It is 27 degrees.
My back door is open, and I breathe in the fresh, crisp air with delight, excited for the winter day ahead.
Just weeks ago, I was in a swimming pool, enjoying sunshine and relaxation in 85 degrees with plenty of humidity in Barbados.
Better than the pool, though, was the company. Surrounded by a dozen of my favorite people, ranging in age from 27 to 71, this was a sampling of our family group that self-identified as readers.
And we were having book club.
The first challenge had been agreeing on a title, of course, and suggestions covered the gambit of tastes. Consequently, the voting was polarized, which is to say each person voted for their own selection. It fell to our son, Tyler, the organizer, to break the tie.
This prompted some panicked poolside reading by our youngest participant, a late responder who at the last minute joined the trip. The model of commitment, she even read on the bus when we took an outing. She also served as the oracle of correct facts, since the story was fresh in her mind.
The God of the Woods was on the lengthy side, and would not be a book I would necessarily select on my own—and herein lies the stretch value of book club. That this was a coed group was also a first for me, and I am not new to this format—though all the other persons in our assembly were first-time book club attendees.
I was bouncing on my toes to discuss, but held my tongue until most of the participants weighed in on various topics. The book was set in the years I grew to adulthood, in the Adirondacks, and at a camp that sounded exactly like mine. It was hard to keep quiet—but finally, I took my turn!
I loved our Bajan Book Club, and I hope the others did, too.
I cannot wait to do it again! ©
