Long Branch Book Club

Why join a book club?

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I love to read, but I don’t always have the time. So, reason number one for me to be a part of a book club is to get me reading. Reading relaxes me, gets me out of my head and expands my knowledge and experience. In other words, it’s good for me. But book clubs have done more than just give me a reality escape for a bit. They’ve changed what I read. I’m a horror/science fiction and fantasy junkie. Most book club members aren’t.
When the club picked the Red Tent by Anita Diamant my reticence to get reading made me wait till the last moment, but from the first page to the last the book enchanted me. It’s now in my top 10 favorite books, right up there with Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Book clubs push readers to try something they wouldn’t normally read.
Another great thing about being in a book clubs is that I’ve met people I normally wouldn’t and made very interesting friends. Readers, in my opinion, are curious by nature and have adventurous spirits. It’s always fun to hang out with such folks.
Oh and the snacks we all bring. Sometimes it’s potluck appetizers, sometimes it’s whoever’s book suggestion gets picked gets to bring the snacks, and sometimes the Long Branch Saloon’s Grub Truck whips up the goodies, but no matter who does it, it’s always awesome!
Then there’s the whole thing of since we meet in a saloon, no one has to clean up their house or get rid of the kids.
But my favorite thing about book clubs is that everyone gets something different from the same book, because we are unique individuals with just as unique experiences and perspectives. When a club gathers to discuss a book, each member is treated to new insights and delights or horrors they hadn’t perceived in their own reading.
On Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m., the Long Branch Saloon Book Club will meet to discuss Before We Were Yours: A Novel by Lisa Wingate – “A thought provoking and complex tale about two families, two generations apart…based on a notorious true-life scandal,” (Amazon.com).
The LBS Book Club meets at 315 Saint Lawrence Street in Gonzales, Texas. Also, part of the discussion will focus on meetings times and dates, and upcoming book selection. Snacks are welcome. For more information call 830-519-4006.

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