The Lynx Bookstore, Gainesville, Fla., hosts book clubs & author visits
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."
--George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons.
It’s a time for New Year’s Resolutions. Given that few of my past resolutions have been realized, and the likelihood of contributing to lofty goals is nil, this year I’m using the KISS formula—Keep It Simple, Stupid.
For years, I have planned to join a book club. I’ve envied those friends who spoke of a 20-year membership in a book club, in which friends not only discuss books but help one another through the twists and turns of life. Or those other clubs that take a creative approach, enhancing discussions with a field trip.
Other clubs focus on lengthy historical writings such as Peter the Great: His Life and World. Given its nearly one-thousand pages, would I have the fortitude to hold one of these books much less finish the reading!
I also heard about those other book clubs that foster disputes (e.g., the moral integrity of a character) to such an extent that themes, plot and accuracy are rarely analyzed.
A few years ago, I investigated the public library’s book club readings. Imagine my surprise to find numerous copies of the book available for the upcoming meeting. I checked out the book, took copious notes, looked up reviews and prepared for my first book club. But there was just a small problem. I had picked up a list for the previous year’s readings. The correct reading was a first-person account of military action in the Middle East, not the escapist literature I sought.
When a neighbor organized a book club for like-minded souls, I joined.
At our first meeting, the organizer asked, “Have any of you belonged to a book club?”
Most of us had planned to join a book club. A few had attended those offered by libraries. Others joined group of friends where the evening focused on wine and tapas rather than the readings themselves. A few confessed they had never read the assigned book but attended to socialize.
Our organizer explained our monthly meeting site would rotate and be held at the home of each member, who would host.
We encountered a few logistical challenges. How to accommodate the 12 members comfortably, and how to select books appropriate for the audience!
My initial list included readings to stimulate discussion. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. The Door (Magda Szabó) All books I have read but wanted to reread. But once I learned the recommendations given by other members, I decided to revise my list. And then the issue of 12 chairs. . . . However, book titles and chairs were the least of my worries. The other members of the club were gourmet cooks! Learning to cook has been one of my (unfulfilled) New Year's resolutions for years. . . . How would I host!
But I had yet to resolve these niggling issues when my house sold, and I moved out of state.
Now back in Florida, I have signed up at a local branch of the library for the January meeting of its book club. This time, I have the correct reading. And the area offers a multitude of gatherings for bibliophiles.
Maybe the KISS formula is an effective way to devise a New Year's resolution. It has kept me focused on one goal and and leaves time to devote to others such as cooking.
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As a note, here are the titles I planned to recommend, both with strong women protagonists, themes and plots as well as a bit of mystery—The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk (2022) and Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin (2021).
A thriving bookstore, Librairie Expression, Pré du Lac (06)
A bookstore in Juan-les-Pins (2011). Hand-written
reviews lure me inside.
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