My book group met again last night. We’re a new group, but I think we’re off to a good start. There were six of us last night, and there are two others who plan to come, so that’s a nice number for a book group. I think the personalities all blend very well…there was never an uncomfortable pause in the conversation. And I like all these women very much (of course, I knew most of them going in…the only person I didn’t know ahead of time was Karen, and she’s a school librarian, which automatically gives her points). We met at Boston’s last night, and I think we’re going to continue meeting over dinner because we all like to go out for dinner and nobody likes to clean house.
But we really did read/discuss a book last night…this wasn’t JUST an excuse to go out for dinner and gab. We read The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn by Diane Ravitch, which was a fascinating read, not to mention a great discussion book. I was especially interested in this book because I’ve actually written some of this stuff. And I really did receive LONG lists of topics I couldn’t mention in the pieces I was contracted to write (just like Ms. Ravitch wrote about in the book)…topics you’d NEVER think someone could object to. Like snow, dogs, owls, tennis, tobacco (and I don’t mean references to smoking…I’m talking about the historical context of growing tobacco). I actually don’t write this stuff anymore…I realized several years ago that if I really am against this No Child Left Behind legislation, then I have no business making money writing materials for all these testing companies. (And getting out of that turned out to be a good decision…I make a lot more money writing readers for educational companies than I made writing test passages!) But anyway…the Language Police is a great book, one that any parent and/or any children’s book author should read!
Next month we’re reading a children’s book — Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. I’ve actually read it before, so I know that’s another great book. And I’m looking forward to reading it again…
Sounds like you found a great group! Are there any other writers in the group? Discussing books and eating dinner at a restaurant – sounds like a wonderful night 🙂
It IS! And yes, there are two other writers in the group. And two children’s/YA librarians. And some science people. But we like them anyway. 🙂