I am a lover of books.

That’s no secret. If there is some free time found in my busy schedule, it’s usually spent reading a good book. I try my best to turn a few pages each and every day.

My passion for reading has had its ups and downs. I was a little book worm all through elementary and middle school. However, my interest in literature during high school and my early years of college was mostly narrowed down to assigned reading.

I rekindled my love of books a few years ago. I was so excited to find other people who shared this similar interest, and I quickly decided to start a book club.

After many trials and errors, I’m finally ready to share this with you all.

I have a reading club called Books and Brews.

And today we had our first meeting of the year. It was a long time coming, since I have been quite active on my own personal social media accounts, promoting this little book club of mine. But there is only so much that I can get out of interactions online.

For all the dreams and aspirations that I have for this group, I knew that I needed to move forward with meeting other members face to face.

What better day than on MLK day?

We met up at a cool spot in downtown San Jose – Forager Tasting Room & Eatery. The place was spacious and the vibe was inviting. They served craft beer from local breweries and their selection of coffee was simple and straightforward.

Ultimately, my goal is to share some good reads and brews (tea, coffee, or beer) with great company. That’s pretty much it.

We definitely analyzed and shared our thoughts on the novella, Sea of Trees – written by Robert James Russell. This was our pick for the month of December.

I will be the first to admit that I have never been a part of a book club before, nor have I ever been one to comply with certain rules and normal standards. I didn’t come with a game plan on how to go about our first meeting.

As much time spent discussing the book, we spent an equal amount of time (if not more) talking about other topics; such as Logan Paul, MoviePass, the new song “King’s Dead” by Jay Rock featuring Future, Kendrick Lamar, and James Blake, a bar out in Oakland with walls covered in poems torn from books, the perks of being a member of our local libraries, home cooked meals, Las Vegas trips, budgeting and financial goals…

The list goes on.

And that’s the beauty of it. I don’t expect this to run like a typical book club.

In fact, if I can use this reading group as a way to have people from all walks of life, come together to learn, communicate, and simply have a good time; then my goal is accomplished. The books and brews may spark a dialogue, but it’s the connection with others that I look forward to the most.

So I invite you all to check out my officially unofficial reading club – Books and Brews.

p.s. there may or may not be a future “field trip” to the aforementioned bar in Oakland.