Introductions!

[Lois]

Hey everyone :) Seeing as we're going to be meeting up in person, it seems like a good idea to introduce ourselves a bit, so ... I'll go first!

I'm a PhD student doing research into books and reading - which ironically means I really shouldn't be reading anything just for fun, but what the heck, I do it anyway. My favourite things to read are speculative fiction (fantasy/sci-fi), romance, and classics (especially the Russian ones, for some reason). I also like to play games (board games, video games, you name it) and I do a fair bit of cooking (and often I even enjoy it!).

I've been following along with Our Shared Shelf on my own for a few months now, but I'd really like to meet regularly in person to chat about the books. I just think hearing different perspectives on the issues and ideas raised in the books helps you get so much more out of the experience of reading them, but I don't really have the time to follow along with a lot of the online discussion. However, I can definitely set aside time for a get-together every other month! Also, I just think it'll be fun :)

[Charlotte]

Hi! I'm Charlotte. I'm most of the way through a double Law/Business degree which I study part time while also working full time. I don't have a lot of spare time to read, but fortunately my interests complement my studies - I enjoy nonfiction focused on social justice and women's rights, and the intersection of these issues with law and politics both domestically and internationally.

I've been following Our Shared Shelf since late 2016 but don't have time to engage with online discussions - scheduled in-person meetups works much better for me. Plus, they'll motivate me to keep up with the reading schedule! I had a great time meeting other group members over the weekend and I'm excited for future fun & discussion :)

[Lois]

Charlotte wrote: "Hi! I'm Charlotte. I'm most of the way through a double Law/Business degree which I study part time while also working full time. I don't have a lot of spare time to read, but fortunately my intere..."

Sounds like we're in the same boat re the time issue ;) Funny how technology that's supposed to make things more 'convenient' often makes them more time-consuming instead!

[Cheylee]

Hello everyone 🤗

I am particularly happy to have found a local chapter of 'our shared shelf'. I am a new recruit and the May book will be my first. I think I am going to enjoy discussing our thoughts and ideas together, and as I am only recently in the area I am looking forward to making new connections :-)
Regards, Cheylee

[Lois]

Cheylee wrote: "Hello everyone 🤗

I am particularly happy to have found a local chapter of 'our shared shelf'. I am a new recruit and the May book will be my first. I think I am going to enjoy discussing our thoug..."

Hi Cheylee - welcome to Melbourne and to our group :) As you may have noticed we have just started this local group recently, so this is excellent timing for joining up! Look forward to meeting you in person at our next meetup.

[Jess]

Hello all,

I am a local Melbournian and currently living in Fitzroy. Sadly, I don't find much time to read :( I have been following 'our shared shelf' for about a year but just haven't found the time to read any of the books. Therefore, like a few of you, I was stoked to find this group... maybe a meetup might give me a good deadline to kick myself into gear! And have some fun, of course!

Looking forward to meeting up with you all soon,

Jess

[Lois]

Hey Jess, glad to have you here :) I am totally the same as you - so hard to motivate myself to read the books without an in-person meeting to give me some incentive/pressure! Hope to see you at our meetup on 24 June.

[Thilini]

Hi! I'm Thilini and I just m migrated to Australia a month back from Sri Lanka. I've followed Our shared shelf for a year and read a couple of books but there weren't any meet ups in Sri Lanka and it's difficult to keep up with the online discussions. I had to order the books from the book depository since the books were not available on the country so I'm excited to be living so close to a library that has all the books and to find a group to discuss the books with :) looking forward to meeting everyone

[Lois]

Hi Thilini - welcome to Melbourne and to our humble book club! It's great to have you here. Hopefully we'll see you at our next meetup on Saturday 2 September :)

(BTW, I've just started reading the book - The Beauty Myth - and I think it's fantastic so far ... Should make for a good discussion!)