A History of Book Club Reading Lists, 1984-1995

I’ve been in my book club since 1974; this was before the book club craze took off. In 1984, I began writing down the names of our selections on little slips of paper that I kept in my wallet.

A few weeks ago, I started entering 39 years of book titles and authors into the computer. Last night, at our monthly book club meeting, I told my friends that we should be proud of our variety of reading matter.

One of My Many Slips of Paper

As an example, I’ve learned more about the Muslim religion (e.g., differences in the Shia and Sunni sects) from the many books I’ve read, than I did in my college World Religion class or from current events. A few of many favorites over many years: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Marquez (1984), Out of Africa, Blixen (1987),  Ginger Tree, Wynd (1991), Palace Walk, Mahfouz (1991), A Confederacy of Dunces, by Toole (1994), plus many others. Here is the list.