At the end of 2010, I took a big step in my relationship with my boyfriend of one year and moved in with him into a darling home in a wonderful neighborhood. While reading a book a month should have been the easiest item on the list to ignore, I decided to start a book club on my block to force me to be accountable for it. A story is always better when shared with friends, even if I felt guilted into reading it. And perhaps more importantly, it provided an opportunity to reach out to my neighbors whom I knew were amazing people, but I wasn't close enough with to invite to join a book club. And once I did, could I be responsible enough to keep it going? And then there was the question of how do I ask these total strangers? In the end I decided to go door to door and introduce myself to every neighbor on my block. I left each neighbor with a written invitation to the book club and simple instructions for how the club will work-- Each month a different member would host the meeting at their house. Who ever was hosting was to pick the book to be read at the meeting the month before. They also would provide the questions for discussion, and snacks and drinks. I was surprised and elated that at our first meeting, held at my house in January 2011, we had ten women. The book we read and discussed was The Help which was very well recieved by our club. I served Minnie's famous, "terrible awful" chocolate pie, and mint juleps.
It's been a year since I started the book club, and we have read some amazing books. I am thrilled at how fun each meeting is, how everyone participates, offers insight into the stories that I did not see. I've read books I never would have read, but truly enjoyed and I've forged friendships that now extend beyond our meetings. And because the club is made up of neighbors, it has helped to create a sense of community I was longing for. I don't feel guilty when I carve out time to read for myself. In fact the simple act of doing something that I enjoy gives me the boost I need to get through the rest of my day. As I look back at the"far flung" dream I had in my head of the woman reading by the fire, I realize how isolated and limited that imagery was. I may be the woman reading by my fire, but I'm also surrounded by my home(messy though it is) filled with my son and his friends running in and out(tiny fingerprints all over my walls), dinner in the oven(microwave), and neighbors stopping by to say hello(and return weapons left on their lawn). While reading a book a month may seem like an insignificant goal on my list, it keeps me happy, calm, and connected. To quote Mark Twain, "Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience. This is the ideal life."
Here are some of my favorites:
The Things They Carried -- Tim O'Brien
The Glass Castle -- Jeannette Walls
Unbroken -- Laura Hillenbrand
Life of Pi -- Yann Martel
The Lord of the Rings trilogy -- J. R. R. Tolkien
The Unbearable Lightness of Being -- Milan Kundera
Sarah's Key -- Tatiana de Rosnay
Night -- Elie Wiesel
The Kite Runner -- Khaled Hosseini
Atonement -- Ian McEwan
