Just wanted to get these notes out to everyone to bring you up to date on our first meeting and future plans. We had five attendees including myself and as it turned out, some very helpful insight from Bernice Bonner, who actually has experience as a book club member. So far, we would like to meet monthly, alternating at the homes of members who will be able to host. Since it turned out that some of us were coming directly from work, we thought it would be nice to include refreshments at the meetings. This could range from sandwiches or pizza to a meal, depending on the host, and could even be tied in to the theme of the book selection.
To get the ball rolling, there will be a follow-up meeting Thursday, April 9th at 7:00 once again at my home on 211 Lakeridge. The menu will probably be sandwiches and salads, but we’ll see how ambitious I feel! Since the biggest project will be choosing a book, we thought it would be a good idea if everyone could e-mail me 5 or 6 books that they have read and enjoyed and/or selections that they would like to read. I’ll then get a list out to everyone before the next meeting. This will serve to give us a concrete feel for everyone’s reading tastes and also provide a recommendation list for those of us who are always looking for a good book to read on our own. When recommending a book for the club, take into consideration a selection that would lend itself to discussion; interesting characters, plot development and possibly some other angle such as a historical setting or a unique location. We would also like to omit anything overtly political – dangerous territory!
I’ll eventually get a roster out to everyone, but in the meantime, PLEASE spread the word. I know that there are other book lovers out there, including men. Book clubs sometimes suffer from the reputation of being a girls club, but we have one very engaged gentleman already involved and would like to include others. Keep in mind that this project is evolving and nothing is carved in stone yet. The main thing we agreed on at the meeting is that we want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone. I hope you all can make the next meeting, but if you cannot, please be sure you still get me your book selections so that your ideas can be included.
Best regards and happy reading! ~~Laura Lascurain
Oak Hills Citizens Association 