When we moved to the Santa Ynez Valley some 18 months ago, I had two immediate needs: The first was to find a hairdresser, the second was to join a book club.
After several false starts, I found VeeVee, a wonderful hair stylist. My second quest, to join a book group, also required several attempts, but ultimately resulted in success.
Perhaps you saw the recent movie “Book Club”? In that film, a lot of wine was drunk and all three volumes of that questionable literary masterpiece “Fifty Shades of Gray,” was discussed. I may not agree with their book choice, but I loved the depictions of friendship between the members.
I asked friends who belong to local book groups to describe their experiences.
Ariadne Weaver, an artist from Buellton, said it beautifully, “Books have always been my best friends. Being in a book group is a way to share my best friends with other people and to get to meet their best friends. Usually all of these friends bring tasty snacks as well.”
Ariadne’s group is a co-ed one. Women-only groups are more common.
Linda Gordon, a jewelry designer from Solvang, belongs to such a group. Linda says “I had never been in a book club until I joined one here in the Valley. I found that I have been reading books that I would have never chosen to read. It has opened up new horizons of mind stimulation as well as wonderful new friendships.”
In that group, snacks prepared by that month's hostess are thematically linked to the book under discussion. When they read “Norah Webster,” by Irish author Colm Toibin, bangers and mash, along with Guinness beer, was served up by Donna Small, an interior decorator from Santa Ynez.
Admittedly, reading is a fundamentally private experience. Book clubs aren’t for everyone.
Sandi Owens, a former banker, says she used to be in a book group. She enjoyed it, however, realized that there were too many books she wanted to read and not enough time. She is not currently in a group and reads books exclusively of her own choosing, focusing on her interest in history.
Book clubs have been around a long time.
Ben Franklin founded one in 1727. It met Friday nights, and Ben even prepared reading guides for the members. In 1926, Harry Scherman created the Book-of-the-Month-Club, still around today. This initiated a nationwide experience of thousands reading the same book at the same time, including “Gone With the Wind.” But nothing compares to Oprah’s Book Club, which began in 1996. Oprah’s power to influence millions of readers is unequaled.
From my own and other reader’s reflections, there seem to be four main reasons for joining a book club. The first is that you meet interesting people and form meaningful friendships. We might not agree on everything during meetings, but we bond through our mutual love of books.
Second, groups encourage us to read titles we wouldn’t otherwise have picked. Our group of 12 meets once a month. Members take turns selecting titles. In a single year, I’m exposed to 11 other people’s recommendations. These books have taken me on journeys I might never have taken. During the discussions, I’ve even changed my mind about a book. It’d be nice if in other parts of our lives, we could get together with people who have different opinions, listen and discover ourselves changing our minds.
Third, some books, particularly difficult ones, need to be discussed. Recently, one of my book groups read and discussed Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia, performed locally this summer by PCPA. It was a complicated read. I was enriched by the group’s intelligence, which made the play more understandable. Last, but not least, every book group I know includes refreshments. We eat well!
After moving to the Santa Ynez Valley 18 months ago with no hairdresser or book club, I’ve since acquired both. In fact, in an embarrassment of riches, I am currently in three groups. In one, the hostess serves gourmet book-themed refreshments. The second meets every six weeks on Saturday evenings. Each person brings a delicacy to share and we munch during the discussion. And, The Literary and Prologue Society of Santa Barbara features an appearance by the author of the book being featured … while we eat a sumptuous lunch.
Belonging to these book groups has resulted in rewarding friendships, abundant food for thought, and way too many calories.