book group on a snow day

sunrise:  6:58          blog time remaining:  25 days

It is snowy and blowy, a damp fall of fine, mist-like snow, and lots of it.  It remains to be seen how much ends up accumulating.  We don't have any plow contract yet, so it could be a heavy shoveling day.

One thing I like about Mainers is their intrepid nature.  Our book group meets this morning to discuss "One Amazing Thing" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (quite a mouthful).  I just got word that the location has moved since it's a snow day for school children, but they won't cancel book group for snow.  This is the time of year that justifies all those 4 wheel drive vehicles that we drive around.

(a flock of intrepid birds - braving the storm) 

I've been in a few book groups in my time, but this one has been the best.  We do fiction and non-fiction, occasional poetry or a classic, best-sellers and even a children's book once in a while.  All of us have found that we read books with the group that we would never have read on our own.  Volunteers offer to either host the meeting or do the research and presenting of the book (usually done by the person who recommends it).

It's nice to gather with friends and be social, which we do.  Some book groups, though, are more focused on the social gathering than on actual discussion.  This group of bright women isn't afraid to speak their minds.  We challenge, we question, we hypothesize, we laugh, we delve.  We also have a great book-themed pot luck lunch and Yankee book swap every June before we break for the summer.  

Often our discussions expand into broader conversations about the world and humanity.  It's so nice to be in a group that both educates the mind and nurtures the spirit.  I am reminded of the article I referred to in a recent post about friendship, or rather the dearth of friendship in America.  Real human interchange is always worth the trouble.

Interchange with dogs is nice too.