The On Reading Well Literary Society
Ashley and Friends in Nebraska, Hello back to You!
Thank you for this lovely, idyllic postcard. It\’s an incentive to travel and to see more of this beautiful country.
Your Willa Cather inspired note reflects the love you all have of your home state and surely for good reasons. I\’m reminded of reading two of Cather\’s books: O Pioneers! and My Ántonia.
And those stamps!
I see on your Instagram account, Ashley, that you\’re leading a read along called \”A Year with Willa Cather,\” beginning with O Pioneers! in October 2020 – so readers out there, join her and those who are already on board! Ashley\’s Instagram account is @a.sagelife. The group will be discussing the books using #acatherannual. If you can\’t read all 12, hop in when you can.
~Anita~
About THE ON READING WELL LITERARY SOCIETY
How did you choose the name of your book club?
We started our book club around Karen Swallow Prior\’s book, On Reading Well. I (Ashley) had seen it around Instagram and I thought it would be perfect for the book club of my dreams. Twelve books and their corresponding chapters on a related virtue. That was our origin.
This year (2020) we upgraded part of our name from “book club” to “literary society.” We’re excited about it, so spread the word!
Number and names of members:
We regularly have 8-10 attendees but are always open to husbands making guest appearances or people zooming* in from out of state (Indiana) or out of country (Siberia!)
We are Ashley, Kirsten, Emily, Ruth, Margaret, Deb, Jaime, Julie, Kelly, and Mandy
Age range:
30 to 70
How did you meet each other?
We all attend church together with 1 or 2 being friends from the community.
All women?
All women! But we have had a few men in on the discussions and have loved their perspective.
Date of first meeting:
January 2019
Meeting schedule:
We meet the fourth Thursday of every month, with November and December planned as necessary to accommodate the holidays.
Meeting place:
We have always tried to meet in local coffee spots or restaurants in and around Lincoln, NE. We moved to an online format (due to the pandemic) for the earlier part of the 2020, but now we are meeting outdoors at different houses while the weather holds!
Food and beverages:
Almost always coffee and a dessert! If a book has a particularly memorable food or drink, then it will most likely make an appearance.
Book selection method:
The first year we used selections from Karen Swallow Prior’s book.
For 2020, we decided to do 120 years of books and we voted on three books from each decade. For 2021, we are letting each member pick a favorite to share, maybe two to cover the year.
We also have talked about reading one author for the whole year. It\’s something we will probably change around!
Most popular book:
This is so hard because we are often split on liking the book. I think A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith was a solid favorite.
Best book discussion:
Also hard! Some of the best discussions come from the books that have the biggest divergence of opinion. The Road (Cormac McCarthy) and The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) both yielded great discussion, but so did Till We Have Faces (C. S. Lewis) and The Sun also Rises (Ernest Hemingway), which we generally all liked.
Currently reading:
Our book for September is 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. A delight! I have already been sending texts to some of the ladies because it demands commentary in real time.
Next book scheduled:
True Grit by Charles Portis (October 2020)
Do you do things together outside of your book club meetings?
Many of us hang out as friends, or make music together, or ride horses, or go on walks and bike rides. There is a friendship between us, for sure, and also space for honest discussion and vulnerability when sensitive or charged subjects come up. Knowing a person allows their thoughts and ideas to be taken in the context of the whole.
What does the book club mean to you all?
Margaret: Discussing good literature with discerning readers. I love that we choose books that are timeless.
Jaime: It is time for myself with friends, that reminds me that I am still a soul that can learn and grow.
Kelly: It has reignited in me a love of good literature and has inspired me to read more. This group of woman are serious bibliophiles!
Ashley: (a perk) Last fall as we were reading through Karen Swallows Prior\’s book, she \”attended\” our book club through a FaceTime call! It was one of the closest celebrity encounters I have ever had and she was nothing but grace and kindness as we talked to her about her book selections. I still have her personal number in my phone in case I ever need to flex on my book club legitimacy. 🙂