The Importance of Being a Reader
Now I enjoy writing a lot but it’s my main profession and when I need an escape I retreat into reading – as a writer you must never underestimate the importance of reading. It’s what provided me with the inspiration to put pen to paper in the first place and continues to do so. However I am a bit of an adventurous soul and decided to break my solitary reading cycle, which is why I joined a book group. In case you’re interested in following my example I’ll let you in on how I got found the group I’m in and what we get up to.
Now as you might, or might not know there are variety of book groups out there. I took the easy option and browsed the groups listed on Gumtree but there are bound to be more specific book group lists elsewhere. Whilst on Gumtree I came across specific groups, such as ones that focused solely on science fiction or others that adhered to certain lists, e.g. 1001 books to read before you die. I was hoping for something more open-minded so continued browsing, always having in mind the location the group was based in and their preferred day and time of meeting.
Eventually I came across a single-title group that seemed to meet my requirements and emailed them. A day or two later they replied and asked me to drop in on their next monthly meeting which was the following day at a pub near Camden Town. Obviously I didn’t have enough time to read the book in question but I logged onto Wikipedia, not the most academically rigorous sources, but enough for a synopsis. This allowed me to offer a few opinions when they turned to me after discussing ‘The Collector’ by John Fowles. People often take divergent views on a book with some very strident indeed. It’s likely to vary from group to group but the one I attend usually focus on the book for about an hour or so before we move onto just socialising. The latter can be aided by the venue selected for the meeting. So far the meetings I’ve attended have been inside pubs or the beer gardens attached to them, although hints have been made that during the summer we might meet up in a park.
At the end of each meeting someone selects a novel for the next month’s meeting, we take it in turns. Thus far the other group members haven’t exactly opted for rapid page turners. My turn will come around again however. I do like a challenge, so excuse me whilst I browse my bookshelves.
