Book Club

The first rule of book club is…there is no book club.
The second rule of book club is…THERE IS NO BOOK CLUB!!!

Sorry, couldn’t resist that Fight Club reference.

Yes, I’m in a book club. There are many great things about being in a book club. I love to read. Being in a monthly book club FORCES me to read a different book every month. No matter how much crap television I watch, I must make time to finish the book club book. (I’ll wedge it in between “Lost” and “Wildest Wedding Show Moments 2”)

Being in a book club also means reading books you wouldn’t ordinarily read. I doubt I would have read any of the books that Oprah recommends (I’m difficult that way!) but if someone else recommends them, I’ll give it a shot. I never read “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” till Fitfreak picked it (READ IT!) I also would not have read “The Kite Runner (READ IT!), Mystic River (READ IT!), Dogs of Babel (DON’T BOTHER).

Which brings me to my next point. Sometimes you’ll hate the books that people pick. Sometimes you’ll love them. Sometimes you’ll have to defend your choices (DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDEROY AND DENIM!) Sometimes you’ll have to defend the choices of others (WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN). You’ll find yourself in the middle of controversy (A MILLION LITTLE PIECES). You’ll find yourself with a book you could never hope to finish (READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN…by the way I want those 6 hours of my life back. And that was just 3 CHAPTERS!!!)

I could go on and on about the great and not so great books we have read but I really don’t want to waste your time. Which brings me to my next point.

Now that I am in a book club, I am receiving regular emails from GoodReads.com Okay, my mistake for signing onto this site that lets you list all the books you have read and see what books your friends are reading. You can rate them, post reviews, etc. After my initial sign-up, I realized that if I was constantly updating the site with the books I read, I WOULD NEVER HAVE TIME TO READ ANOTHER BOOK!

Yet, I get these daily emails saying “Kim is currently reading ‘People of the Book’” “Amy is currently reading “The Secret Life of Bees’”. “Julianne has added 20 new books since YESTERDAY”. “COME ON SLACKER, WHERE ARE YOUR LIST OF BOOKS?????

Okay, I didn’t really get that last message from Good Reads but that is the implication when I get this barrage of emails lording my friends’ book lists over my head. You know what? I don’t CARE what you are reading! If I want to know, I’ll ASK YOU! If you REALLY love your book, feel free to RECOMMEND it to me. But pick up the PHONE and tell me!

Sorry GoodReads, too much pressure, it’s time to unsubscribe.