I just finished a wonderful book – The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.
(I admit that is not the most accessible sounding name, but this is a lovely little treat of a book, and you should go read it, right now)
This book is written entirely as letters back and forth from the main characters, and one of my favorite moments came in the first five pages: an author in London (Juliet) writes to her publisher a post-script: “PS I am reading the collected correspondence of Mrs. Montague. Do you know what that dismal woman wrote to Jane Carlyle? ‘My dear little Jane, everybody is born with a vocation, and yours is to write charming little notes.’ I hope Jane spat on her.” The publisher, in the next letter, responds in his own post script: “P.S. You write charming little notes”
Another favorite moment:
We read books talked about books, argued over books, and became dearer and dearer to one another… our evening together became bright, lovely times
****
Four years ago, my friend decided she wanted to start a book club, and off it went. At the time we were all unmarried, childless, Ironman training athletes…now we’ve got 5 (I think?) babies, one on the way, one stepdaughter, countless weddings, and life keeps going on. Book club is once a month, a date picked in advance, thrown on calendars, and generally well attended; it’s been a wonderful constant meet-up in a world where we all get too busy to remember to check in. Evenings do indeed become bright, lovely times.
****
I recognize that it’s a little unrealistic to try to fly back to D.C. once a month for book club, but I’m honestly wondering how unrealistic is it, really? (I mean, I know how unrealistic: very). Part of the joy of bookclub is the no hassle way of getting to see your friends; flying from Colorado is not exactly no-hassle. But I’ll miss my friends, and their charming little notes, and find myself wondering what it would be like to pop in and out and get my fix of their company.
InnerTeub 
Oooh, that book has been sitting on my bookshelf for a while and I haven’t cracked it — and I’m looking for a good book to read. Plus I have this sort of pervasive love for the epistolary novel — there just aren’t enough that are well done! I have been a part of a number of book clubs and they always kind of fizzle, which bums me out. If I were you, I’d totally fly to DC (maybe every other month?) but then again I’m a total book nerd! š
sounds like an awesome book. will add it to goodreads.
my book clubs were never successful – i think because we were all functioning alcoholics who wanted to pretend we weren’t just getting together to drink not in a bar.
anyway, yours sounds lovely.
1. Holly, Dude, I am such a book nerd that flying across the country every month seems like a reasonable line item in our budget. Doh.
2. Ok, so I’ve been trying to analyze why this book club has lasted when others I’ve joined haven’t. Here’s why I think it works:
– We set the date for the next meeting at that current meeting (and more recently, we have set the next three dates, and picked the next three books, in advance). This has the advantage of everyone looking at their calenders in real time and picking a date that works for most people.
– It’s always on Sunday night – always. And having the date pre-selected means that if you’re traveling for the weekend, you can arrange to be back in time for book club
– Rotating hosting, with a semi pot luck atmosphere (though when one bookclubber was on bedrest we just ordered pizza and stormed her house to make it easy on her)
– We’re extremely kind about not reading the book, but we always make a somewhat tentative effort
– We have a email listserve for the group, and there has been one member who is GREAT about consistently emailing out the date/book selections, the reminders of upcoming meetings, etc, constantly pushing the ball along and making it easy to keep in the foreground.
I can’t say we didn’t start as – and continue to be – functioning alcoholics, but at least under these circumstances, someone is making homemade chili to complement the booze š