Don't Be Jealous Because Your Book Club Isn't As Cool As Mine

I realized something this week--blogs with no pictures? Boring! And my blog? No pictures! Eureka! Therefore I am on a quest to add a visual cog to my literary musings wheel. I really want to be a better photographer, so I took my camera to book club last night in an effort to photo journal the whole experience. Well, you know what they say about a room full of teachers: you'll be hardpressed NOT to learn something new and I ended up getting a photography lesson on the spot. These images come to you courtesy of my private tutorial with Ms. W (that's her with the book!).

Last month at our book club rendezvoux I was one of the only ones who had finished the book (shame on them!) so we just drank wine and talked about online dating and chronicled the various flaws of our significant others. This month we could have made a YouTube video on How to Maximize the Engagement of Your Book Club. It really was quite remarkable!

As a teacher of all things literary, I am constantly reminding my charges of the relationship between setting and mood. Setting and mood, setting and mood. It becomes a mantra of sorts. Attention to detail is everything and the setting at last night's meeting was perfect.

There were tie-ins with the food, the activities and the decor. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is set in New York City--which made this "Black" Pepper Cheese and "Sliced Big Apples" tray so endearing:

Oskar's adventure starts off with a blue vase (not unlike this one) in which hides a mysterious envelope with the word "Black" on it:

The centerpiece of the story is a key. The moral of the story is "never stop saying I Love You". These laminated key-shaped bookmarks brandishing the life motto "It is always necessary" are heart-warming:

The evening's events included eating a vegetarian meal (though not vegan--sorry Oskar), the sharing of pictures representing something significant to each of us (most of which had to do with love-- I think Oskar would be proud of that), and a discussion of "Things We Know About That We Wish We Didn't"--including, but not limited to all-men water parks in India, post-childbirth procedures, rooms at airports for unclaimed children, a plastic island in the ocean, and what happens to a dog's tail when it is stepped on too forcefully.

I also spent quite a bit of time trying to get a good picture of these glass Christmas trees. They are not related to the story, but are lovely nonetheless.

Though my photography skills may leave something to be desired, in the intellectual female conversation department, I'm doing OK.