Wednesday 23 April 2014

About Book Clubs

Today is the International World Book (and Copyright) Day, so I thought I would write about book clubs and my experience of them. First some definitions I'd put together, gleaned from online information and my own observation. A book club is a reading group who meet (usually once a month) to talk about books on an agreed-upon reading list. Book 'clubbers' are "the people who have combined the solitary pleasure of reading a book with the joy of sharing, discussing, and debating it in a social setting". Members of the group usually discuss the theme, character, plot, style and what they got out of reading the book. Usually books selected are English fiction of not more than 400 pages. Some even specify 'no chick lit!' (But I say, why not? Some chick lit is not so baaad.)

Anyway throughout my library career I had taken part in book discussions, usually in very formal situations. But on retirement and my move to Shah Alam, I frequented the bookshops in the Klang Valley so often that it was inevitable to join the Borders Book Club. The group was interesting, and usually led by a Border's staff member (read: avid reader) and a English Literature teacher. It helped that the books up for discussion were discounted (usually 10%). During my active participation with this book club, we read, among others, How Starbucks Saved My Life, The Book Thief, Life of Pi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Alchemist, Eat Pray Love, The Twelve, and The Indigo Children. Numbers at our meetings varied from five to twelve, and over tea/coffee it was all pretty interesting to opine about the book being discussed. But ... I stopped going after nearly two years when I could no longer adhere to the inconvenient timing for the meetings. Ces't la vie.

I also tried the better-timed MPH book discussion meetings. But my first foray at their 1-Utama venue was a one-to-one session! There was only me and the one who led the discussion. (I shall mention his name here if I ever remember it, sorry). I remember though that we discussed The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee. Anyway that was my one and only time with the MPH 'book club'. But I still do buy a lot of books at their shops. Sometimes I feel like joining a book club again. Maybe the Bangsar Book Club or The Paperback Book Club. Maybe ... In the meantime I will continue with the solitary pleasure of reading the books in my home library.

*How Starbucks Saved My Life / Michael Gill (Ex Libris CNB 1783) *The Book Thief  / Markus Zusack (Ex Libris CNB 1784  ) *Life of Pi / Yann Martel (Ex Libris CNB1908 ) *The Curious incident of the dog in the Night time / Mark Haddon (Ex Libris CNB 1781) *The Alchemist / Paulo Coelho (Ex Libris CNB 1521) *Eat Pray Love / Elizabeth Gilbert (Ex Libris CNB 1782) *The Twelve / William Gladstone (Ex Libris CNB 1799)  *The Indigo Children / Lee Carrol & Jan Tober (Ex Libris CNB 1798) *The Piano Teacher / Janice Y. K. Lee (Ex Libris CNB 1786)

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