My First Book Club

I love to read. When we moved from Oregon to Wisconsin and I had the summer to play, I read a lot of books - 26  in three months according to my Goodreads account. So when a new Wisconsin friend invited me to be part of a book club, I was excited and nervous to join. Nervous because, while I love to read, I often read for entertainment and don't think too much into any hidden messages from the author. In my mind I imagined book clubs were something like my Honors English class in high school.

Despite not being the cleverest reader at the party, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. The book club meets once a month at someone's home after we've all had a chance to read that month's book. The monthly book is chosen by the group the month prior after one of the members nominates three books of her choosing. The book hostess leads discussion if there's ever a pause, but most of the time there is great discussion about characters, ethics, and favorite lines. It's not always Honors English, and when it is, I've surprised myself by having an opinion much of the time.

While I've been a member of this book club we've read:

The Screwtape Letters
A Girl Named Zippy
The Gifts of Imperfection
The Alchemist
The Nightingale
and Valiant Young Women: Heroines

The Nightingale was my favorite book club read so far. There was such interesting discussion about the two sisters' lives and choices. The book for May is The Girl On The Train and I'm in charge of bringing three book recommendations to choose for our June meeting. So feel free to pass along any recommendations in the comments!

Don't worry! Everyone is on their phones because we were choosing the next
book and looking at reviews and library availability.

When I started attending the book club meetings, I was worried that I would be embarrassed by my lack of insight from the books, or that it would be too much pressure to finish books if I didn't enjoy them or didn't have time. I've been lucky to be in a book club with really wonderful ladies who are all busy but have in common a love for reading. Each of us brings a different perspective and interesting analysis to the table. The best part is that the group is laid back enough that if you haven't read the book, you are encouraged to still come just to hang out. Spending time with these ladies has made the winter fly by and Wisconsin feel like home.