Setting it up!

It was unusually cold on that fateful January morning, and Sharon was finding it difficult to motivate herself.  Faced with a blank computer screen, and weeks of sober, cold poverty, she found herself dreaming of something to occupy those empty winter nights, fill her calendar, and expand her mind....

....and so she began the Green Scene Book Club.

For those of you just joining us welcome to the blog where we record our book club's musings on popular literature! 

I'm Tom, and I was lucky enough to be on the 'To:' list of Sharon's email:

"Afternoon all

To cheer up the next few weeks of sober, cold poverty I am proposing to start a book club.  Rules are simple, we vote on a book, attempt/pretend to read it and then take turns at hosting a dinner in which we smugly and intellectually discuss the themes of the book, whether we have read it or not.

If you are interested email with your first book suggestion, and feel free to invite anyone else you think might like to join. I am aiming for Thurs19th/Fri 20th for the first dinner.

Shar

xo"

 Of course, having always wanted to be in a book club I jumped at the opportunity and replied, with my own suggestions:

"What a wonderful idea!  I'm always looking for a reason to read an interesting book (rather than the man-lit or fantasy stuff I usually read) and this is the perfect excuse. 

Also if people were given the opportunity to suggest the books from which we all choose one to read, it will give us a chance to try out different genres and authors over the next few months.  It would be a great way to expand our horizons!

Unfortunately I'm travelling a lot over the next few months, and so there's a chance I wouldn't be available on Thursdays/Friday, so would it be possible to suggest that it becomes a Sunday evening supper club/book club?

A possible way to organise would be:

• Book suggestions the first week of the month
• Vote and choose by the Friday of that month
• Two weeks to read the book (in case people have busy schedules, or wish to share copies of the book)
• Dinner on the Sunday of the third week
• A week off to think of our suggestions for the next month

Anyway, enough ranting from me, I guess I've always wanted to be in a book club and think this is a wonderful suggestion from Sharon!"

A few other people signed up, and Bob was our proverbial Uncle!

We had two suggestions for the first month:

• A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters - Julian Barnes
• If on a Winter's Night a Traveller - Italo Calvino

The majority favoured the less trying Barnes novel and now we're all set.

Sharon has kindly volunteered to host the first gathering with a dinner at 7.30 pm on Sunday, 22nd January.

For those of you who wish to participate vicariously, feel free to read the book and post your thoughts as comments on the blog entry.  I'll be posting a summary of our deliberation after the dinner!

Happy reading!