book clubs – My Life in Paragraphs

Book Club: School Lunches and Polaroids

I remember the School Lunch chapter from the very first time I read this book. I didn’t get it. Maybe I still don’t. Lamott says school lunches are full of the same longings and dynamics and anxieties for everyone, even if the school setting is different.

Well, maybe it’s an East Coast/West Coast thing, but the experiences she writes about – what was acceptable (bologna, pb&J) mattered and you were ostracized for bringing smelly, wrong things (which often happened if your father made your sandwich)—those didn’t bring any sense of recognition for me. I remember basically zero about elementary school lunch period.

The Inherent Danger in Perfectionism for Writers (and Humans)

This next chapter is a short one (they all are really because Lamott doesn’t mince words). The focus is perfectionism and the danger it poses toward you as a writer.

I would say it poses just as much a threat to you as a person.

Here’s what Lamott writes:

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.”

SO true, right?

My personal book club (Meeting 2) and a FREE book just for you!

Welcome back to my personal book club. (don’t worry I’ll tell you about your free book in a moment)

Because the chapters are so short, for this next book club gathering, I’ve covered the first three chapters of Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

My Book Club of One: Bird by Bird

I miss having a book club. Since moving to the valley, I’ve been a reading club of one.

I did try to get a book club going in the early days, but meetings were rescheduled or hijacked by too much wine and one by one everyone dropped out. It died after a very short run in which I think we might have read four books (none that I remember well except the one about Elon Musk which I had to read while holding my nose).

Book Club Meets Fan-head (my virtual visit to Arcata, California)

Last night I had my first virtual visit with a book club! We discussed my novel, Practicing Normal. We’d planned on skyping, but ended up using Facetime because there were technical difficulties with skype. I’m happy to say it was fun – much less painful and awkward than I anticipated.

The group was at a library in Arcata, California (Redwood country). They met at 6:30 their time, which was 9:30 my time, so it was pretty late for this early-to-bed girl. I skipped the wine with dinner and managed to avoid yawning the entire hour. There was no chance of a yawn, really, this group was engaged and fun.