Book Club_2026: Day 1 & 2
Being part of the Book Club this year has been a refreshing experience, not just because it gave me time to read, but because it gave me the opportunity to pause, reflect, and look at familiar ideas from a different perspective. In the middle of busy school days, Life Classes have created a small space where we can step away from our usual roles and simply be learners, readers, viewers, and people. Reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold, along with watching Remarkably Bright Creatures and The Lake House, unexpectedly brought together three very different stories through a common thread: time, relationships, missed opportunities, and the importance of appreciating the present.
The first two chapters of Before the Coffee Gets Cold made me think about how often we wish we could go back—to say something we left unsaid, change a decision, or spend a little more time with someone. Yet the story gently reminds us that going back does not necessarily change the past. What we can change is how we understand it and what we choose to do in the present. This made me reflect on how easily we become caught up in what has already happened or what is yet to happen, while forgetting that the present moment is the only one we can truly act upon.
Remarkably Bright Creatures brought a different but equally powerful perspective on relationships, loneliness, grief, and unexpected connections. What stayed with me was the idea that meaningful relationships can emerge in the most unexpected ways and that people often carry stories and struggles that we may never see on the surface. It reminded me to be more curious about people, more patient with them, and less quick to make assumptions.
The Lake House added another dimension to the idea of connection across time. The relationship in the film made me think about how people can find each other even when circumstances, distance, or time seem to stand in the way. Together, the three stories made me realise that perhaps the real connection is not simply about time travel or waiting for the right moment—it is about human connection and the choices we make with the moments we are given.
My biggest takeaway from these experiences is to notice the people and moments that are already around me. I want to carry forward the habit of slowing down, listening more deeply, expressing things before it is too late, and appreciating ordinary moments instead of constantly waiting for extraordinary ones. I also realised that stories have a unique way of making us reflect without directly telling us what to think.
The Book Club has therefore become more than just a reading space for me. It has been a space for conversation, curiosity, reflection, and a little escape from the everyday routine. I am looking forward to the future Life Classes and the stories, films, conversations, and perspectives they will bring. More than anything, I hope these sessions continue to give us permission to pause, reconnect with ourselves and each other, and leave with something meaningful to carry into our lives beyond the classroom.
What I loved most about reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold was the way the story keeps you hooked. As you move from one part to another, new details and realizations slowly unfold, making the reading experience even more interesting. There is always something new to discover, and that is what made the book so enjoyable for me.
One of the moments that really stayed with me in the first part was the revelation that if you do not arrive at the right time, you have to sit on that particular chair. It was such a simple rule, yet it added so much curiosity to the story. Another moment that touched me was when the girl finally realized that she had misunderstood the boy when he asked her to wait for him for three years. Her realization of what she had missed made me think about how easily misunderstandings and unspoken feelings can change the course of a relationship.
The second part, focusing on the husband and wife, touched me in a completely different way. The intensity of their love and the husband’s dedication, without expecting anything in return, was truly beautiful. What made it even more meaningful was that they were able to understand the depth of their relationship only when they went back into the past. It made me reflect on how sometimes we recognize the true value of love only when we get the opportunity to look at it from a different perspective.
The movies we explored during these two days added another beautiful layer to this reflection.
The Octopus Teacher was almost beyond words in the way it portrayed connection and relationships. It showed that relationships are not always about words. Sometimes, they are about understanding, trust, care and simply being present.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse beautifully conveyed another important idea—that we do not necessarily find love and connection only within our own community or among the people we already know. Sometimes, we can feel lonely even when we are surrounded by people. At the same time, an unexpected connection can make us feel understood and remind us that we are not alone.
These two days gave me a calm and refreshing way to understand relationships and, at the same time, to reflect on the way we look at life. They reminded me that love can exist in many forms—with expectations, without expectations, through waiting, through understanding, through companionship, and sometimes even through silence.
More than anything, these experiences encouraged me to pause and look at relationships from a different perspective. They made me realize that sometimes, we need to step back, revisit the past and see things differently to truly understand what love, connection and life mean to us.