It all started on a cold spring day of March 2022. I had by then began planning events around town to meet like minded people. This particular one was aimed for book lovers in the area to come join me in downtown Aurora, Illinois over a cup of hot coffee. My intention was to meet fellow women who would inspire me to get back to reading.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been an avid reader in the past. But life happens. It happened for me as well. I guess I was just looking for some hope or encouragement in the form of people. Did I find it? Lets discuss!!
That day, without even realizing, we were starting something precious in the community.
That is how I met Anagha, Deborah and Jenny on March 26th, 2022. Even though we met for the very first time, our admiration for books brought us together that day. I learnt Anagha loves Mitch Albom, Deborah reads more than anyone I knew and Jenny has the eyes for the best books in every genre.
I finally secured the encouragement I was seeking and soon we would discuss our first official book club pick “Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. That was just the start of something beautiful.
Subsequently, as the word got out, more friends joined in bringing in their wisdom and more importantly, their love for different genres of books. Along the way, I don’t remember when, I had found my people!!
So, in March 2022, I got back in touch with literature because of something I started with a hopeful heart. Today, 7 months later, I am passing on the hope and helping others like me get back to reading.
I began my journey with reading by picking up Tuesdays with Morrie, recommended by Anagha. Deborah helped choose The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo for the book club and soon we were both gushing over our new favorite author, Taylor Jenkins Reid. Jenny always comes up with the best book picks and that’s how I was motivated to read Lessons in Chemistry, my favorite read of 2022. Michelle who has never missed a meet up yet drives the discussions with her insightful questions and she has bought every book we have read for the club till now. When Lasha joined us in October, she immediately blended in and helped us pick our Halloween 2022 pick. Shweta is the funny one, always chiming in with her well received humor with deeper meaning. Sejal and I connect through our passion for writing and she brings in her calm nature and experience in her field of work to explain why some characters behave the way they are portrayed.
It is safe to say that this is not just a bunch of ladies who share their passion of reading, it’s now shaped into a group that discusses more than just the plot. For example, we shared our stories of survival, our social-economic views, our understanding of a world full of unique kids while discussing Midnight Library, Lucky Boy and Fish in a tree respectively.
This is A Novel Bunch, where we share opinions with love and mutual respect. We welcome members with open arms and value what each one of us brings to the table.
Come join us and see it for yourself!!