A Year of Book Club Reading

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I did it! I read 12 books in one year!

It doesn’t sound like that big of an accomplishment to avid readers out there but it’s not the sheer numbers that I’m so excited about. It’s the fact that I did reading for pleasure!

Growing up, I was a huge reader. We would pick up little books at yard sales that I had never heard of and I would devour them. (I actually still have many of these books). And when it came to the Choose Your Own Adventure series, I was unstoppable. I’d read and read again until I picked just the right ending.

But then high school and college came and reading became a chore. And then when I hit my working 20s, spare time was spent going out or watching TV. Period. Then I fell into motherhood and like so many moms out there, my reading repertoire was reduced to Goodnight, Moon and Guess How Much I Love You? Both great, classic books, but a little weak on plot and character development.

I forgot to mention that somewhere along the way, the internet became kind of a big deal and everything we consumed was digital: Facebook updates, tweets, articles (that we clicked away from if they were too long), and blog posts, of course. But I was missing my love of a good story, both fiction and non-fiction. I picked up a few audiobooks along the way while I commuted to work. And even made time for some really thick books from the likes of Ken Follett. But reading was no longer a habit. It was a luxury.

Then I moved to Maryland, met an amazing community of women, and we started a book club.

I’ve heard stories from so many other women who tried book clubs and there were either personality conflicts, or lack of commitments, or no real intellect or interest when it came to discussing the books. Not us, my friends. Not us.

One neighbor volunteers to host each month (usually on a Saturday, around 7pm). She picks the book for the month, schedules the date, and provides the wine (because there HAS to be wine) and munchies. We started out socializing for the first hour and discussing the book for the second hour. Now it’s more like chatting for 90 minutes before someone says Hey, we should probably discuss the book! 

We usually spend the next hour discussing questions we’ve all written anonymously and then socialize more before we head home, buzzing about the next book we’re going to read.

It’s been an amazing 12 months of getting to know my neighbors (no personality conflicts – SHOCKING!) and reading such a wide variety of books. I thought it might be fun to share how our reading progressed over the last year (along with my quick, no-spoiler review of the book from Goodreads).

November – The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

My review: “What I thought might be a gimmicky idea (story told from a dog’s perspective) ended up making what might have been an ordinary story quite extraordinary. Beautifully written fiction bordering on philosophy. I loved this book.”

December – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My review: “I think I liked this book more as I was reading it than after it was over. I found it a little too much of a stretch, even for fiction.”

January – Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

My review: “I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Again, thinking it might be gimmicky, I found myself looking for flaws on incontinuity. Surprisingly, I found no gaping holes. It was a quick read with a nice twist (that was not ridiculous enough that you never saw it coming). A definite page turner and for me, an imagined happy ending. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

February – The Giver by Lois Lowry

(I hosted this month and picked this book)

My review: “Keeping in mind that this was a young adult novel, I found that it was a great story with food for thought. I was surprised at how much discussion it generated at book club. But it definitely felt like it was for a younger audience. It was a little too short for my taste.”

March – Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

My review; “First book I’ve read by Emily Giffin and I did NOT expect to like it. I’m generally not a fan of chick lit but this was our book club selection. It was an easy, enjoyable read that really hooked me for the second half.”

April – Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner

My review: “Totally enjoyed this page turner. While this is one in a series of books about the lead detective (who incidentally I found to be to least interesting character), it’s a great standalone book. Getting ready to discuss this at book club this weekend and I can’t wait. It was a satisfying ending but not a happy one and definitely one worth discussing!”

May – Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

My review: “This was a beautifully written piece of historically inspired fiction. It’s inspired me to learn some unknown history. I’m normally not a fan of the story switching between past and present but felt this worked and the modern story was woven in quite nicely. No fairytale endings make this an enjoyable but believable piece of fiction.”

June – Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

My review: “I didn’t think I loved this book. But I’ll admit that over a month after I finished, I was still thinking about the characters and reflecting on my own community and book club.”

July – Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann

My review: “I get where the author was going with this. Our lives are all interconnected, often in ways we never realize. While the characters were well-developed, there was too much narrative and parts that felt very much like filler. Good book but not one I’d recommend.”

August – Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

My review: “Not many books are well-written, entertaining, and hold my interest. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this from start to finish. The style of writing is what I loved so much. Easy reading!”

September – State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

My review: “I think it helps make this book more enjoyable if you have an interest or background in science. Having done both field and lab research, I could totally appreciate the characters (yes, there are people like Dr. Swenson out there). More importantly, this was a great read for book club as we came up with some good philosophical questions for debate.”

October – Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

My review: It’s a fun quick read without a lot of depth. The characters are a bit like caricatures but it makes it easy to see the book in your head as if you’re watching the Lifetime movie. Good summertime, at the beach kind of reading.”

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We’re already moving on to the new year and all new book selections (next month is “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes). But I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read any of these books or you recommendations for a good book club selection. We’ve got 11 more selections to make!

Disclosure: All of the images above are Amazon affiliate links. But mainly, it made it easy to embed an image of the book.