Last year I decided I wanted to do more socializing and reading. The solution for both those goals was a book club. I didn’t know anyone in a book club so went to Meetup.com hoping to find a match.
I was surprised to find there were lots of book clubs in San Diego catering to a variety of interests. Some are large with over a thousand members while others have less than 20 and a whole lot in between.
The first thing I did was look for clubs meeting in my geographic area as San Diego is a pretty spread-out metropolitan area. Then I looked for one that was women only, small and sounded interesting. My choice has wine in the title and rotates meeting places among local venues known for wine or craft beers.
I loved my first meeting and all the ones since even if I don’t love each month’s reading selection. Here are some of the reasons all readers should consider a book club.
Reading
Both my parents were readers and I inherited their love of books. I fondly remember Christmas presents of books from my favorite series (Bobbsey Twins and Donna Parker among others).
I was still reading (especially on vacation) but not regularly. It’s great to have a deadline forcing me to keep to a schedule of reading.
Book Selections
Left to my own devices I don’t venture out of my comfort zone of books. My selections would be 100% science fiction and adventure books. Reading books selected by others opens me up to new authors, new points of view and sometimes wonderful stories I would have missed.
One of those new authors was Amor Towles. I thought my husband would enjoy his book, A Gentleman in Moscow. Not only was I right but he then then passed it along to our sister-in-law who also enjoyed it.
Meeting Venues
Even though my wine-focused book club meets locally they venues so far have been restaurants I don’t normally frequent. A couple I’ve gone back to with co-workers or family members.
Even if it’s not my favorite (Karl Strauss), it’s good to try new menu items and locales plus the food isn’t the focus of the evening.
Friendship
My path would probably not cross the other women in book club so it’s a win to meet so many interesting, intelligent and fun people. I love the variety of personalities, viewpoints and demographics.
Yes we discuss the book of the month but the conversations veer into personal topics before and after that the book talk. I can see the friendships that have already developed as well as growing some of my own with each book and monthly get-together.
Fun
The whole experience of the book club is fun to me. Giving myself time to sit and read and then again time to spend with the other members. Of course the food, drink and conversation are fun!
So much so that I joined a second book club soon after with a very different vibe. It is a longtime club (decades) that meets at the same venue with a larger group and so popular that one has to sign up for the next meeting the first day it’s posted and even the waitlist gets full.
I plan to keep on book clubbing and maybe find some other groups on Meetup. Have you ever belonged to a book club?
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