In January 2024, a friend of mine invited me to attend a book club gathering.

I was hesitant at first, especially with the fact that most of my readings consisted of non-fiction. I would be meeting people I hadn't known before, each from various backgrounds and likely with different reading tastes. Nevertheless, I decided to come.

To my surprise, the friend who invited me to the event couldn't make it. For a moment I got cold feet, yet I persevered and assured myself to keep an open mind. I brought my Kindle, which has been filled with EPUBs and PDFs. The reason why I prefer Kindle rather than physical books, is the ease of convenience. I can store dozens of books in one small package and read it wherever I go. The book I was reading in January was titled Active Defense: China's Military Strategy since 1949.

It was about the evolution of Chinese military doctrine ever since their civil war and the Japanese occupation, as well as the subsequent change during the Cold War through the modern era. Granted, I have only partly finished the book because I was either preoccupied with other readings or some other titles instead grabbed my interest. In any case, there was some worry that I would feel out of place since everyone else mostly brought novels and other genres of reading.

But then I kept going. I pledged to myself that if I want to fully participate in this gathering, I need to broaden my perspectives by reading other genres and categories. And so I did. All this time I have only read things mostly on history, science, or military strategy. But now I have gotten some reading experiences ranging from romance, Arabic literature, children's books, books that discuss mental health, coquette-themed books, Japanese literature, gender issues, and even gothic literature.

My reading palate has indeed been expanded. I have a newfound perspective on things, due to the fact that we usually discuss all the different books we brought to the gathering, enabling me to see multitudes of interpretations. I had the chance to connect with incredible people from all walks of life and listen to their ideas. And at the very least, I ended up getting some great conversation starters I could use in the future.

By the time this writing is published, a year would have passed since my first January gathering. I would have also read many other genres and titles outside of non-fictions, something that I thought was inconceivable a few years ago. I hope that me in the future will look back fondly at the time I spent in this community. What started off as a simple curiosity, and became part of a thriving and creative community of unique individuals, bound together by our shared love for reading.

I hope our collection of stories may inspire you as well, dear readers.