Bookish~

 

One of the fun things our local Library does is have what is called a Books & Brews Night each month.  We meet up at a local brew pub to talk about books.  It was going to rotate to various pubs, as there are a million in this little town, but after the first meeting everyone liked the one we were in so there we've stayed.

The first meeting was mostly people that worked at the Library and a few others of us.  Over time that's changed so that last night we filled to bursting two large tables and had only two Librarians.  In fact, there were so many of us and the pub was so crowded it was hard to here across the tables.

The format is nice because it is so laid back.  People ordered food and drink as desired and thankfully the pub just does individual tickets so paying off at the end is a breeze.  Everyone introduces themselves and then we just share about what we are reading, or whatever we've read lately that we've liked.  Everyone notes whatever sounds interesting to them, but no one reads the same things.

I've got a stack of cards with book ideas and I've read a lot of them.  Some are good, some I just don't bother to finish.  It is fun to discuss each others' recommendations that one has read at following meetings.  I've definitely read some books I never would have otherwise checked out.

Over time and with the monthly discussions, I've learned whose suggestions might be worth reading and with a few folks, what I probably won't bother with.  Let's just assume I am by far the most conservative (in content, not quantity) reader of the group.  Different people show each month and so there are more readers to meet which is fun.

There's no guilt if you haven't finished a certain book, or if you dislike someone's suggestion and no one is stuck reading a book they hate before the next meeting.  I like this.  I would like it if there was someone else who liked to read more classical literature so that that could be discussed, but whatever.  I've diversified my own reading enough so that helps.

Also, one of the librarians mentioned Good Reads.  I had not heard about it and don't usually do appy things on my phone, but turns out I love this.  It's the first time I've been able to remember to write down all that I'm reading and keep track.  Usually, by the middle of February I've forgotten to list them.  You can rate book and write reviews if you like.  It will also suggest other books to read based on your personal reading lists which can be a nice feature.  Personally, the list of books I want to read is so long, I'll be blind before I will finish them all!

What are you reading/what have you enjoyed reading lately?