Book Club!!! I'm Finally a Member of One & January 2020's Pick

I am excited to announce I have been invited to join a book club! I have been interested for years but

the timing has never worked out, nor my courage to join if I am being honest, as well as the types of book clubs I have had access to. This book club, my book club, was recently dreamed up by a friend so it’s brand new! The idea that everyone she invited are newbies is very appealing to me. I get anxious meeting new people, remembering names and faces, the small talk, learning what people are ok or not okay with, etc. Having everyone in the same proverbial boat eases the ol’ anxiety.

For those of you involved in book clubs- do you have a theme or dos and don’ts? How do you choose the books? We decided that we will rotate local eateries with happy hours! No house cleaning! Wahoo! Every month a different member will get to choose the location and then announce the next month’s book we get to read and discuss the following month. Topically we have it narrowed down to no books from the horror genre and under 400 pages.

At our January meeting the book announced as our first ever read was: Ines of My Soul by IsabelAllende. The novel is based on real life people and events from Spain to Peru to the conquering of Chile in the 1500’s. Ines is writing her memoir for her daughter of her time helping and experiencing these events and the men she loved throughout her life.

I am happy to announce I finished the book prior to our upcoming meeting! Ines of My Soul is not a book to escape into but, if you have time, to sink into. You need the chance to immerse yourself into the words, language, historical culture… As mentioned, it is written as a memoir. Ines is very honest and candid about her life, loves, actions and choices she has made. She is an amazingly strong and resilient woman living in awful and violent times. The atrocities she recounts can turn your stomach.

One thing that was disappointing for me, is that the book is a little dry with the story I thought I was going to get. I wished for more romance and personal interaction of the main characters. I suppose more like Outlander. You are following a strong woman traveling and supporting the men she loves throughout her life and receiving large chunks of interesting history. I felt like the author did an amazing job giving us the history but it was all a little dry. It was almost like someone was narrating the history of the times and expeditions for me, documentary style, and sometimes she was actually part of the story herself. It’s more the story of the men and their battles than of Ines, other than her movements around them and following them. I found myself skipping here and there to get back to those portions of the story.

Isabel Allende is a remarkable, talented, award winning author with a large list of books to read. This is the only book I have read of hers and I would say that I would try her out again when I am in the mood for a book I can sink into for hours, uninterrupted. I would also say, for those of you who read books male vs female writers, based on their voices when reading them, this author almost sounds like a male writer in my mind, for this book at least. Also, if you are interested or visiting/visited Peru or Chile this book would give some really interesting history and understanding of their cultures.