After COVID, I had an epiphany. Or maybe it was just caffeine deprivation. I thought, "Why not start a book club?" Now, the first challenge was finding fellow

After COVID, I had an epiphany. Or maybe it was just caffeine deprivation. I thought, "Why not start a book club?" Now, the first challenge was finding fellow enthusiasts among my software engineering colleagues, who seemed to communicate exclusively in binary. During our daily stand-up, I announced, "Who here likes books?" I was met with a silence so profound that I could hear the hum of the office air conditioner. Undeterred, I added, "There will be snacks." This got their attention. After all, the way to a programmer's heart is through their stomach. By the end of the day, I had three tentative members: Jake, who only read sci-fi, Priya, who was into self-help books, and Alex, who claimed to enjoy "anything as long as it isn't too long." For our first meeting, I chose a conference room and sent out an email titled "Book Club Kickoff - Bring Your Appetite!" I brought in a selection of snacks: chips, cookies, and, because I was feeling fancy, a cheese platter. The turnout was surprisingly good. Even people who hadn't signed up showed up, lured by the smell of free food. We decided to read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, which seemed to be a safe middle ground between sci-fi and humor.