Get Lost in a Good Book

With World Book Day just around the corner (Thursday 3rd March), we caught up with the Maidenbower Women’s Book Club to hear all about their great group and how reading can be very social…

“We started the Book Club when myself and another Canadian lady, Leslie, were looking to meet new people in the local area 13 years ago,” Maidenbower resident and reader Kathy Labelle said. “The idea of sharing views after reading a book sounded interesting. I’d never been to a Book Club before!”

Just some of the books the group’s twelve members have recently read and discussed are; thriller The Mourner by Susan Wilkins, international bestseller Wild by Cheryl Strayed and the gripping Elizabeth is Missing, by Emma Healey.

“It’s often the controversial books that provide the best discussions,” Kathy told us. “A book may be a good read, but if we are considering if it will sustain a lively discussion, that may be a different matter!”

During monthly meetings at the Maidenbower Pavilion, the readers discuss their thoughts on the chosen book, which, as Kathy explains, can sometimes be contrasting amongst members and make for an interesting evening:

“We generally like to have a set of discussion questions for the particular book we are discussing. If there are no guidelines, we have generic questions instead. It is not uncommon for some of the readers to love the book, while others don’t.”

“That in itself provides discussion points. Getting ‘off track’ happens often, and we generally just go with the flow. It’s important that everyone has their say, and we each respect other’s point of view.”

“We often remark, that because we like to vary the reading material, we find ourselves reading books that we typically wouldn’t have picked, and that’s a good thing!”

The group meet on the first Tuesday of the month from 7:30-9:30pm. Entry costs £3.50 (to cover room rental, coffee, nibbles and wine!) per meeting. Email Kathy if you would like further details or to confirm your attendance: kathy@canadianspacompany.com.