Armed with an umbrella and my iPod, I’d been drinking with work friends and was feeling rather relaxed and refreshed as I wandered along Oxford Street in the rain.
I reached an intersection and I noticed two people waiting by the lights. I asked if they would like to share my umbrella and because they were trapped, started a conversation about their plans for the night. Before we had reached the other side of the road, I’d discovered they belong to a quaint little monthly book club and we had swapped business cards. And so I turned up on my own the following month, not knowing a single soul, and continued to do so for about two years.
I miss that book club. We would meet in a cheap Asian restaurant on Oxford Street, fill the air with lively conversation and updates on life, enjoy MSG laced dishes and then chat about the book we had read. There was a lot of discussion and debate. We’d jot our opinions down in a book on the book club and then stroll over to the Ariel bookstore where we would browse, nominate, vote and purchase our next read. Everyone was so interesting. And we all enjoyed hanging out with someone different to the usual crowd. Ah, the nostalgia!
I’ve been thinking of reviving this notion. What do you think? Does anyone belong to such a group these days? Is it all done online these days? Please say it’s not…
Catherine Donnelly 
I belonged to a book club when I lived in isolated WA. Even though I’m incredibly nerdy and love to hang out online, there was something truly special about the face to face interaction of people who were moved by the same novel.
When we read Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying, we were all on the verge of tears as we discussed it. How could that have been so poignant online?
The sharing of ideas over tea is so underrated. I, for one, would love to join am IRL book club. Are you organising one…?
Sigh… I loved reading that. Yes, I am thinking of starting one. Perhaps bi-monthly one given everyone’s super busy schedules with tonnes of tea. Perhaps we should join forces??