topic Re: Book Club Expereiences? in Community Chat

Book Club Expereiences?

Honeybit — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 19:16:32 GMT

gimama started a thread about First Books You Want to Read in 2014 and there was a comment in it about how personal books are and how some members would love the chosen book and just as many hated it. I particularly liked the idea of rating the group's Top Books. Here's her quote from 01-10-2014:

... Seriously! There were many meetings where 5 of us would say we loved something and the other 5 said they hated it and vice versa. Typically, tho, there were many more times when there were less varied responses to something. And at the end of the year we would rate all the books and come up with our Top Books of that year....

The comment made me wonder how many of this group are Book Club Members and how the group works, what your discussions are like, how often you meet, and what other neat ideas you've found that we could share with our own clubs.

One thing that drives me crazy about our group is that too many times their idea of "discussing" the chosen book just means the leader rehashes the plot of the story in excruciating detail. It gives me a 'Peggy Lee Moment' ("Is that all there is?"). Care to share about your group?

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

walkingal — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 19:36:03 GMT

I'm new to book clubs having just joined the public library book club this past November. So far, I like that the club leader does not make you speak if you don't want to. She starts the discussion, and then anyone can join in. I know what you mean about discussing the book ad infinitum; it seems our club leader does the exact same thing. That's okay if you really liked the book; not so much if it was a chore to read -- as it was for me with our January selection, Pat Conroy's "The Death of Santini." I always wondered what to do if you absolutely refuse or have no desire to read any of the selected books! lol!

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

Linders Back — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 20:05:00 GMT

Our book club takes suggestions for book choices which we all then vote on. At the meeting, the person who originally suggested the book is encouraged to lead the discussion. Most books have discussion questions online somewhere that are a good jumping off point. The only job the leader has is to arrange the hosts, send out the choices and tally the votes.

We try to vary our genres throughout the year: Non-Fiction (Current); Non-Fiction (Memoir/biography); Fiction (Novel); Fiction (Mystery, Historical Fiction); Classic Literature; etc., and one month we pick a book and then watch the movie derived from it and discuss the similarities/differences.

Our group of women have varied tastes so some books are a real hit and some a big miss. Many of the previous choices are not ones I would have ever picked but were wonderful surprises: Water for Elephants is a prime example. Others have left me running away screaming: The Red Tent; Eat, Pray, Love; The Friday Night Knitting Club, etc. But in all fairness, ones I loved were not enjoyed by everyone else either.

We meet once a month and share the hosting duties. The Hostess supplies the food (Often themed to the book: Great Armenian food for The Sandcastle Girls; New York style deli spread for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; and "iMac and Cheese", "iTuna Sushi", and Mini Apple pies for the Steve Jobs biography. Our members get quite creative. Each non hosting member then contributes a bottle of wine or beverage of choice.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

esmerelda — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 19:19:05 GMT

I've never been in a book club and have no desire to join one.

There are too many books I want to read to spend time reading those chosen for me by others.

I've heard of ""bite-sized"" book clubs where books of short stories are chosen. That's the only kind of book club I'd even consider.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

SydneyH — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 19:52:49 GMT

I belong to several, all of them meet monthly. My favorite one picks books by majority and will consider picks in any genre. We also eat and catch up first before dissecting our monthly pick. Many times the discussion is better than the book.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

Honeybit — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 00:09:50 GMT

Troop-Angel, I came to exactly the same conclusion after a couple of years -- there are just some books our group picks now that I will not read, especially when I have to buy them. I have found that there are always some parts of the discussion I can participate in, especially the parts that follow after that rehash of the plot is over. As SydneyH said, "Many times the discussion is better than the book;" and after reading the comments in this thread, I don't feel nearly so bad that my taste varies so much from what the other members enjoy!

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

insomniac — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 03:40:21 GMT

I belong to several book clubs. Most of them have its members make suggestions on what we might discuss. Librarians lead two of the groups, and they make selections (which I love!).

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

FastDogWalker2 — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:08:40 GMT

I am no longer in one. The one I participated in, read books I didn't really care for, and rehashed them in DETAIL! Too much for me!

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

LilSweetTea — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 23:19:54 GMT

The last book club I joined was about ten years ago. It started out with fifteen girls in January, gained 5 around April then slimmed down in May. The host took a summer break and held the next meeting in August. I showed up and it was only her and I!

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

depglass — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 23:53:32 GMT

I just joined one a few months ago, mainly to make myself get out of my comfort zone. I tend to stick to mysteries and economics. But quite frankly, the selections are a bit non-challenging for a group of college educated women. And no one seems to like mysteries. What's up with that?

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

glmama — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:56:56 GMT

Hi Honeybit-It's Glmama!

My Bookclub was fairly structured. We all had a good time together AND there was always wine involved, so we decided within the first year that we would limit out mingling and catching up to 45 mins- 1hr and then all sit down to discuss the book. We always started off with everyone going around the room and just saying whether or not we liked the book. Then, the moderator or host would ask some questions, usually taken from an internet site for Book Clubs that helps get conversation going. We never had any problem getting the convo started. Out of the 10 of us, I would say ALL of us were readers, of course, but about 4-5 were more "serious" readers, wanted to delve deeper into the book.

