Adventures in Reading
Tomas k - Senior News Editor 
Val and I are members of a reading circle in St-Rémy. This is kind of like a book club and kind of not. And the first meeting we attended was rather tense.
In a reading circle, instead of everyone reading the same book, you read what you want. At the meetings, you go around the table, and each person talks about a book or two that they have read—what they liked, what they didn’t like, that sort of thing.
Sometimes this leads to a discussion if someone else has read the same book, or maybe something else by that author. It’s a great way to discover new books.
When Val and I learned of the reading circle in St-Rémy, we figured we should try it out. This was intimidating because it had been running for many years. This meant everyone already knew each other, making us interlopers. And, of course, it was all in French.
Waiting Our Turn
By dumb luck, when we got to the meeting, the seats we chose were the last ones to get called on. This allowed us to see how things worked before it was our turn. As we went around the table, everyone presented their books, but there wasn’t much commentary from others.
All went well until it got to the lady sitting two seats before me. She had read the book Vivre vite (Live Fast) and hated it. Hated it! She told us all about why she thought it was terrible, then threw her copy on the table in disgust. Things were getting spicy!
The problem was that she was wrong, completely wrong. It was a great book! It won France’s top literary award! I loved it!
Planning My Counterattack
But what to do? Here I was, a newbie, and still a bit intimidated. Plus, nobody had been saying much about anyone else’s book, so I thought maybe that wasn’t how they did things here. I decided to bide my time…
When my turn came, I presented my book and then asked sweetly if it was ok to disagree about a book that had been presented. Everyone perked up. “Oh yes!” they said. “We’re French, we love to argue!”
So I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and explained why this lady was full of it. I was polite, of course, but as I laid out my argument, I could see her tense up and harrumph.
Everyone else nodded approvingly, perhaps surprised by my passion. I even got some grudging respect from the harrumpher.
Thus, I was baptized into the reading circle.
p.s. I’ve since become friendly with the lady who hated the book, but she still calls me “my contradictor.”
Keith
INVITATION & RSVP:
The MyFrenchLife™ French BookClub is back. DISCUSSION EVENT: 7 & 8 NOVEMBER 2026
We’ve started reading Live Fast (Vivre Vite) by Brigitte Giraud, 2022 Prix Goncourt winner. I’ll be hosting, together with returning co-host and valued contributor Keith Van Sickle, who suggested this book.
Now’s a great time to get the book and start reading, in French or English; our discussion will be in English. RSVP is essential to receive the access link.
I’m looking forward to many of you joining us in a lively chat.
HERE you’ll find the invitation and RSVP form→ This event is across many time zones - check the time for your location.
Judy
Introducing Contributor Keith Van Sickle
Immerse yourself in all of Keith’s articles on his Contributor page.
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