The daily experience of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan is something most of us cannot imagine. For Billy, being in touch with his home reading group was a relief and a blessing. They sent him letters and books in the post and made sure he knew how much he was missed.
He was always in our minds and a lot of thought went into what we sent him. We always sent lots of books. (Hazel, Billy’s grandmother and a member of the reading group).
Billy joined the Abergele Book Group with his mother and grandmother in the year 2000. The group has about twenty members and Cheryl, who runs the group, describes it as “very much like an extended family.”
Billy has always enjoyed reading, so when he discovered that his mother and grandmother were going to a reading group he asked to go along. He became the youngest member of the group and found that he had quite a different perspective.
As the youngest member, at first I found that I quickly lost interest in the books for mature readers. But, as my reading genre broadened, so did my perspective.
Being part of the same reading group has brought the family closer. They enjoy reading the same books and recommend books to each other all the time.
We always discuss what we are reading and look out for books that the others would enjoy. (Claire, Billy’s mother)
Books and reading have always been a big part of family life. There were plenty of books around the house when Claire was growing up and she made sure it was the same for Billy. Billy loved being read to when he was very small and was reading by himself as a toddler. So when Billy was far away from home, staying connected to the reading group meant a great deal.
The group is very important to me. Without them I would not have read the books that I have come to love. These are the books that I read over and over again, and that I treasure.
Abergele Book Group recommend:
The Cocktail Party byT. S. Eliot (We actually held a real life cocktail party in a member’s house for this one.)
We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor
Photo credit: Soldier Reading a Book © JoAnn S. Makinano
