(no subject)

[nny]

So I have discovered that Boozy Book Club is bad for my wallet... :D

We had an amazing discussion last night about The Cities We Became by N K Jemisin, and then ranged freely around thrill seeking, Everest climbing and the inherent selfishness of it, ghost stories, Robert Macfarlane (I CANNOT RECOMMEND UNDERLAND ENOUGH), philosophy, MR James... it was so much fun.

Have accidentally finished the evening by buying The White Road by Sarah Lotz, resolving to finish reading The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane - which has been stalled a while, pre-ordering Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt and looking for a copy of The Weird and the Eerie by Mark Fisher, which is our read for next month.

And now I need to start the Bird King by G Willow Wilson for next Friday's book club.

My reading has been fanfic-oriented for such a long time - because my mental health has been bad, so reliable tropes and predictable emotional reactions have been a safety net - and it's kind of delightful having new and interesting reads coming into my life. Reading with a book club is a different kind of safety net, I think - you know there is somewhere to put your emotions after, which makes it less unnerving to experience them.

I spent a lot of my childhood being told I was Doing Emotion Wrong, and I think I've subconsciously come to the conclusion that emotions are the enemy, over time, and I think the trouble I've been having with the intensity and logic of my emotional reactions lately are due to the build-up of what I've been pushing down over time. So I guess... book clubs are a way to experience, affirm and check emotions against others'?

Non-standard coping mechanism, maybe? But it's working for me.

Comments

[regshoe]

Reading with a book club is a different kind of safety net, I think - you know there is somewhere to put your emotions after, which makes it less unnerving to experience them.

That's a good and interesting point. I've started going to a book club recently, and it's got me reading a lot of books very much outside the sort of thing I'd normally read—it's certainly easier to do that in a context where I can share my reactions and compare them with others', so I'm not worrying about having the 'wrong' responses to something I know nothing about, and I get a bit more context for everything.

Anyway, I'm glad the reading and book club are going so well for you. :)

[naye]

These are lovely recs! I'm glad you enjoyed the reading, and thank you for sharing the books!

[spikedluv]

I'm glad you enjoyed book club, even if your wallet did not. *g*

[apiphile]

Reading with a book club is a different kind of safety net, I think - you know there is somewhere to put your emotions after, which makes it less unnerving to experience them.

That makes sense--and like a fandom, you have someone around you with a shared experience to make sense of what those emotions are, too.

I spent a lot of my childhood being told I was Doing Emotion Wrong, and I think I've subconsciously come to the conclusion that emotions are the enemy, over time, and I think the trouble I've been having with the intensity and logic of my emotional reactions lately are due to the build-up of what I've been pushing down over time.

That also makes sense and would fit in with your suspicion that you have ADHD.

[skygiants]

I love this description of what it feels like to read with a book club! It really does help I think to hash opinions out with a group -- usually I either come away feeling pleasantly validated, or liking the book better because somebody else pointed out something in it that I missed. A win/win!