Margit’s Note: The First Rule of Book Club…

By Margit Detweiler

(Illustration: Helen Jane Hearn/TueNight.com)

At least skim the book.
2^nd rule of book club: Drink copious amounts of wine.
3^rd rule of book club: Try not to disband after a few months.

I’d bet that each one of us has attempted, loved and probably struggled with a book club at some point in our lives. Getting together with good or new friends to read and discuss a book sounds delightful in theory — and sometimes it is. And sometimes it’s a failure of messy schedules and pressure to get to the last page in time. But we try it because we love LOVE to read a good book, we want to absorb it, share our joy (or pain) and live inside its pages while we can.

Right now I’m slowly tag-teaming two books — the surprisingly subversive Dietland by Sarai Walker and the graphic novel (easy reading!) prequel to Fun Home, Are You My Mother by Alison Bechdel — and, yet, not spending nearly enough time reading books. Somehow buzzy Facebook-shared articles, zombie television, time-passing games (a hint to next week’s theme) and work mania edge out a blissful moment snuggled up with a good book. There are a billion bling-y distractions.

So this week we thought we’d stop the noise, pick up a good book and enjoy our own virtual book club together. No pressure, just a love of books. Add your own wine.

• Sloane Davidson marathons 52 books in one year
• Bethanne Patrick shares 10 books that shaped her life
• Courtney Colwell takes us around the world in six books
• Marinka finally figures out how to be (and stay) in a book club
• Rumnique Nannar lists her favorites from a diary of books

Have a favorite book you’re reading right now? I’d love to know — share in the comments!

Read on,

Margit