I joined a book club!
On Friendship Day this year, I made some new friends because I tried something new- I joined a book club! 2023 saw the mushrooming of many such silent book clubs in South India and in my current home base, the city of Coimbatore, this reading group was practically brand new and sought to encourage reading and bring together people with a common love for literature from all walks of life.
For my debut, I decided on an audiobook “Finding the Mother Tree”, narrated by the author herself, Suzanne Simard.
I also decided to add my own twist to the experience by also painting an art piece inspired by the beautiful book cover featuring three majestic trees rooted in a forest floor hiding unexplored wonder that the author discovers and shares through her book.
But this reading group was not completely silent- after two blissful hours of reading at a beautiful park under a canopy of trees (my book choice couldn't have been more fitting), all of us spent the next hour involved in a fun discussion about our favourite books at a nearby cafe. My artwork was also a great conversation starter or a “Whatzit” as Leil Lowndes would catogerize it according to her book, “How to Talk to Anyone”.
Overall, a wonderful way to prioritise relaxation time…
