Book
Group
“I
never feel lonely if I've got a book—they're like old friends. Even
if you're not reading them over and over again, you know they're
there. And they're part of your history. They sort of tell a story
about your journey through life.”
Emillia
Fox
I've
been reading all my life—ever since I learned how in Mrs. Wesley's
first grade class. Books are time-travelers and personal friends for me. But recently, I left my book group, and I don't
want to go back. I'm wrestling with this decision, because I like the
women in the group a lot, and the socializing was enjoyable. But there
was never enough time between meetings for me to get through the
whole book, and three out of four were books that I truly had no
interest in reading. I'm just frugal enough (some would say 'tight')
to not want to buy a book if I'm not eager to read it. And the bulk
of the group lives 10-15 miles away from me--that's a long drive at 10 o'clock. Also, evenings when the club
meets, are my creative time—I like to spend them stitching.
Excuses, excuses, you say.
The
truth is, I have so little time for reading that I want to read what
I want to read—it's a selfish thing. This summer I've read five or
six books, all of which I enjoyed immensely, and every single one
took more than the allotted three weeks to read. Now I'm thinking
about going back to the classics. There are a number of great books I
haven't read since high school or college. Besides that, I like to go to the
library and just poke around until I find something intriguing to
take home. Most of the books chosen at book club were brand new, and
the number of “holds” on them at the library were double digits.
By the time I got my hands on one, the group was meeting again.
I
sound whiny even to my own ears, but I think we have to chart our own
course in life. I love reading. I will continue to read until my eyes
don't work any more. But I may not be cut out for a book group. It's
good to know who you are and who you aren't, don't you think. What
about you? Are you in a book group? Do books speak to your soul?
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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