Book Club

I have been invited to participate in a book club. This creates both excitement and anxiety. I LOVE to read. But I love to read for pleasure. I hated my literature classes in school. Reading books, stories, and plays that were assigned to me were a struggle, and discussing them was like pulling teeth. I didn't ever understand the things I was supposed to or draw the same conclusions that my teacher did. Some assignments were disturbing and haunt me to this day. (I still can't see a rocking horse without feelings of unease.) Others, I just plain didn't understand. (Later, I realized that Shakespeare was meant for the stage, not a high school English class, and Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet have become two of my favorite movies. But don't ask me to read them!)

I have high hopes for the book club. Selections will be chosen by other women, nearer to my own age. The only deadline is that I finish the book before we meet. There will be no worksheets. No grades will be given. But will I still have feelings of inadequacy? Will I be judged for my opinions? What if I don't have any intelligent comments? Will it be acceptable for me to simply enjoy the books?