Advent Gratitude December 15

On Tuesday I met with my university book club. We’re a small group from different departments who have been gathering for probably half a decade now. No matter what we read, some of us like it and some of us don’t. This time was Nancy Mitford’s Christmas Pudding: a book about a house party among country aristocracy published in 1932. We talked about which characters we liked or didn’t- mostly; whether you have to like any character to like a book; parallels between 1931 and 2020, inequality, anti-Semitism, humour. I wore a Santa hat. I was not the only one. It was Chanukah and one of us got up to light candles in the middle of our chat. We drank our wine in our own houses but otherwise it was possible to forget we were on Zoom.

After years without a book group I am in two, and also a poetry reading group with other poets started during our first lockdown. I feel so grateful for the fellowship of the book. Ever since I was a child I have loved reading. How great that I can also find friendship there.