Before we finally settled in Mexico, my husband and I traveled throughout Latin America as housesitters. When you live on the road like we did, it was easy to meet a lot of people. This is one of the benefits of extensive travel. However, living on the road like we did, it's not easy to make close, personal friends who you could call on at any hour for advice or assistance with the latest mess you've gotten yourself into. That’s why we consider ourselves so blessed to have made close, personal friends the year we spent in Belize. These friends, whether we ever get to be with them again, will remain in our hearts forever.
Having said that, I'm switching gears.
Did you ever see the movie Book Club? It was released in 2018 and starred Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Mary Steenbergen. I was intrigued by the lineup. I watched the trailer, and all of the characters seemed to be about my age, were quirky, and loved to read. I knew I had to see the movie.
Now, I’ve never been the type that has had a lot of “girlfriends.” I’ve never joined a group of ladies for “girl’s night out,” shopping trips, or “let’s do lunch” excursions. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a lot of friends in my lifetime, but not many close “girl” pals, and rarely have I participated in planned social gatherings of women. Because of this, I seldom was invited to Tupperware parties or soirees where groups of women get together and paint their toenails and trash men. Lucky me. It’s just not my thing.
But I got to thinking that maybe—just maybe— a book club could be different.
So, What Exactly Is a Book Club?
Frankly, as a "younger adult" version of myself, I had three distinct ideas about book clubs.
In the first vision I saw a group of gals (who had all probably been sorority sisters) that sat around, drank wine, and discussed The Help, embellishing upon the literary significance of Hilly’s front yard toilets. Phooey!
The second image I had was of an older group of educated ladies with letters behind their names who squeezed in time to discuss the merits of Dianne Fossey’s work with gorillas before they attended rallies to save the Dayang Newt, hug some trees, and maybe even burn their bras. This was not me either.
The third group I envisioned was a gathering of retired English teachers and librarians who got together to parse sentences and discuss the alliteration patterns in the works of Jane Austen, every one of them having read Ulysses and Moby Dick...at least twice. Not interested.
Obviously, I had no idea what a book club really was. But the Book Club movie really enchanted me, and I knew I wanted to be a part of one.
Now, back to our time in Belize. Every Wednesday a mixed group of expats that lived in the area would gather at our favorite local open-air pub for a rousing game of darts. During one of these afternoons of tossing mini-spears at a bullseye, I broached the book club subject with my friend Cathy.
Anel: Hey Cathy, Have you seen that new movie, Book Club?
Cathy: (in a good mood because she just hit a bullseye) Woo hoo! Yeah, I saw it advertised. It looks awesome. Maybe we should all get together and watch it.
Anel: How about we all get together and DO it? What do you think about starting a book club? I’ve never been in one, have you?
Cathy: Never. But I’ve always wanted to, and I read!!! A lot!!! Let’s see who else might be interested.
So, like social butterflies freshly emerging from our cocoons, we flitted and asked around, getting these reactions:
Gayle: YES!! I’m in!! We can have our first meeting at my house!
Kathryn: YES!! I’m in!! I’ve been in two clubs and have the perfect book for our first read!
Laurie: YES!! I’m in!! I’ll pick a date and write email reminders to everyone.
Jackie: YES!! I’m in!! But I better warn you, Stephen King always makes me cry!
Jane: YES!! I’m in!! I’ll bring food, as long as I don’t have to moderate!
And, just like that, between dart throws, the BELIZE BOOK BABES came into being.
To date, as far as I know, the group is still thriving, seven years strong. The year that we spent in Belize was special because of these wonderful literary ladies.
So COVID came and went, and although we continued to travel, group meetings were taboo. I missed my book club. Then we finally landed in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, and the first thing I did was visit with the women who looked like readers to ask if they had any interest in creating a book club. Eureka! There were literary junkies in Mexico too! The Morelia Book Club was born, and to date we have read 32 books together. We even have our very own Substack page. Check it out.
Anel Ryan
We have disagreed, concurred, analyzed, vented, ventured far outside our individual reading comfort zones, bonded, and thoroughly enjoyed sharing. Most importantly, we've enjoyed each other. and being with each other.
Both of these groups of ladies have helped me find a side of myself that I never knew existed. I now have girlfriends, real girlfriends, and am part of an amazing community of strong women who possess incredible literary superpowers.
Get Thee To a Book Club
So how about you? Are you a voracious reader? Remember, they have meetings for our kind of addicts. They are called book clubs. Have you found your group of powerful readers yet? If not, I urge you to "get thee to a book club" immediately! If you live in an area without one, create one. If you are a recluse and prefer not to mingle in person, join an online club. And if you are struggling with whether or not a book club is right for you, watch the movie Book Club. It may not give you a lot of literary insight, but you will get a good laugh. And don't be afraid to contact me. I'll be glad to help you find a group of super readers where you will fit right in.
Comments