2012 ReaderCon Filipino Friday 4: Books & Friends
Friday, August 10, 2012 by Leia / Rome
It's Friday once again and you know what this means... especially for those who are counting the days until the 2nd Filipino Reader Conference on August 18... Today marks the 4th installment of...
And for this week's meme, the focus is about Books and Friends...
We will have book discussions hosted by several book clubs during the ReaderCon, so to prepare us for that, let’s talk about books and friendships and book clubs. Are you a part of a book club? If yes, what made you join one? What’s your favorite activity that you have with them? If you’re not a part of one, will you consider joining one? Why or why not?
I think I've been somewhat part of book clubs since I first created my online virtual library account a few years ago but I'm not as active. While it was fun getting to know strangers who liked the same books I did, I preferred to keep my interactions with them online. Perhaps it was largely because I wanted to keep my cyber life and real life separate. Not that they're different really but I often find it hard to explain to my non-bookworm friends how I meet other people, and sometimes I get really puzzled reactions on their faces, like "Are they for real?" or something to that effect. I'm a person who doesn't really like complications so drawing that line helps.
That is, until late last year, when me and a few friends decided to form a book club. It made sense and felt like a natural thing to do since all of us became friends through fandom groups based on a few popular book series. Now with eight books discussed and more coming our plate, our little book club -- if anything -- strengthened our ties and our love for books further. Since we're relatively new and currently private, our discussions -- often held either over several cups of coffee or frozen yogurt with print books, laptops, tabs and eReaders in tow -- are quite healthy; thoughts and opinions are exchanged without censorship but still with due respect. In every discussion, the book is the star of the show. Since our first discussion, our book group has grown from reading books of a particular genre to sampling what the other members liked (or do not like). It allowed for each of us to expand our reading horizons and in a way, made us love reading even more. I couldn't ask for anything else in a book group and I'm sure my co-members, if and when they do read this, would agree.
While our current day jobs provide challenges to our monthly meet-ups, I look forward to every single one of them because, not only does it afford an opportunity to discuss a new book, but also it is an avenue for all to us to catch up with each other. Although I think I will always be a reader, being part of a book club with these great friends elevates that experience.
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And that's it for this week's Filipino Friday meme. Do check out the last installment next week and if you're available, be part of the 2nd Filipino Reader Conference on August 18, 2012 at the Filipinas Heritage Library, Makati City.
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I agree -- being a part of a book club adds more to the reading experience :) I kind of miss how it feels to have a small discussion group though, since our book club's attendance at each discussion has grown so much that it's hard to keep track of everyone. I'm not really complaining, though. :)
I agree -- being in book clubs adds to the reading experience. It's always so exciting to see how people react to comments about books, especially those who LOVE the book so much. I kind of miss having small discussion groups, though, especially since the attendance to our book discussions has grown in the past months. Not that I'm complaining, but sometimes it gets hard to track the names of everyone who attended. :D I think the small group works well to have a really focused discussion. :)
Agree! (Wala nang nasabi. LOL)
@Tina: I can just imagine how large book discussions are; I bet they're fun too. The good thing about large book discussions, I find, is that you get a lot of perspectives about a single book. It gives you a better appreciation and broadens your view also.
@Meann: Ang tipid naman. =P