“What are you reading right now?”, is one of the best questions a reader can be asked. Usually, we’re eager to share. And often, it won’t be a one title answer; I currently have 5- 6 open books I am working on, with countless others stacked on bookcases, my nightstand, floor, and my endless “want to read” shelf on my Goodreads account. Readers are going to read. And there is nothing a reader likes better than reading with other readers. Belonging to a book club has been incredibly fun and rewarding. It has challenged me to read books I otherwise may have never picked up. And it has led to countless conversations, hearts shared, and memories made – which is priceless. 

Our book club, lovingly named, the Waco Women’s Literati Book Club, has been meeting once a month now for over a year. We read one book every month, then meet to discuss at a different restaurant around town. At each dinner, we get to share our thoughts, personal stories, how the books/themes/action may have affected us, and get to enjoy the company of others who find joy in this pastime. 

Some of our book club picks over this past year have included:

• The Exiles by Christine Baker Kline
• A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Di Camillo
• Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art Through Eyes of Faith by Russ Ramsey
• and Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love by Katherine and Jay Wolf

These books have run the gamut from Biography to Fiction to Young Adult, classics and many in between. It is like unlocking a treasure chest every month with some of your best friends, wondering, what is this one going to have inside? Will I love it or may not even like it? Who am I going to meet? What country or language will I learn about? The possibilities are endless and once you are hooked, you can’t get enough.

What has been an especially wonderful aspect of being in a book club, is being able to share our personal lives and create friendships and relationships through book club. It has developed into a rich community of understanding and acceptance, centered around a love of story and reading, but also of sharing – sharing our own stories or being inspired or impacted by the lives and stories of other women around our table, can create understanding, bring healing, wisdom, and create space for growth in our own hearts and minds and lives. So, for a little bit of time, once a month on a Tuesday, a group of Waco women, carve out a little bit of time, to enjoy the special fellowship that readers enjoy, coming together to read and talk about a good book.

We’d love to have you read along with us! Our book for the month of March is What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, which I picked up at my favorite local bookstore, Fabled. Or perhaps this has inspired you to start your own book club! Getting started is easy – all it truly takes is you and one other person! Then maybe they have a person who would want to join, and so on! It doesn’t matter the size, or where you meet – just get together and talk about a book.

Happy Reading!