Welcome to Book Club. The first rule of Book Club is: you do talk about Book Club.
And boy am I going to talk about this! I'm really late in joining one, but I can now say I understand why people get so excited about them. It's brilliant! Reading, sharing thoughts over wine while socializing-it's a wonderful way to spend an evening with friends. It doesn't hurt that this will also help me reach one of my goals on my "20 in 2020" list. My first, in fact.
#1 Read 5 books
I haven't completed this goal but I am working on it, so while I mention it I won't be tagging and dating this on my initial goal post. Not yet. It's not completed, but I'm halfway there and that makes me happy! Now back to the point of this entire post.
BOOK CLUB!
I wasn't the only one who set goals for 2020, and thankfully not the only one who wanted to be more intentional with setting aside time to read. Enter the creation of the book club. The enthusiasm for this idea was high. Everyone was invited, suggestions were made, and a google doc or two later our awesome coordinator had selected books from various genres that would be not only enjoyable, but thought-provoking.
With 'Homegoing' as our inaugural read, discussions ran pretty deep at our first get together and to me that was a good sign of how it effected everyone. But what was also good was the insight I gained into these amazing women over dinner and conversation.
While my husband was cooking up a meal for the guys (because he's generally awesome like that), we ladies had a delightful vegetarian meal provided by our hostess and delicious cheesecake made by our coordinator. It was food for the soul followed by conversations that came from the heart.
Our first meeting was a well-lead one, directed by questions that in responding, showed our different perspectives, our collective agreements, and at the end, while I was looking over the family tree of the characters in the story, being asked one by one if we would recommend the book and why.
So would I? Absolutely. 'Homegoing' is going to make you uncomfortable, it's going to draw you in with the honest, vivid brush strokes painted by the author. You'll become emotionally invested and perhaps frustrated when one chapter ends and the next begins. But it's beautifully written, touching on notable moments in history, and each chapter has the strength to stand on its own, giving the entire book a feel of a short story collection that still manages to cohesively tie together.
The evening left me feeling incredibly inspired by our discussions, but more than that, excited for the ones at next month's book club and beyond. It was a fabulous idea that's turned into a great way to do something for ourselves, but at the end of the day, we did this this for one another, too-even if unintended. Sharing thoughts, exploring different points of view, getting to know one another better though a very fun activity...it was wonderful.
And now it's in the books!
