Book Clubs. In or out?

"Tonight is the night."

I have been repeating this sentence for almost a week now and yet I haven't finished reading the book that is standing on my bedside table: Ulysses by James Joyce.

It was a real challenge for me reading this book and although I read it in Italian (I am only 17 pages away from the end) I found it very interesting also and mostly from a linguistic point of view. While following Leopold Bloom walking the streets of a busy and turbulent Dublin, the perception of time is delated, characters acquire different features depending on the inner voice you're listening to. The longer you read, more you merge with the protagonist or whomever is at the centre of the scene in that particular moment.

Meditation. Re-elaboration. Absorption. Rationalisation.

These are just a few words that pop into my mind while thinking of what I do after reading a book. Here is something I suggest to everybody who is reading this post:

Don't jump from book to book.

Always allow a space of silence between two readings to let your thoughts wander over the book you just finished so to really make it your own. I rarely start to read a new book when I have just finished one. I need time to let my mind fully understand what I just read. I need silence to create my own opinion, my personal summary of the reading experience.

Book clubs are a great way to improve such capability for re-elaboration and in-depth analysis, something that might be seen as rather old fashioned that is instead a quite strong and lively practice. Social networks are now being built around the concept of book clubs, I can mention Goodreads, Anobi and also our beloved yet young Google Books as the major ones. People feel the need to share their reading experience with other like-minded people and the above mentioned platforms just give a virtual place where to easily fulfill this need.

As of now I haven never been part of any book club, but I am always about to join one and I might do it quite soon. So, are you in or are you out? Ever fancied joining a book club?