I have a problem with Book Clubs. I saw a post on a Facebook group this morning, complaining that the writer "had to" read a monster of a book for her next book club meeting and she was struggling to read the current book of her choice before she had to cope with the book club choice. Now that doesn't seem like a pleasurable use of one's spare time to me. In the past - a long time ago when I did such things - I gave talks to book clubs. Sometimes it was because one of my books had been their "choice of the month", and it was fairly obvious on every occasion that there was a good percentage of the members who hadn't cared for it. That's fine - not everyone likes my version of the traditional murder mystery, or "Cosy with Edge" as a fellow writer puts it. But I could never get my head round the idea of being forced to read a certain book whether you liked it or not. I was never much into Booker Prize winners or media puffed "must reads" either. Reading is surely a form of pleasurable entertainment. I don't want to be forced to read something, in the same way that I don't read very sad or very violent books.
But maybe the book club is simply a way for people to get together, to combat loneliness. After all, like it or not, there is a rather particular demographic associated with book clubs, and many of those people are lonely. There are other ways to combat loneliness, of course. People join all sorts of clubs according to their particular pursuits and hobbies, as I did when I joined my local theatre. Yes, an actual theatre, not a theatre club, or a group of players, but a theatre. It's still going, but sadly, I've more-or-less outgrown my usefulness as a writer, actor and director. And, as time goes by, I no longer have a group of friends with whom I meet up for a drink at the local. And that brings me to another point...
Pubs. Pubs are under particular threat in our current climate. It all started when supermarkets began selling alcohol - back in the dark ages, I know - and suddenly people could drink at home, possibly watching that new-fangled television thing. And gradually, over the years the idea of popping down the local for a drink, being sure you would meet, if not friends, acquaintances has become almost a niche pursuit. And then there was the pandemic. And pubs - and all forms of hospitality - suffered an almost fatal blow. And now, the government are trying to impose further price rises when most of our pubs are still struggling to get back on their feet. Most have diversified, hence the rise of the gastro-pub, and almost all pubs, as far as I know host quizzes and music nights. But still pubs are closing at an alarming rate. Incidentally, I wrote a book about it...Murder by Christmas.
So that's another area that is frequently closed to the - er - more mature single woman. I say "woman" deliberately, as the more mature single man still seems able, if so inclined, to pop in for a drink. Women of my generation have still not quite adapted.
Entertainment, too, has suffered at the hands of governments and the pandemic. I don't intend to go into the intricacies of the entertainment business as it tends to be complex and could be boring... But people don't go to events so much any more. Even the all powerful music festivals have suffered over the last few years. And theatres aren't as full. Nor are cinemas. And yes - we now have the big box in the corner showing us everything we could possibly want. So - we sit and watch it, with a glass of wine, or beer or a nice scotch and soda. So there we are. No need to go out.
And this is what often contributes to the problem of loneliness. And we compensate by listening to the radio for a familiar voice and company. And more and more, we listen to Podcasts. So, I've decided that I shall contribute to this growing market. No, I'm not going to do a True Crime podcast, or even interview other crime writers. What I'm going to do is creat a sort of Radio Playhouse. My son Leo created a drama comedy podcast - if you want to listen it's here: The Dump - and at the time I hoped there would be more, so I thought I might ask various actors I know to help me. First, my two daughters and the other son, all of whom have trodden the boards in their time. Leo is now rather out of reach living in America, but no doubt I'll drag him in eventually. But there are other more mature actors who no longer climb stairs to get to the stage, nor are they able to move quite as freely as was their wont. So this is my next project. In between deadlines, of course. And I hope it will also bring me people with whom I can socialise. And even go down the pub with. Just like I used to.
