After close to two years, the book club that I belong to finally got together. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until I saw everyone once again — though it did feel a tad odd to congregate in the same room with several people (we’ve all been vaccinated, by the way).

We usually meet about once every six weeks at a different member’s home to discuss whatever book we chose as a group during the last meeting. Our discussions are light, frequently lively, and given that many of the members are either related or very close friends, the conversations often veer into personal stories and anecdotes.

I especially love book club because I’ve read books that I probably never would have tackled on my own — books that have become fast favorites. It’s also opened my eyes to different genres and styles, as well as exposure to other cultures that I never read on my own. So in this way, book clubs can broaden our horizons and push us outside of our comfort zone. For many people, book clubs also provide people with a good reason for reading on a regular basis.

Additionally, I find it fascinating how even though we’ve all read the same book, the opinions and understandings of it could vary so greatly. Often, aspects of the story are brought out that I had neither noticed nor thought of. In this way, our discussions cause me to think about a work of fiction in an entirely different light — and that’s the fun of it! I love hearing all the different perspectives people have on the book.

Most of all, I love being able to talk about a book with others who have also read it. I love being part of a community where we have a passion for reading in common. Often after finishing a book, my mind is racing with new ideas, thoughts about it, or I might even be overtaken by the emotions that the story sparked within me. Being in a book club allows me to share my experiences before, during, and after reading a book.

As an added plus, you can often borrow books from other members. Our book club is fantastic about this — many of the members share books with the rest of us, and I’ve discovered several new and loved series in the process.

For this month’s book, we read “Sadie” by Courtney Summers. This was a much more emotionally intense and darker story than I had initially thought before going in. I won’t say that I enjoyed it (as it wasn’t the type of book that one “enjoys”), but it was good and I am glad it crossed my path. Next month, we’re reading “Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman, a much lighter (and sillier!) read.

So yes, if you’re given the opportunity to join a book club, I heartily recommend that you take advantage of it. I love mine!

Happy 4th of July to all of my American friends who are celebrating Independence Day today. This year’s holiday is quite different from last year’s in that there are actually festivities going on! I was afraid that our local 4th of July events would be canceled once again, but everything is on. Well, most things. From what I understand, our huge Milwaukee 3rd of July fireworks were canceled again this year, but not because of Coronavirus this time. Apparently, they couldn’t find enough staff to pull it off. So it looks like everyone — even the fireworks committee — is having a difficult time find help these days.

With the exception of last year, my local city hosts a day of music and food at a nearby park. It used to span several days and was called “Glendale Days,” but over the past few years, it’s been scaled down to one day: the 4th of July. I always wondered how they managed to finance a three-day event like that, especially given that attendance wasn’t all that high (Glendale is a relatively small burb). So this afternoon (when the temperature is about 95 degrees 🥵), I plan on heading down there for a bit. There’s one vendor who makes fantastic Sloppy Joes, so I’ll definitely be partaking of those.

The big hit of “Glendale Day” is the 4th of July fireworks in the park. Though our burb is small, they put on a phenomenal display, one of the best I’ve seen, actually. What’s nice is that the park is only a block away from my house, so all I need to do is grab a lawn chair and walk a bit down the street.

Now in the past, I would always have to apply a generous slather of insect repellent as the mosquitoes in the park — especially at night — were ferocious. This year, however, there are absolutely no mosquitos anywhere to be seen. I sit outside every day (sometimes for hours), and I have yet to see one mosquito, which is really strange. By this time of the summer, they are usually horrendous. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and I’m looking forward to enjoying a mosquito-free fireworks display tonight.

Let me finish by wishing everyone who’s celebrating a Happy 4th of July, whether you are pick-nicking, attending a barbecue, going to a party, or hanging out with friends. Be safe and have fun!

A while ago, I stumbled across MasterClass.com, and after browsing their catalog, of course, I decided to check it out for a year. By the way, I am neither an affiliate of theirs nor connected to them in any way — I’m just a fan.

What MasterClass is, is a collection of video courses taught by experts in their field – A-List celebrity instructors. For instance, R.L. Stein teaches writing for children, Neil Gaiman teaches storytelling, and Dan Brown and David Baldacci teach writing thrillers and many others. Many of the courses include a downloadable class guide to which you can refer later and which I found super handy. But, what really impressed me, was the knowledge and enthusiasm of the instructors, which makes learning a joy. They also do a fantastic job at motivating the student.

I mention the writing courses first because that was my main reason for subscribing. But there are courses in many other fields as well. For example, Annie Leibovitz teaches photography, Steve Martin teaches comedy, Gordon Ramsay teaches cooking, and Ken Burns teaches filmmaking.

So far, the courses that I’ve taken have filled with excellent information, helping to empower and inspire the student. I have several more that I plan on taking in the coming months. It’s also worth mentioning that the video quality is Hollywood-level, which added to my enjoyment of the courses.

So if you want to learn from the best, you may wish to give MasterClass I gander.

Though I’m enjoying the courses and am learning a lot, I’m not sure I will continue my subscription as the $180 yearly subscription fee is a bit steep. However, if I finish by taking all of the courses that interest me, then I’ll most likely let my membership lapse for the moment.

Or maybe I won’t.

Who knows what else might pop up there in the coming year?