First Meetup: A Journey through Books and Connections
Of the many book clubs that run throughout this calm yet busy city of Ahmedabad, I was invited to become a part of one. Yours truly couldn’t have denied. Thus began this wonderful chapter.
On Saturday, some of the members agreed to meet for the pilot episode of this journey. Since it was the first time we were meeting, we were as interested in books as we were in one another. A round of introduction followed with us ordering for ourselves beverages. Over our respective cups (or, a beaker, in one case!) followed hearty conversations. We intended to share our progress on “Once Upon a Curfew”, a book that we all had voted to read this month. But we did a lot more than review and discuss the book. Those who had read the book, shared their perspectives. What amazed me was how closely they all followed the story and character arcs.
The author in me was delightfully received by willing, welcoming readers. Such an experience has an unmatched charm; ask any author. They all were curious to know what I wrote or why and how I wrote whatever I wrote. The story behind the story of the novel, then flowed beautifully into other conversations.
We also ensured that the others in the cafe were disturbed enough, so we were often inquired what we were doing! In such an actively passive way, we advertised our little group. In such a way, we added three more members who, here onward, will receive updates on the group’s activities.
We also played casual games over which we discovered and exchanged perspectives. I found that the readers weren’t just accommodating to my up-selling my novel but equally creative in their interpretations. As if I wasn’t sure that that one trait, of imagination, wasn’t restricted to the chosen few. And we also learnt how to make folding, paper bookmarks. Mine is neatly tucked away preserving a page number in a book. Talk about putting skills to use!
We clicked a lot of pictures and shot some impromptu, beginner video bytes. One of the readers is a professional when it comes to capturing videos. So, he has promised that we all will get our respective share of YouTube presence. I will leave a link for you all as soon as I get my hands at one. In the three hours that seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye, the overall emotion was hardly any different from, “we should do this more often.”
The event concluded with us sharing our recommendations for the next meeting. We all chose a fiction, a nonficiton, and a collection of poetry. It already is a handy list for any reader. But the idea is that one picks a book that they truly are comfortable reading.
The life is busy with work; lots of it. Granted. But activities, groups, and interactions like these open up ways in which we can explore our social side. That is a strong reason for the introvert within me awaits meeting them all again. Until then, it is a new book at hand and a lot of things to ponder for the writer within me. Could I’ve asked for more?
