In January our esteemed literary society, the Notting Hill Napoleons, will begin its 27th year. Imagine it. 26 years of reading and discussing classic novels together — books that have enriched us, challenged us, and brought us all immense pleasure. And, of course, the discussions of those books have also been important as they have sharpened our skills in literary criticism and communication, expanded our fellowship, and contributed to our ongoing spiritual maturity. It has been a great experience and we are looking forward to the next 26 years! With all that said, however, Claire and I are looking for a few other bookish friends who might be interested in launching a brand new book club.Our time with the Napoleons has proved to us how valuable and enjoyable a book club can be. Also, the book discussions we have sponsored over the years through Vital Signs Ministries (the ongoing Book It! program) have proven quite valuable as have our local church discussions of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles. But we are desirous of making 2018 a springboard for yet more people to find the motivation, discipline, spiritual growth, and joy of being in a book club.
The Wild Knight Literary Society (the name comes from both a poem and a short play of G.K. Chesterton’s) would be different from the Notting Hill Napoleons in two significant ways. It would also involve quality fiction but rather than meet every month, this club would only meet quarterly. This would allow the opportunity for persons with fuller schedules, more careful readers, etc. to participate. And it would allow everyone the time to read more ambitious (that is to say, longer) works. This is especially good for Claire and I because, truth be told, the Napoleons are not voting in the number of classics we once did. And we really miss the fun and achievement of tackling a substantial, well worthwhile book.)
The second major difference is that we are inviting even distant friends to join in this Wild Knight experiment. That’s right; even if you can’t make it to our home for the quarterly discussion party, you can still benefit from the motivation and accountability offered. (Not to mention being able to impress the folks at work by dropping the fact that you are in a special, international literary club!) Plus, with the creation of a special Facebook page for the WKLS and using technology like Skype and chat and so on, even club members living far apart can make contributions to the common discussion.
We’re planning on our first discussion sometime in March. And the first classic novel on our list is Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. So, what do you think? If you are interested in becoming a part of the Wild Knight Literary Society, even if you’re only thinking about joining us for one or two books a year, please let us know soon. And start reading!
