My South African Book Club

Bookworms choosing books at Encore in Hyde Park Corner

I have belonged to several book clubs over the years. Some have been more successful for me than others. I have found my most successful experiences have been those where the book club actually reads the books, and we talk about the book (as opposed to a glorified excuse for cocktails.) Especially when we have different tastes and perspectives, can form an opinion and are comfortable with sharing it. That cocktail usually makes for an interesting exchange.

My favorite thing of all is when I come to a book club meeting feeling strongly one way or another about a book and then being persuaded to look at the book from a different vantage point thereby reversing my previous stand.

I recently joined a book club in Joburg that is different from any I have ever experienced. First of all it has a membership ratio, 1/3 South African, 1/3 British, and 1/3 "other". Being an American I am an "other." That practically guarantees different perspectives!

Secondly we do not all read the same book every month. We have a library of books to choose from which have been chosen by the group. Every few months representatives (we are all invited to go) from the group go to the Exclusive Book store in Hyde Park and chooses a dozen or so books. We then read the liner notes on each book aloud at the next meeting and the group votes on whether we want to add that book to the library. We can then each choose one of the newly approved books to read for next month or one already in the library.

The way the meetings are run is unique too. We go around the table and each person reviews the book or books they read last month and gives them a grade between 1 and 5. We include a one or two phrase synopsis of our review and the numeric grade on a card that has been affixed to the inside cover of the book.

I am excited because this means I can read what I want every month. Invariably this has been my downfall with book clubs. I like to read what I like to read when I like to read it. So I usually have a book club book on my nightstand and a book I have chosen to read. Now I can have both in one book!

I chose books set in South Africa for my first two books, The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence, the true account of an introduction of a herd of elephants to Thula Thula, a Private Game Reserve in Zululand, and The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh, a novel about the Kimberley diamond mines.

There are many books in the library written by or set in South Africa which is exactly what I want to be reading now. I think this book club will be a success!