One thing that has always been true about me - I am a voracious reader. I have always, since I was a little girl, liked nothing better than to immerse myself in a good story. I typically read one book per week, more in the summer. I take a book everywhere (and always carry a purse large enough to hold one) since you never know when you might have a few minutes to spare waiting in lines to read a few lines. When I finish a good book, I want nothing more than to talk about what I've read, but the book clubs around here don't hold much sway for me, since the thought of joining a club in which I know absolutely no one is a little intimidating, even for me. And so, I've started my own.
The first official meeting of the Friday Night Book Club meets next weekend at my house. I've invited about 8 of my friends that I know share my love of reading to come to my house to organize the group. I am in the process of choosing the first book, since I think it'll only be right for me to offer to hold the first actual discussion meeting. The plan is to have each person take a turn hosting the club - about once every 4-5 weeks. The hostess will choose the book and be responsible for coming up with a few discussion questions, and provide light food and drinks (of course, don't forget the drinks!). In this way, I think we'll have an interesting variety of books to read - ones that will be out of our normal comfort reading zone. I realize that I am a bit of a control freak so I may have to change how this all works once everyone has their say next Friday.
I believe I'll be choosing the book I'm currently engrossed in, "
Strange Fits of Passion", by Anita Shreve. The book deals with domestic violence and abuse, kidnapping, and murder, but in typical Shreve fashion goes beyond the typical to give compelling reasons to think twice about each situation. If I get to the end of the book and change my mind, my backup plan is to use "
The Pilot's Wife", by the same author, which is a compelling read about an airplane crash and it's aftermath, during which the pilot's wife discovers not only her husband's dual life, but also his choice to bring down the aircraft. We'll see. Regardless, I'm looking forward to a night of great discussion.