Every 6 months or so, the book club I belong to decides on the next 6 months of books we'll be reading. People bring in their suggestions with a little write up regarding the plot line. It's always kind of nerve wracking because you are putting books out there that you are interested in and if everyone hates them? Well, that doesn't feel so great.
This last period, two of the books I suggested got picked. GULP. The first was "Jane Eyre" which, along with "Pride and Prejudice" is EASILY one of my most favourite books ever. I was surprised that not many of the group had read it, yet. I assumed everyone had during school, but as I was an English major, it could be I just was a keener and read it on my own, or read it in University. I don't exactly recall, but I know I love it!
I hosted book club that night, one of our largest turn outs, and was so shocked and relieved that almost every one REALLY enjoyed it! YAY!
Well, my second suggestion that got chosen was "What The Psychic Told The Pilgrim." A woman who belongs to one of my online groups had mentioned she was going on a pilgrimage, walking the Camino Trail in Spain. When she got back, I followed her blog along about her experience and fell in love with the idea of doing the same trek. I immediately started googling anything I could about it, seeking accounts of journeys, and came across this title. It drew me in, and as it is about a group of women setting out together on this adventure, at 50 years old (Canadian at that!) I thought we would all relate to its tale.
The San Camino Trail takes you walking from France, through Spain. It's approximately 800km and takes around, depending on how fast and how long you walk each day, about 40 days. You can do part of the trail, the whole trail-it's really a personal odyssey. While Roman Catholics used to do the pilgrimage for religious reasons, it's now quite a popular "Bucket List" item. Each village has a refugio, or hostel, where you sleep each night, packing up and heading out come the next morning. The idea is look into yourself as you wander, and to seek answers to questions only you can be asking internally. It's an arduous task, through heat and mountains and mud. It sounded absolutely incredible to me. It's now on MY list, no doubt!
I was really interested to hear what the other women thought, and if they were as psyched as I was to make this trip a reality somewhere down the line. Some were, like my friend Jay, who halfway through the book was researching tour groups and asking her husband if he'd mind if she went! Others already have plans to do the West Coast Trail (which to me is more about nature and roughing it than a pilgrimage of sorts) or the Appalachian Trail. Some enjoyed the book, some couldn't really relate to the main character.
The discussions in our group are always lively and I love hearing all of the different ideas and perspectives. Whether the book is a "winner" with everyone or not, the sharing is incredibly satisfying.
Needless to say, I'm in love with my book club and look forward every month to our meetings.
I've been dreaming about the Camino trail a few nights, and I'd love to add that to the "checked" stack on my ever growing "Bucket List."
One day!
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