Cooling Weather – Time to Read
As soon as October arrived with relief from the heat wave, I turned to my very tall stack of TBR (To Be Read) books. Soon I was curled up in my reading chair wrapped in a blanket, lost in The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont, the Calabasas Library Evening Book Club selection for this month. The author of this book imagined the events taking place during the 11 days Agatha Christie disappeared from view in December 1926. Even though the story is entirely fiction, the mystery of Christie’s disappearance was plausible and kept me entertained for several days.
Next, I dove into a very different book – Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. This book was recommended by a member of the Sisters in Crime Mystery Book Club that I moderate for SinC, and I checked a hardcover copy out of the Calabasas Public Library. On the very first page, I realized that this is not a book I would have chosen for myself – the foul language alone would have discouraged me, Within a few more minutes and a few more chapters, I found myself cringing at the violence the two main characters perpetrated. However, the characters’ language and behavior are consistent with the plot, so I am persisting.
Reading with Others
Belonging to a book group leads its members to read books they might not read otherwise. My long-term book club back in Santa Cruz closed during the pandemic and shows no signs of opening up again, so I have joined these two groups to push me once again to explore different genres and different authors, and most of the time I have enjoyed the journey.
Last month I read Thursday Murder Club, which is quite funny, actually, and challenged my memory to keep up with a large cast of characters. My son-in-law had suggested the book a year ago, and so I chose it for our SinC Mystery Book Club’s first selection. The members had varying views on the book, and our discussion of it was lively and eye-opening.
Are you in a book club? Do you read for pleasure? If so, I hope you’ll share your experiences by posting in the Comments section.
Happy Reading!
Topics to come during October:
Baking Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
Visiting a Pumpkin Patch with Children
Persimmons!
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Your comment rings true on how a book club offers us a diversity of authors and genres. I’ve read books that I never would have read before and have found them interesting and thought provoking. We read a new book each month and would discuss it virtually the past two years. But now, we are reading and meeting at a restaurant associated with the novel to discuss the book. Our book last month was “The Maid” where the main character and heroine loved to eat at the Olive Garden so we met at a local O. G. to discuss the book and have lunch. This month, we are reading “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” by Agatha Christie and will discuss the book at a Tea parlor where we will have High Tea. It has been so nice to meet in person again with my DKG sisters . The book club meetings provide fellowship and stimulating conversations.
Sharon,
What a wonderful thing, to see one another in person again!
I just stumbled upon Thursday Murder Club, then noticed I’d added it to my Goodreads reading list a while back. : ) I thought of you and your current mystery project as I read the sample. I’m forcing myself to read the El Capitán Alatriste series, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, in Spanish, as the stories are often set in Madrid. I understand most of it, if mostly from context, but the going is v-e-r-y s-l-o-w. At least half of my book consumption is in audio format, and right now I’m relistening to the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny.
Lisette,
I hope the slog is worth it in the end! I put my mystery on hold while I refresh my nonfiction proposal and get it out to agents again. I hope to make progress on the cozy during Nanowrimo.
Hi! Great post on book clubs. I was in one in 2017 for the course of about 5 books. Really pathetic conversations around the reading but generally good lunches 😂. Not all book clubs are created equal, I reckon! All male, so that might have been a factor.
Best, Erik
Erik,
I doubt that the problem was gender related!