Always an avid reader, I devoured every Nancy Drew mystery and waited eagerly with my twin Jill for the bookmobile to come to our street weekly. We loved to look through and select new books to read.
I decided retirement was the perfect opportunity to join a book club. In fact, you may live longer, so says a report by UK researchers in the Guardian.com. People enjoy healthier lives if they maintain social bonds after they retire. Something like a book club where you regularly meet friends and chat can significantly reduce your risk of death in the first six years after retirement. Who knew? My guess is it has something to do with the red wine and dark chocolate we consume during the meetings!
If you need more convincing, here are 5 reasons to join a book club:
- You meet interesting people. The trick is not to join a book club full of your best friends. You’ll learn more from drawing upon a wider range of individuals and you will probably end up talking about books to your close friends anyway.
- You read books you may not otherwise read because people outside your immediate circle of friends are likely to have literary taste differing from your own. Even your reasons for not liking or not finishing a selection can create a lively discussion; diversity of opinion makes for a spirited conversation.
- Some books need to be discussed (despite a New York Times article that reading should remain a private pursuit and that it has become too social.) Arguable?
- You eat great food. Most book groups involve some sort of snacks and alcohol, some themes even following the culture or site of the story.
- It’s fun just to chat. We all thrive on friendship as we grow older. Book clubs are a great excuse to make and keep friends.
Since retirement, I have joined 2 book groups which are as different as night and day. I belong to a book discussion group at the library which includes a few men and is comprised of professional retired seniors. We meet every 2 to 3 weeks from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and it is very formal and structured. The leader actually has a gavel which she uses to keep order at times.
The books are long, scholarly and I am sometimes intimidated to raise my hand and offer my opinion. Everyone not only reads each book in depth, but also takes notes and marks passages to provide specific details and responses to questions. There is no food or alcohol involved; there is minimal side conversation or chit chat.
My second book club, on the other hand, is laid back, easy and fun. It is called “The No Pressure Book Club”, which I soon realized meant you don’t have to read the book! I am usually the only one who has read the book.
We meet once a month on a Friday night at alternate homes usually from 7:30 pm to 1:30 am. There is wine and tapas in abundance. we are all women ranging in age from 49 to 70. I am the only retiree (the reason they tell me I read every book—I have time). I knew only one person in the group when I joined and have met lovely women and good friends from this experience.
The No Pressure Book Club reminds me of a consciousness raising group I joined in the early 1970s when my children were young and I was looking to get out of the house and make friends. Women joined CR groups at that time in their desire to share, learn from, affiliate with and gain support from other women.
In this group too we share ideas, teach each other about skin care and makeup (me), meditation (Lori) and other ways to alleviate stress and deal with current life problems like aging parents or children having trouble committing to marriage and having their own children. We all look forward to the monthly meetings and agree that we have gained a great deal.
Do you want to live longer by reading books and sharing your thoughts with others? Are you already in a book club? I would love to know how you feel. Until next week…..XO Penny
Resources
You are Never too Old to Join a Book Club. Sixtyandme.com
5 Reasons to Join a Book Club. HuffPost.com
Consciousness Raising Groups in the 1970’s Psychology of Women Quarterly
BMJ Open (UK Medical Journal)The Guardian.com
I miss my book club from West Palm so much. We met monthly and the group was so diverse and the discussion was fantastic. Since I moved there are 4 of us that read and exchange books but we only talk about them in passing. We don’t have a library so our books are all older but it’s been fun exchanging. I always loved reading but it was only after I retired that I was able to read for fun. Penny you are my best resource on new books, thank god for Amazon and Kindle! PS. The movies Book Club was a funny and entertaining look into book clubs. I loved it. Great blog!!! Love you.
I remember how much you enjoyed your Florida book club. They have online book clubs you may want to check out! Love you too.
Penny – I couldn’t agree more about the joy of book clubs.
Like you, I belong to one “low pressure” book group where I’m usually one of the few who have read the whole book. Conversations go far beyond books, and I love connecting with the women who range in age from 50 to late 70s. During one most unusual meeting this year not one of us finished the book (a rather dry non-fiction book on introverts), including the member who recommended it, but we had an extremely lively discussion about it nonetheless!
I also love Olli’s historical fiction class – I feel I learn so much from the books we’ve chosen as well as from the other members. I’m glad for the structure of this group – it keeps me on my toes.
Finally – I really recommend the Goodreads site. I like to keep a list of the books i’ve read and I’ve been writing brief reviews – mainly to help myself remember what I’ve read. But it’s also a great site for finding new books and it often hosts authors who will respond to readers’ questions
Hi Karen. I love to receive your comments. I will definitely check out the Goodreads site. Thanks! XO Penny
I belong to two book clubs as well. One has much more in depth discussions than the other but both are great fun! And we all agree whatever book is chosen MUST be finished! Just doing some research to choose a book is a stimulating activity! I love reading and sharing insights with other women! Eating and laughing are extra perks!
Thanks for a great blog!
Hi Karen. Thanks for your feedback. I’m glad you love your book groups too. Thanks for suggesting the Goodreads site. I will definitely check it out! XO Penny
Hi Kathy. Thanks for your feedback. One of the perks of being retired is having the time to pursue these fun activities. How could we possibly be bored. XO Penny