How to describe the dynamic book group I’ve been a member of since 2016?  There are about 20-25 members, all women of “senior,” retired age, all college graduates.  We are single or married, with children and grandchildren, or not.  We meet in the afternoon the third Friday of every month – in person in years past, over Zoom during Pandemic days, and now in person, outdoors, distanced.  Usually 10-15 women attend.

One important attribute of our group is that we have a wide range of interests and reading preferences among us:  mysteries and detective books; current political, educational, scientific and climate nonfiction; old, little-known books and forgotten authors; historical, cultural fiction; and my personal favorite genre of biographies, memoirs and autobiographies, particularly of women.

What I appreciate most is that, uniquely, we do not choose a book a month that all read.  Instead, each attendee gives a 5-10 minute report on any book she loves (or occasionally not) that she has read at any point in her life.

After each meeting, our trusty, organized “leader” sends out an email list of the titles and authors talked about and the reviewers’ names.  I print these out and save them;  it’s where I often go to select my next great read.

All of us are curious, ongoing forever-learners, excited to enrich ourselves with knowledge of cultures, religions, history, science and the wide world!  I do believe that outside of formal education and possibly travel, reading most expands our consciousness, awareness and soul, far more than other endeavors.  Let’s hear it for books!

– Carol Fitting, Cupertino Calif.

– excerpted from bookWOMEN newsletter, Vol.26, No.6, August-September 2022.  Note, the URL to BookWOMEN may cause your browser to emit a security warning because the certificate is not up-to-date.