Today I went to a local book club called "Bessy Reads". I've known it exists for a while but I'm very lazy to travel on Sunday mornings. I gave it a try today and it turned out to be a great experience.

The club meets at Elliot's Beach and each member brings their own book to read. We sat together and read in silence and there were few people making sketches and art. The beach is in Besant Nagar, hence the name "Bessy Reads".

To me, reading is a solitary act. It's always you and the characters in your book. I never had a circle to share about stuff I read while growing up. I'm used to reading alone. My social acts related to books are visiting the book fair each year and occasionally recommending a few books when someone asks. But today I realised that reading could bring people together and create a bond.

This community is open and very flexible. There are no big rules and you can read anything you like. I've seen people from very different backgrounds reading a wide variety of books. The timing is flexible too; anyone can join or leave at any time.

I was reading Recursion by Blake Crouch last week and continued that book there. The group helped me stay in same place both physically and mentally for 3 hours and finish the book. Reading as the sun came up on a beach was a great sight and experience.

They've also started a lending program for the people, you can lend any book from the collection and return it when you finish it. I'm planning to donate few books to the collection. After we finished reading, we played dodgeball and had breakfast. I had the chance to meet few good people and some of them are living very nearby. I went with very little expectations and returned home joyous. I think I'm hooked now; I'll probably be there whenever I'm in Chennai.

I've added few pictures from today below.

If you're in Chennai and would like to join, follow the club's Instagram handle