Book club

I went to a book club meeting tonight. I don't belong to a book club, but after tonight, I might.

I was trying to help a friend find things to do to expand her social circle because she was feeling a little intimidated about the process. I found a website that lists all kinds gatherings by topics and towns. So for our town, I found groups for hiking, biking, eating, sewing, reading, dancing, playing music and more.

I sent links to my friend for several of the groups, but then one caught my eye ... for me.

It's a book club, but it didn't sound like some of the other book clubs I've heard about. One friend said she went to a book club, and nobody discussed the book. Instead, they all sat around and griped about their husbands. Another friend went to a book club and said there were two or three people who monopolized the conversation. Yet another friend went to a book club where she said the people were so analytical, she felt like she was back in college.

None of that appealed to me.

But to sign up for this group, you had to answer a few questions, such as the what was the last book you read, what kinds of books do you like to read and what do you want out of a book club. And luckily, several of the people who answered the question had answers similar to mine.

We met in the back room of a restaurant. We all introduced ourselves, then we talked about the book while we waited on our food. We chit-chatted through the meal. Then we talked about the book some more after we ate.

It was a really nice mix of small talk (which I do pretty well) and book discussion.

I always have that little nagging feeling that I should be spending time with Jeff and Biscuit instead of doing something like being off in a room full of strangers. But I also know that I need time to do things for myself, too.

So whether I decide to go back to this group or not, I'm proud of myself for branching out and going.