjoy.  New perspectives and all. 

So it was interesting in that respect.   I have to admit I read an abnormal amount of books.  I have over 600 books on my "to-read" list.  Honestly, I know I won't be able to read all of the, but I want to learn everything I can.  It's a form of escapism.  But I also find that it helps creatively.  I particularly love historical fiction and envisioning what women wore 300 years ago.  It's inspiring.

It also inspires me to keep reading. My immediate knee-jerk reaction after reading The Shack was to continuing reading anything about vampires afterwards. If you're interested in a couple of tips, the Twilight series and Let the Right One In are two of my favorites.  But this is wonderful.  Over the holidays I became very focused on the immediate goal and neglected some other aspects of my life.  I'm learning that I tend to get very focused.  I didn't read for about a month.  And to be honest, it made me restless.  I now know that I need that means of recharge.

The book club has picked a selection or March that I'm really interested in (it was already on my ever-growing list of books to read), so I'm excited.  The group itself is great. I enjoy everyone I met in it.  So this should be really fun.  It's another opportunity to meet people in this city.  People who are interested in reading, no less.  Our Book Club should really have a name.

So far, I haven't participated in suggesting a book.  I'm having fun seeing what other people suggest.  Since I read so much anyway, I feel like I have room to read things I've never heard of.

Right now, I'm back in historical fiction mode, recently finishing The Moonstone by William Wilke Collins.  The back of the book told me that it's the first English detective novel.  My father loaned it to me, partly I think because it revolves around a stolen Indian gem.

Now I'm on to another book about Anne Boleyn, Mademoiselle Boleyn by Robyn Maxwell.  It's not as compelling as the Phillipa Gregory books on the same topic, but fun nonetheless.  It focuses on Ann's time in the French court.  Perhaps another necklace will be inspired by this.