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Book Club

Information and Reading Lists for book club meetings.

Reading List

Outside Your Comfort Zone

One of the great things about reading is that it gives you an opportunity to explore and push the boundaries of your "comfort zone". This week's session is about that: it's about taking a look at what you normally read - do you read pretty much the same types of books? - and pushing yourself to try something new. If you've followed the Bookclub, you'll see that I tend to read non-fiction, history/bio, and mysteries. But I know it's important to "think outside the box" and expand my horizons, so I try to read works outside my normal circle to try something new and different. This week is about that: challenging yourself to pick up a book from a genre you "think" you don't like - for me it's Sci Fi, Fantasy, Poetry, Popular Fiction - and realizing that when you do, you often find some amazing books. Here are some gems I've encountered when exploring outside my comfort zone.

Poetry

I love poetry. BUT, I'lll be the first to admit that I sometimes struggle with it and get bogged down in the language or the structure. But I do love it. And I love it as an amateur: I don't care about rhyming or iambic pentameter and I don't have a preference for haiku or sonnet. The beauty of poetry to me  - and why I love it - is that it is one form of writing that can really connect on an emotional level. It's that visceral feeling when a poem makes you stop and just feel. Amanda Gorman’s recitation of her poem at President Biden’s inauguration did that for me - her poem displayed the power and beauty of language and how poetry can make a person feel, think, dream . . .  it's one example of the power of words and why I continue to challenge myself to keep a book of poetry in the stack of books on my nightstand.

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Growing up, I never got Science Fiction/Fantasy. Sure, I read a handful of Star Trek books and got caught up the Star Wars craze . . . but just never seemed to find that groove with this genre. I think, for me, that it had do with patience and the ability to find an literal point of reference: taking the time to build the worlds or visualize the characters was difficult for me, so I tended to avoid the genre. Recently (thanks in large part to my husband's love of SciFi), I've begun exploring the genre - and have been delighted with some of the finds.

Recommendations and “Novels”

For some reasons, popular fiction and/or best sellers tend not to be on my reading list - it might be that the topics in the works are too intense or that I don't there won't be a "happy ending" or maybe it's the fact that everyone is reading it and I'm contrary - for whatever the reason I usually don't read books that fit into this category. And there is always so much to read, that it's sometimes hard for me pick up recommendations from others BUT . . . when I finally do pick up the book and begin reading, I'm usually blown away. Here are a few books that fall into this catchall category.