Relocate to a new city. Look for a book club chapter. Can’t find one. Decide to start one.
It’s a common scenario for members of the Girly Book Club, who have joined the group in one city and suddenly find themselves in another. Such was the case for Sharayah Farrell, who joined the group in Denver in 2016. When she moved to Kansas City and saw a void, she decided to fill it earlier this year.
Farrell, a systems redesign engineer for the VA Hospital, recently talked about her book club experience.
Sharayah Farrell
BookTrib: What is your favorite aspect of being host of the Kansas City Girly Book Club Chapter?
Sharayah Farrell: I love meeting new people and reading books that I might not have picked up before. We are a mix of people from all ages and professions, and it’s great to have conversations with like-minded ladies.
BT: What book has generated the best discussion?
SH: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel was one that didn’t cause a heated debate but it had the most thought-provoking discussion. We all agreed that a book like that should be required reading in schools. I think everyone who came to the meeting really enjoyed the book.
BT: How many books do you read a year?
SH: My goal for 2018 was 40, and I am six away. But I’m being very adventurous with my goal for 2019 of 100 books. I plan to re-read a lot of the classics.
BT: Do the friendships made through the chapter extend beyond the monthly meetings?
SF: Yes, we have had a Blind Book exchange at my house which was fun, and we are planning movie nights. I created a Facebook group for our chapter, and I encourage the ladies to plan events freely and engage with each other.
BT: What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened at a monthly meeting?
SF: I say that I am cursed! It has rained at almost every meeting we have had. It’s the strangest thing. I don’t know if it is because I am from Seattle and I just bring the rain or if Mother Nature knows that rain and books go together, but it seems to rain in some fashion during every meeting, from a little drizzle to a full-on torrential downpour.
If you could be any fictional character, who would it be?
Farrell: I would want to be someone exciting so I would want to be Lisbeth Salander from the Millennium series. She is pretty badass yet vulnerable and just a very interesting character. I was a fan of the Swedish movies (but not the American versions).
What is the book that changed your life?
Farrell: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was the book that really made me fall in love with reading. I read as a child, but I wouldn’t say I was an avid reader until I picked up this book.
Interested in joining a Girly Book Club chapter in your neighborhood? Visit https://girlybookclub.com for everything you need to know!
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