IUB Book Club
The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I have always found that no matter what I read today relates to one or another aspect of my life. Reading books directly creates kaleidoscopic impacts on human life. A good book soothes our troubled minds, sparks our imagination, provokes our dormant thoughts, guides us in setting goals and, most importantly, enriches us.
A book club on the university campus should be an imperative co-curricular platform for both faculty and students. It benefits them in various ways. For one thing, a book club is like a community.
It provides an opportunity to be alternately silly and serious. I'm exposed to reading material that I might otherwise pass over, and I get to learn about others' experiences and how they have opted to look at the world as a result of those experiences. We generally park our worries at the doorstep at meetings and it becomes a refuge from whatever is a stressor in the rest of my life.
A book club gives us exposure to the wealth of publications occurring across the world and like a catalyst stirs our stagnated intellect. Books and book clubs can pull everyone up out of his world when life becomes hard. Joining a book club is both an escape and a journey into something rich and wonderful. Book club meetings give members an opportunity for self-expression and self-revelation. It's a safe place to exchange and challenge ideas.
With only 25 members, IUB Book Club (IBC) started its journey on 02 February 2009 as the brainchild of Professor Razia Sultana Khan, Head, Department of English and Department of Modern Languages. It grew very rapidly and now the number of its members is nearing 70. The members meet once a month, on the last Thursday. Over the last two years IBC members have read a number of books (My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and many more ) and the readings were followed by discussion.
IBC fosters a very lively and liberal environment for members. It is now coordinated by Noora Shamsi Bahar, Lecturer, Department of English, IUB. Those who are interested in joining the club may contact her at room number 8005 of the academic building of IUB Bashundhara Campus. Membership is free and open for all IUB faculty and students. There is only one requirement. You must read the selected book before the discussion.
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