Monday Musings

This week's Monday Musings asks the question:

"Do you belong to a book club? Is it on-line or face-to-face (f2f)? How long have you been with the group? What have you learned from them? Do you like how the group is run, or would you make changes if you could?"

When I was younger, I belonged to book clubs at my high school and at the public library. As I got older and had to go to work full-time, I slowly dropped out of my clubs because I just didn't have the time to prepare or to attend.

Now that I've been retired from full-time nursing for three years, my interest in joining a book club has renewed. I'm currently a member of the Mercer County Public Library's Noon Book Club Bunch. This is a face-to-face group that meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 12 noon. We bring a sack lunch and the library provides drinks and dessert.

I have met some wonderful ladies through this book club! We enjoy reading books about Kentucky and Appalachia, as well as books by Kentucky authors. Although most of the participants are older than me, we all enjoy the conversation and the exploration of common books. Last month we read BIG STONE GAP by Adriana Trigiani and it was the perfect selection for our group. This month's book - and the club meets tomorrow - is JAYBER CROW by Wendall Berry. This group is always open to suggestions for future books and we all have imput on the selections.




This summer, I joined an on-line book club - Becky's Reading Group. I have enjoyed this group, but it is much more impersonal than a face-to-face group. It is easier to form questions or comments in written form, but I sometimes get impatient waiting for a response. This group is currently reading THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexandre Dumas, and because it is such a long book, we are going to carry it over into October. Although I enjoy reading the classics, this one is giving me some trouble. I'm enjoying the storyline, but trying to read "Ye Ole English" is giving me fits. I'm now looking forward to a nice simple book to give my brain a rest. This group is far more informal; we normally list books we would like to read from several different categories, and Becky tries to pick books that will appeal to the majority of members.

All in all, I think I enjoy my face-to-face group the most because there is actual live interactions. However, this doesn't diminish the fact that I also enjoy my on-line group, but it's like comparing apples to oranges.