Carol Anshaw

I want to talk about book clubs.  I’ve been involved with several over the years and have found them to be deeply rewarding—each in their own ways.  There are a few dangerous pitfalls that book clubs have to strive to avoid, though.  In no particular order, here they are:
1) The book club becomes a wine club
2) The book club becomes a whine club
3) Not everyone reads the book
4) One individual (who typically has not read the entire book) dominates discussion
5) The same person selects titles each month

I always find it interesting to know why a person reads.  Is she reading for information, enlightenment or escape?  Generally speaking, I read in order to make sense or to make meaning.  While I am often nothing like the characters about which I read, they teach me or help me understand something in a new way.  Walking around in another character’s head for a while helps me develop greater empathy for my fellow humans.  It may even help me be kinder to myself.  I think this why I so frequently read b