After I joined Facebook in 2009, it was a bit boring. I mean, there were lots of fancy quizzes to tell you what Disney character you were but there wasn't much in the search bar when it came to things I wanted to check out. Like books (of course.) So I thought about things, (rather quickly, I am a Gemini after all) hmm a book group! The groups were taking off (sort of) and having a group of my friends and family would be the greatest thing.
Here was my very tiny little goal list:
- We would talk about books.
- We would become closer and get to know each other better when it came to what we like to read.
- We would find books for one another and talk even MORE about books.
- We would learn to like other genres, after all, I had learned to like other genres so would they!
That was as far as I got. So I mustered up some bravery and made up my group hooking in my two best most sane buddies (one an editor the other a past corrections officer among many other things) .. the kind of women that if anyone got out of hand, they were the body guards of all bad book people. I chose well. And they are still there to this day. And never had to bounce one person out of the " book bar."
The first to vamoose was some of my family members which was SO forgivable. Seriously. I was pissed for five seconds but book people are weird, lets face it, some are not into socializing about books. They want to go sit in a corner with a blanket, all the lights off and never discuss ONE book they have read. But these people of mine, they will give you every single book they have to borrow.. They are good people so I forgave rather quickly.
Some people said they left because I put up obscure books. And I was. I mean, I may have read every Patricia Highsmith book or some off the wall indie writer(s) and raved on and on about it, but they were not into it. "Where's Janet Evanovich? J.K. Rowling? JAMES PATTERSON???" I was at a loss. So my friend post corrections officer said, "you need to get with the people. Your books are too hard, too out there, man." I took her advice.
In that advice I mixed different genres as well as that was still a major goal for me. I was a straight up NYT bestseller reader until I discovered travel writers, bios, autobios and Sci Fi. I wanted everyone to read what I read and well, that's just not going to happen. Not at first, anyway. It took a few years to hook people in, just to "try" (please? I begged) and they did.
The group grew due to my editor bodyguard friend, she worked at a university and knows quite a million and a half readers (not really, I am so lying, the group is at two hundred) but she did bring in the heart of the group. The post corrections officer followed with her friends and family. It grew and grew and friends invited their friends and it's a great bunch of people. I have met people who ended up being my good friends. It's rewarding.
And it's a lot of work. I was posting books a lot, probably five times a week until I realized that I was not having much fun on the other side of Facebook. I made a pact with myself. Book postings on Wednesdays and Sundays and in between days, articles and such from my Facebook book page list. I had more time to post cat memes and what I ate for dinner. Like the rest of the world. I even fit in Fat Mum Slim's photo of the day. Photography became fun as well.
There are a lot of things I have been into but this group has been the most rewarding. I have implemented the no snobbery policy (which they are the least snobby people I know so that wasn't even an issue) and staying on topic as much as possible though.. we got into The Cheesecake Factory the other day. At least it was under a cake baking book I had posted.
I forgot people in the beginning and I regret that. People, like me, read the NYT bestseller list or headed right to the top books at B and N or we read nothing else, but in that I had to change, I knew that there are so many wonderful books from other countries, fiction, non, coffee table books, informational, quirky, and self-helpy. And so much more. The greatest part of the group besides fast friendships (and a mascot that is a WereHedgehog (see? we even have a shapeshifter thing going on)) was the members who tried other genres. That, to me, was a wonderful thing.
And they run the group whether I am there or not and I love that so much.
I am saying thank you to them today, to every single member, related to me or not. You have made this group the most fun area of my online social life which has seeped into real life. You are the best, my nerdy book friends, the very best.
Merci.
PS the photo is a book (of a series) that my editor buddy loves, that is why I used that particular book in the photo, next photo will be all about my post corrections guard buddy. I promise. x Probably along the lines of Janet Evanovich.
