Expand your mind: join a book club!

I love reading! Read all the time. Only ever 1 book at a time.  Have to finish it before I start another. I get easily confused that way… lol

Of course I had heard about book clubs, but never known anyone who was part of one and never really considered joining either.  Until I came home.  My lovely friend from up the road suggested I might like to when we were talking books one day.

Now generally I read books of the one-ish genre – spy-espionage/thrillers/murders (the gorier the better ?!) mainly from David Baldacci, Vince Flynn and James Patterson and the odd, very odd chick fiction (think Jodi Piccoult et al).   So I surprised myself when it came up and I seriously considered it.  Reading books I would probably never get off the shelf, let alone hear about otherwise was a challenge to me. And of course the social side of it. Have a drink, talk books for, oh, 5 mins and then whatever we want.   For me, it was as much about reading new books as it was meeting new people and making new friends in my area.  A lot has changed in 7 years.

I now have a pile of books waiting to be read and a list on hold at the library… more on that later.

The first book was “Reading Lolita in Tehran”.  Seriously heavy stuff.  About a book group.  And that was about it.  While I am happy to read new things and learn from them, there are some books that are notoriously hard to get into and one cannot read them.  I am willing to accept defeat, you never know, I may try it another day.  But I don’t think so, in all honestly.  Pretty well of our group didn’t get much past about 40 pages of this book.  Into hard basket you go.

Over the next few months as the ladies talk about other books they have read, I will be taking notes and checking them out for myself.

The last book was a lovely piece of ‘fluff’ as we call it. Easy reading.  It was written as a biography but in such a way that it was just a great story.  Based in Australia, just north of Sydney, it has made me want to visit the area and see what is there for myself.  Nothing like book club to expand your horizons.

Another book that was suggested is a funny little thing about the Queen and how she got onto reading.  “The uncommon reader”  Brilliant, funny and easy to read.

Then there is “The Slap’ of which a mini series was made for television.  It gained rave reviews here in Australia and I had to wait a good 6 weeks for the book to become available such was its popularity.  I have been warned about the language use and the connection you may make towards several of the characters.  Parents will most likely find themselves on one side the box while non parents are on the other… such is the nature.  I have yet to read and find out for myself and should really let you know…

I wasn’t planning on telling you about all the books we have or will read, but I have already mentioned about getting back to you on my thoughts, which brings me to the conclusions that I may just have to post under a book club category.

Oh-no! I have just done something I said I wouldn’t and generally don’t do… started another book while reading a first!  I flicked over the first few pages of The Slap.. language.  I am no prude, being a nearly 40 mother of teenagers, but there are some words I don’t like and reading them in certain contexts makes them all the more sleazy and disgusting.  Not happy with this one character already (and that was before that word)

Back to where I was.. where exactly was I???  Sorry, was daydreaming for a minute there, looking at my book here on the table.

I tend to not have more than one book on the go at a time because if the book is good enough to hold my attention I will want to do nothing but read it til I am done.  If the book sits on the table/shelf/bench/bedside floor and I walk past thinking “I really must read another chapter/page” then it has not grasped my imagination or piqued my interest enough to want to keep going.

Now like I said earlier, I love reading gory murder stories, not the Steven King type, although we have a bookcase full of them thanks to hubby (who wont read them but just wants them there – ‘they might be collectors items in the future’ he says.  I just laughed at him) but I also like to read real life stories about mass murderers and the like.  A morbid interest? maybe, but I do find them fascinating (and I have watched all the SAW movies too, no closed eyes at all).  That being said I have a book on my shelf at the moment that falls into that ‘boring book’ category.  A real life Australian murder story, just can’t read it.

ok, enough from me… are you part of a book club? do you like reading and what do you read?

Keep reading 🙂

Jennifer