Addicted to book clubs?

I am a book addict (a bibliophile) and somehow I’ve become involved in three book clubs. I don’t really know how it happened they just sucked me in! Being part of these is another way to feed my habit, I am introduced to authors I never would have thought of reading, and they are fun too.

The first one that I joined was at my local library and it’s members are mostly over sixty, only Gwynneth the librarian and I are under fifty. It’s a comforting book club to belong to, no judgements, nobody competes for status we are all just there for one another. When Willie went to hospital, the ladies knew it was all right to call and ask me to drive them there for a visit. These women take one another at face value and are willing to go the extra mile. They are super supportive and always quick with encouragement. We talk about books, kids and grandkids, growing old gracefully and the hobbies they do to keep busy, which is mostly knitting. When I grow up, I want to be just like them.

I joined the second book club through an acquaintance, we started chatting about books during Joshes swimming class and she asked if I would like to join her for her ‘Books and Wine’ book club. I generally don’t drink so I was reluctant to go. Most of the book clubs I’d heard about involved mostly drinking and not much about books, and this one was no exception. Most of the members are German and we all know they love to go large when it comes to alcohol. Their redeeming factor was that despite the overindulgence they have fantastic personalities. Each girl (in true role reversal I’m one of the oldest in the group) is a professional, among them there’s a pilot, a nurse, a graphic designer and a teacher all are intelligent and competent. Most of us have children around the same ages so despite the cultural differences we have that in common. We talk about what’s happening in the world, our husbands, families and money. Sometimes I think we’re a little jealous of each other’s lives and the status held by some but our commonality holds us together. Plus they’re great fun, I laugh a lot when I’m there. After a while, I started to notice something strange, most of the girls at this book club seemed to have an older, better twin in my library book club. They are like the same people living in an alternate older universe.

My last and third book club was actually started by my friend Nisa and I, we wanted to get together some of our buddies and read something of substance. I have eclectic tastes and I tend towards the contemporary. It is here that I met the closest I’ve come to a literary soul mate. Selina and I love to read strange stuff. She’s challenged me with unusual novels and I hope I’ve done the same with her; she’s not as adventurous as I am but we’ll get there. Nisa is only just starting to get into the literate swing of things but we can count on her to say, “I haven’t read the book but I loved the movie.” We’re mostly Portuguese, which means we’re loud! It’s a peppermint tea and coffee book club, no alcohol. Funny I laugh as much if not louder with this bunch of girls and they’re just as professional as book club 2.

I think I belong to these because I needed to meet wonderful characters, great strong women who vary in age and class, all willing to give of themselves and have a lot of fun doing it.