We had tea and biscuits
at the first book club meeting. But if you meet on a Sunday afternoon
and carry on talking well into the evening, tea and biscuits don't
make for very stimulating conversation. Certainly not after the first
hour or two. So the simple afternoon tea soon gave way to more
substantial sustenance, with anything from sandwiches and slices of
pizza to pieces of home-made pie. But not even that lasted long once
one of our members provided a two-course dinner, which has been the
norm ever since. If the host or hostess wants help in the kitchen
from others, it is willingly provided. Convinced that good books and
good food go well together, we realise we had initially not only
insulted our stomachs, but the authors we read. Well, most of them.
We choose books to
discuss in democratic fashion, taking turns to suggest three titles,
the one then receiving the most votes becoming our book for the
month, or whenever the next meeting is scheduled for. This replaced
our former method under which anyone could make suggestions at any
meeting, which in practice meant the same people, with the same
tastes, were always at the ready, while others had to accept their
choices. OK, the rest of us could blame ourselves for not taking the
trouble to come armed with suggestions, but otherwise could only
react by harshly criticising a book we did not like.
There are no dissenting
views about the food, however. Indeed, word of it has spread well
beyond our circle, with the result that some people who seldom if
ever open the covers of a book but with a good appetite (for food
prepared by others) have wanted to join. We meet in each other's
homes, but it does happen that a member unable to accommodate us
hosts a meeting at someone else's place.
At the moment, we are a
couple of people short, so if you are in the Stockholm area and are a
book lover, do get in touch. (We are a friendly bunch.)
stanleybstanleyb@gmail.com
