It’s about love, friendship and food, not just reading
Our writer Elaine Hunter reviews her book group
It’s always the same when I’m hosting the book group.
The candles are lit, the fragrance burners are wafting geranium over the house and the children are in bed early – while the wine chills in the fridge. It’s cosy, warm and welcoming.
Our nights start at 8pm so we can say goodbye to the mummy part of our day and relax with friends.
Because being in a book club is not about the books. It’s about fun, friendship and laughs all washed down with a couple of glasses of wine – even on a school night. The books are important – but they always take a back seat.
While reading the same novel over a couple of months may be the reason eight women have been meeting every month for almost a decade, it’s not why we want to get together. It’s so much more than that.
It’s about bonding, support and love – a therapy session wrapped up in a blanket of literary comfort. We’ve seen each other through bereavements, divorces, illnesses as well as celebrated new jobs, house extensions, while welcoming babies and championing each other’s achievements.
We’re there for each other through the different chapters of our lives.
We’re a bunch of women from all over – Glasgow, Dublin, Dundee, London, Wales, Denmark and Perth – and we just happen to have found each other in a book group in Scone, Perthshire.
When you’re hosting, you choose half a dozen books that you fancy – and they are passed round the group. Then, after supper, we vote and choose what book to read.
We do all have a healthy interest in books. We have the core of serious readers – the library dwellers who devour a couple of books every week (though I’m not one of them).
Avid reader Caroline Glinka, who is one of our longestserving members, says the group is all about happiness and laughter. “Our group laugh a lot,” she says. “We enjoy each other’s company. We get together to catch up, support and have a laugh. And then we can talk about the book we’ve all been reading,” she says.
Fellow member Louise Neuwirth revels in the friendship among us all. “We’ve all become really good friends over the years,” she says.
Inge Morrill, one of the original members says that for her it’s about sharing experiences and being there for each other. “We laugh all the time too,” she adds.
It’s no surprise that being part of social groups top the list for aiding longevity … even if we are chatting into the early hours on book group night, I always wake up the next day with a spring in my step.