While the world around us becomes increasingly driven by stereotypes, generalizations and impulsive big headlines, books offer us a refuge from the noise and an opportunity to engage with another person’s thinking in a more intimate, subjective way.
Reading something written by an individual who has devoted months, if not years, to the telling of their story provides us with a more nuanced, considered and expanding narrative. Reading broadens our understanding of the world and our place in it; it develops our empathy, making us more human; it can put things into perspective, soothe, offer solace, rile us up, remind us of our principles or stir us into action!
Though our minds are inundated with words every day – text messages, emails, news feeds – reading for leisure is entirely different because we choose the words. Online, words find us, whether through algorithms or distraction, while offline, they wait for us to pick them up. So, what words and thoughts do you want to pick up? Do you want to expand your understanding of another culture, another gender’s experience, or perhaps a certain period in history, or a turning point in attitudes?
Do some research and draw up a reading list – start with five books and see how you go. Many journalists and critics have already set out their own reading lists, so you might find some ready-made ones available online. This could be a list that you work your way through over a season, or over several years. The beautiful thing about books is that you can carry them anywhere with you, and their contents will fit into the cracks of your life – during your commute, while moving between meetings, those five minutes of peace you get just before bed. Tailor the list to your own personal development and the broadening of your world.
A few ideas of themes to focus on:
• Works only by non-white or minority writers.
• Works only by female/ male/transgender writers.
• Works set in a particular country.
• Works written around a change in zeitgeist, e.g. female liberation, the machine age, future technologies.
There’s nothing like sharing the joy of a good book, and book clubs are the obvious way to extend this to a circle of friends, coworkers or neighbours. As video call technology has improved, your book club could even extend across borders and continents!
The main challenges with any book club are (1) making sure everyone reads the book in time for the meeting, and (2) getting the conversation into a place that doesn’t feel like you’re in a Literature class, trying to impress each other with your opinions.
To tackle the first challenge, you could start with works of less than 100 pages, to help everyone get into the rhythm of the book club. The following five classics all fall into this category:
• The Little Prince by Antoine de SaintExupéry
• Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
• We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
To get around the second challenge, try adding a few immersive touches to create a more informal atmosphere. If you’re dialling in, all of these can also be done remotely:
• Ask each guest to prepare a dish or bring a drink, linked to the book.
• Set a dress code – again, this could be linked to the book or completely separate.
• Think about how you will light the room (candlelight, bright sunlight, fairy lights etc.).
REMEMBER.
Go for books that intrigue you personally: don’t feel obliged to read something just because it’s deemed a classic, or it’s had a good review. Read for your own growth and enjoyment.