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Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Bookies

Bookies are some of my favourite people. Not the betting kind, the kind who read, a lot. Book club has begun for this year and we are off to a great start.  


Our book club is a part of Seniors College on Prince Edward Island, a program which offers courses to seniors for a membership fee. Courses in our area this year include subjects such as Nunavut, The Holocaust and courses in art and writing, to name a few. Seniors College is an opportunity to challenge our minds with new material, to stay current on topics of interest and to socialize. Book club is my favourite.


Every year we have bookies who are new to the area or the Island. Book club is a way to meet like-minded people who can help you get to know the community. The first few months I was on the island, I joined book club and met good friends I have to this day. I have learned a lot about island life from them.


If left to my own devices, I would only read mystery novels to the exclusion of all else. Through book club I have developed a love of Canadian literature, dystopian fiction and non-fiction, none of which I would have developed on my own. 


Discussions are always an exploration of the human mind as much as the book in question. We start with the book and before long we are on a journey through the lives of the members, as each brings her unique perspective to the book and its interpretation. We take a circuitous route through every book.





We learn from each other as we share our reactions to the books. Sometimes we challenge each other in our interpretations. Many times, my negative reaction to a book has been tempered by the insight of other readers. 


The oldest bookies in our group are over 85 years old and are valued members. We are two generations of seniors and each has a wealth of experience and a unique perspective on the world and life. Sharing as we do, we commiserate about life in general and aging in particular. We laugh a lot too, being old enough to see the hilarity in many situations. 


Winter flies by with good books and good friends!



34 comments:

  1. Me, I'm the betting kind of bookie, actually. LOL I love to read, but my patience for it isn't what it used to be. I will be working on that in retirement. ;)

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    1. Retirement will be wonderful, SW. You’ll wonder how you ever had time to work.

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  2. "Fifteen Dogs" is on my "to read" list too! And "Yiddish for Pirates"? Sounds intriguing! Will have to look that one up to see what it's about.

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  3. Haha! I wondered about your title also Marie ☺ I am definitely a 'bookie' I can't imagine not having a pile of books ready to read by the side of my bed. Conversations and discussion make life so interesting ☺

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    1. Got to love the way books draw us together, PDP.

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  4. I've never been a part of a book club but you have made it sound very intriguing and fun. I agree it would be nice to have the insight of other members and it is amazing what you can learn from others and discussion.

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  5. There really is no life without books for me. They saved me as a child, and they keep me going as an adult. That's a nice stack of books there.

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    1. I was such a nerd as a child, Mage. I spent mornings, before classes started, in the library reading.

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  6. Love books and sadly my book broke up, but I think there is another in the offing. Love to see what you have been reading, I'll be adding them to my list (and I do have a list).

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    1. I always have a stack waiting, Celia. Good luck with your book club.

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  7. I'm a frustrated "Bookie". I love to read and would enjoy a book club tremendously but my hearing is so bad that it just makes me feel anxious because I miss so much. Gotta work on that.

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    1. Some of our members have hearing issues too, Linda.

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  8. i admire your love for reading!!! i have a knitting group and i love being with them!! i would image a love for reading would make having a book club, wonderful!!!

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    1. The knitting would fascinate me too, if I could do it without pain, Debbie.

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  9. I am a bookaholic. An unashamed bookaholic. I have never joined a book club though. A treat for later perhaps.

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    1. Abook club gives each book a different perspective, EC.

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  10. Love books could not exist without them. Luckily both my husband and I like mainly the same books which is a great help. Diane

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    1. It’s great you and your husband like the same type of books, Diane,

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  11. I read novels and non fiction, alternating between them. I just looked up fifteen dogs and our library has it. :) Sounds like a good read to me and I love dogs.

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  12. This sound simply wonderful, Marie. I have only read two of the books you displayed. Are you going to be telling me which ones you liked best? I'd love to know. And what a neat way to meet people in your community. :-)

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    1. I enjoyed all of these books. My favourite was The Break by Katherina Vermette. Canadians are beginning to come to terms with our shameful treatment of the Indigenous people of this land. This book helped me understand the legacy of the residential schools and how that part of our history still affects the Indigenous people today.

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  13. Hahaha. I'm addicted to mysteries also but craft books also jump in my cart. Every once in a while I find a nonfiction I need to read but I am so used to Books on CD that reading is hard for me.

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    1. The books on CD are a great option, Barbara,

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  14. Ah - books! I read The Handmaids Tale a couple of weeks ago - and 1984 is a classic. There is a page on my photo blog where I post book reviews - you may care to visit it.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  15. I think I'll have to look for a book club. I read all the time.

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  16. I'm also a mystery buff. I like getting to know characters through multiple volumes, and I like being able to pretty well trust the book to have a good outcome. I feel that it's hard to trust many books that are out there.

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    1. I like reading a series by a writer until the predictability of the work becomes too blatant, AC. Then I move on.

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  17. I joined a book club not too long ago. We meet at a library. Some members have been going to that particular one for over 15 years. It has broaden my horizons even though I am an eclectic reader. I like the social aspect of these meetings as well. : )

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