For years, I believed my love for reading was gone for good—until a spontaneous decision to join a book club brought it back to life.
As a child, I LOVED reading—from Goosebumps books to anything by Jacqueline Wilson, I could often be found with my head in a book. My sister taught me to read and write before I was even of school age, so there was a time I devoured any text I could get my hands on. However, as I got older, my interests shifted somewhat. I’d rather stay up late on a Friday night watching WWE Raw or playing Pokémon on my Gameboy than sit reading. I guess you could say I fell out of love with it; I preferred to be in front of a screen rather than with a book in my hands.
It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties and doing a Biomedical Sciences degree that I initially began to miss reading. That’s when I decided to pursue a creative degree instead. I went on to obtain not only an undergraduate qualification in English but also a postgraduate qualification in English Studies. But, as you can imagine, being told what to read for four years—leaving little time to read what I actually wanted—again killed my love for something I’d previously considered a hobby. Since then, gaming has been my primary focus.
Fast forward a decade or so… when I quit my full-time job last August, I was determined to undertake some creative endeavours to keep myself occupied while my freelance journey took off. That’s when Luke and I established our Disney podcast Chatatouille. But I also wanted to get out of the house and interact with people. I’ve always preferred speaking to people online than arranging meetups, but I knew being at home seven days a week with no human interaction wasn’t healthy. I needed something to push me out of my comfort zone and keep me connected to others.
I’d joined several book groups when my novel came out primarily to promote my book if the opportunity arose, so I kept an eye on what was being posted. One Sunday night, I noticed a post from someone in Manchester who said she was keen on establishing a book club. In a moment of spontaneity, I registered my interest, and that’s how my journey with Read Between the Wines book club began!
I’d never been part of an in-person book club before, and initially, the thought of meeting new people I might have nothing in common with seemed daunting. In the early days, I definitely had my fair share of wine to feel more confident speaking to everyone! What helped me stick with it, though, was the group’s enthusiasm. Seeing how much everyone loved discussing books reminded me why I used to enjoy reading so much. To be honest, reading still felt like a chore at that point.Although the books chosen each month were ones I’d typically be interested in, the first thing I’d do before starting was check the number of chapters and work out how many I’d need to read a day to finish the book in time for the next session. My brain is normally going at a million miles an hour at all times (hooray for currently undiagnosed ADHD), so the idea of sitting there and just reading without any thought as to what time I’d stop seemed so alien to me. Over time, though, I realised I didn’t need to approach reading like a task—books could be a way to relax and recharge.
After five months of only reading the chosen book club books, I’ve been inspired to sit down and read not just because I’ve felt like I had to or for the purpose of attending meetups, but because I’ve wanted to. Further, although it would be easy for me to jump on the ACOTAR or Fourth Wing bandwagons (though I’d probably enjoy both series, to be fair!), I’ve been exploring new publications from lesser-known authors as they’ve been released. While I know there’s so much literature I’ve been missing out on over the years that I’d probably love ,it’s been wonderful this month to celebrate authors making their UK debuts.
With this in mind, if you’ve not checked out Samantha Sotto Yambao’s Water Moon or A S Webb’s Daughter of Chaos yet, please do! They also both have beautiful sprayed-edge editions (which, I have to admit, was part of the reason I chose to buy them both!).
I’m excited to say that I’ve since pre-ordered several more upcoming releases in the next couple of months. I can’t wait to fill up my brand-new bookshelf and escape to fantastical worlds the way I did when I was younger. If I hadn’t stepped out of my comfort zone and joined a book club, there’s no way I’d be reading for pleasure now (and I’d be missing out on so many beautiful stories!). Not only has this reignited my love for books, but it’s also reminded me of the joy that comes with sharing stories and ideas with others—a joy that’s motivating me to finally start working on my second novel.
So, thank you to the wonderful woman behind Read Between the Wines for reigniting my love for reading and encouraging me in my own creative endeavours, too. Your passion for books has not only inspired me to explore new stories but also to rekindle my confidence as a writer, and for that, I am grateful.