My bookclub is imploding. The short version is there are six members, four of whom would like to read at least a few books that four others absolutely do not want to read. Those of you who can do math know that adds up to more than six. I admit I am one of the first four. & one of the second four. & one member is neither.
So I am asking, what would Jane do? & by Jane, I mean Jane Austen.
For those of you who do not know (cave dwellers, perhaps), Jane Austen is just the most important thing in bookclubia since sliced bread. Since before sliced bread even. & the reason I look to Jane is she managed to dash off several novels, still making the charts approx 200 years later, while being the general dogsbody in her brothers' households. That is she managed these timeless insights into middle class (regardless of where on the social scale they actually ranked themselves) minds while living the most thankless of middle class lives. She wrote her masterpieces sitting in the middle of Regency equivalent of a rumpus room while the kids force-fed dog food to the baby & their mother, too distracted by American Idol said "Jane, deal with that." & deal with it Jane did. & then she went back to writing.
I am not sure what Jane would do about my bookclub. Write a satire perhaps? Now that I think of it, there are a lot of books about suburban bookclubs, hmmmm. What I have decided to do is take a nap. Certainly not what Jane would do, but I am so much more like that faux-overwhelmed middle class housewife than her more worthy sister-in-law.
But what would Jane do while she was writing that satire? Pick herself up, brush herself off & move on to the next book club (or brother's house; she never seemed to run out of brothers). It is not like she had any choice. Neither do I, frankly. If I could no longer find anyone who was interested in talking about books I think I would curl up & die.
Jane also might take up minting new words, as well. Regular readers can add "bookclubia" to "librarical". I expect all of you to use them in a sentence.
My Tuesday evening bitching and book club took a break from all those, you know, written words, and watched two DVD's of Pride and Prejudice. We had a rousing discussion of which Mr. Darcy was the sexiest. Probably wouldn't work for everyone though.
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