I had the pleasure of attending my first ever in-person book club gathering last night. Luckily for me there were no set-texts involved and I found the freedom of choice to be a drawcard alongside my existing passion for books. I am very much the type of person who does not enjoy being told what to read or when, so last night’s structure suited me perfectly. The intimate numbers allowed for many meaningful and comedic discussions about a wide variety of books.
I especially enjoyed the free flow form of conversation which allowed us to showcase our current/favourite/upcoming reads without being limited to set topic discussion questions. I learnt of many new authors to source from and found it interesting to learn that some novels are like clothing trends, they come and go from fashion.
The location of Dear Village, Esperance’s local book shop, was elegantly presented with a warm welcome from the owner, Stevie, and her fellow book loving off-sider, Corrina. With drinks and snacks at the ready, and an inviting space to sit, I soon realized I should have worn slip-on shoes to increase my personal comfort levels. By the way, I highly recommend the cushioned window seat.
The two hours disappeared rapidly without so much as a lull in conversation. The books highlighted ranged from historical fiction to women’s fiction and everything in between, with the odd side mention of enjoying a little ‘spice’ here or there. When it was my turn to share, I proudly held up my copy of The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns and learnt that there are fellow fans amongst the book club group. We also looked at the cover of Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree and tried to determine if it would be a little spicy also.
Like anything new, there were a few minor teething problems of shuffling seats and the likes which only added to the authenticity of the event. A fabulous suggestion was made towards the end for a notetaker to record and share all the amazing books we discussed. I’m confident that with each and every book club gathering that occurs, they will only get better from the already impressive starting point. I cannot wait for the next one.
First Tuesday of every month. Keep an eye out on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/dearvillageesperance for more details. @Dearvillage
Happy Reading.
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