Book Club

I've always wanted to join a book club and this was one of the things I was able to do when I recently moved towns. The library was starting up a community book club and I was quick to sign up.

One of the appeals of a book club is the social aspect of chatting to other book lovers. It's really interesting hearing how very different various people's takes on a book can be. Reading is a very personal thing. And then there's the supper of yummy food that is generally shared at the end.

But so far, the thing I'm enjoying most is the books I'm reading that I may not have picked up myself. I admit I am someone who JUDGES A BOOK BY ITS COVER. Always have, probably always will but I'm not the one picking all the books at book club so I can't do this.

This month we are reading The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It is the story of Dinah, Jacob's only daughter, from the bible. She is only mentioned very briefly in the bible and her story is told from the point of view of her brothers. In The Red Tent Anita Diamant tells the story of Dinah from her point of view and Dinah tells what life was like for the other women of her time - her mum and her aunts.

I'm only 100 pages into this book but for some reason it is gripping me. I don't know if it's because it's an alternative history (albeit a made up one) and I like these kind of things or if it is the writing. The writing in itself is very simple and there is not much dialogue. It is much more like a memoir.

I know had this book not been chosen for book club I would never have picked it up. But I'm glad I did.

Anyone else a member of a book club? Have you read a book through book club that you've liked but perhaps wouldn't have picked up on your own? I'd love to hear your reading experiences.