By Kathy Bryan
This month’s Über Moms’ theme is practicing gratitude. As I sit down to write my already late article, I realise how much gratitude I feel towards the Book Club and books in general. Gratitude for the access to books I have, for having the time or being able to make the time to read and enjoy so many, and for being able to share this pleasure with others. Gratitude for our Über Moms Book Club that gifts me this every month. Thank you all XxX
Book Club
On 10th December, we held our Mummy and Me Book Club. We talked about our latest read, Sugar, by Bernice McFadden. Recommended to us by one of our Über Mom mums, Sugar proved to be a popular read and one that gave us a lot of material to discuss. From friendship and the influence of the small-town environment, to prostitution, tolerance and so much more. What made this month’s Book Club extra special was that we were able to welcome some of our mums. I will admit, I was nervous. I felt a little like I was back at school, going around to a friend’s house for the first time and meeting their mum... Do I call them Mrs. So-and-so, or dare I use their first names?! But I need not have worried; the Über Mom mums fit right in and added another dimension and insight to our discussions. Not every mum could join, but it did not feel like this mattered. After the meeting closed, I found myself still smiling and thinking about how lucky we had been to have that time together. The fact that we can discuss books from the comfort and safety of our own homes, talking across timezones and continents, and experience new things even during this confusing and challenging time, is pretty amazing.
Next month’s book
Our next book is something a little different.
The idea came from a remark made at Book Club. What would we now make of books we had first read as teenagers? This led me to the Bronte Sisters. Books by all three of them were never far from the reading lists of English Literature classes when I was growing up.
Our choice was from Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey, Villette, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. We chose Villette, by Charlotte Bronte.
All Über Mom members are welcome to join us in reading this and participating in the meeting on the 14th January 2021. Simply sign up on TeamUp.
Housekeeping
There will be no poll run at the end of December, giving you all time to read any Christmas presents you may have been given, or to make a dent on that pile of “to be read” books. But do not panic, we’ll still meet in February to have a review of the year in Book Club and also to talk about books that members may want to recommend to each other, among other things.
Please remember to sign up on Über Moms TeamUp.
Kathy Bryan
Kathy Bryan is a stay at home mum with 15 years experience of raising three independent, loving, fun-filled, maddening children. Prior to moving to a village south of Munich, she lived with her family in the middle of England. Being a firm believer that being a stay at home mum does not mean you have to forget who you are, she was always busy in the village, both as a Governor at the school and helping organise village fetes amongst other things. Since arriving in Germany and getting settled here Kathy joined Über Moms and is an active member of the Runners Group and recently started Über Moms very own book club. When not chasing children to do homework or running the highways and byways around her village Kathy can be found sewing patchwork and working out ways to hide “another quilt” in the house.