We chose one book per month, and the person who chose the book also hosted that month's get-together and supplied wine and snacks. I am one of those 4-5 more "serious" readers I mentioned above and typically had 2-3 other books I read that month. But a few others joined b/c they wanted to get back into reading, so that one book was pretty much the only book they read that month. My group was made up of women who all knew each other socially already, and the books everyone picked didn't usually come as huge shocks to others. Meaning, typically they were more mainstream books, NYT Best Sellers, etc. Occasionally we branched out, but not always.

I LOVED my book club and I miss it. We disbanded about 2 years ago for various reasons. One being that many of the women were just too busy with very young children, large families, graduate school, etc.

I do know of a friend's mother who is in a more serious book club where there is much less mingling and hanging out and more literary discussion. I had both and it was great.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

Marsha2003 — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 03:16:59 GMT

I'm not posting the following to be contrary or negative, but I've never understood the desire to discuss a book, particularly a novel. Once in a while, I'll read suggested discussion questions for a book I've read and I don't find them of interest to me. I guess it's a good thing that I've never joined a book club. The other members wouldn't find me to be a helpful contributor...LOL!

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

Linders Back — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 03:49:21 GMT

On 1/27/2014 Marsha2003 said:
I'm not posting the following to be contrary or negative, but I've never understood the desire to discuss a book, particularly a novel. Once in a while, I'll read suggested discussion questions for a book I've read and I don't find them of interest to me. I guess it's a good thing that I've never joined a book club. The other members wouldn't find me to be a helpful contributor...LOL!

I guess I'm the exact opposite. whenever I read any book, be it for my book club or on my own, I really want to talk about with others. Reading in a vacuum seems so counterproductive.

That's why I love the "what are you reading" thread here. We may not discuss books per se, but we do compare notes and make reading suggestions.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

insomniac — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 09:55:11 GMT

I've already answered this post, but I want to add that one huge benefit of book clubs is being able to appreciate a book more. So often someone will bring up a point that I had somehow missed. I am always learning.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

luvdoodles — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 13:30:14 GMT

I never joined one because I didn't want to be stuck having to read a book I didn't like. I may be missing out on this experience, but there are so many books on my list to read and life is short.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

Honeybit — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:42:08 GMT

Like Marsha2003, I almost never find that those "suggested discussion questions" listed online -- or sometimes in the back of a book -- have any relation to my own experience of the book. Frequently they strike me as just plain silly and pointless (like some of the exam questions we used to face in school). And like Linders Back, I have a desire to talk about books I've loved, especially how the authors achieved their effects and expressed their particular views about life and people. When I finally found a book club, It came as a great surprise to me to learn that other members had completely different reasons for coming to meetings and totally different concepts of a good book discussion. I felt completely out of step with the world of other book readers until I found this Forum and the wide variety of opinions expressed here about loved/hated books. As a book titled expressed it, "I Feel So Much Better Now."

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

fbm2lsm — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 17:30:26 GMT

I am in a Book Club that is sponsered by our public library. The leader is an employee of the library, she leads the discussions and selects the books. I enjoy the fact that I have read many books that I would have not chosen to read. I have loved many of them and disliked several, but I feel that it has broadened my reading horizons. This month we read The Dinner, while I felt that the author wrote well and I liked his style I did not like the story, but I may enjoy another book by this same author due to liking his style.

Like several of you I love to discuss books with others.

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

glmama — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 20:16:04 GMT

On 1/28/2014 HoneyBit said:
Like Marsha2003, I almost never find that those "suggested discussion questions" listed online -- or sometimes in the back of a book -- have any relation to my own experience of the book. Frequently they strike me as just plain silly and pointless (like some of the exam questions we used to face in school). And like Linders Back, I have a desire to talk about books I've loved, especially how the authors achieved their effects and expressed their particular views about life and people. When I finally found a book club, It came as a great surprise to me to learn that other members had completely different reasons for coming to meetings and totally different concepts of a good book discussion. I felt completely out of step with the world of other book readers until I found this Forum and the wide variety of opinions expressed here about loved/hated books. As a book titled expressed it, "I Feel So Much Better Now."

While I generally agree, I think for those that are new to really discussing a book, they are good jumping-off points. As for those that don't understand the desire to discuss a book--that's what's so great about reading, IMO ( one of the many reasons!). It can be a deeply personal experience OR it can be more of a communal experience. For those of us that may have been Lit majors in college, it's kinda a knee jerk thing we do!:-0

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

DoneTryin — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 22:22:50 GMT

Marsha2003, I like to discuss the books I've read for the same reason I like to discuss movies I've seen: to share my thoughts & opinions about the story with one or more other people & find out if they interpreted it the same way I did. If we didn't see it the same way, then it's fun to discuss why.

Some of us like to do this & obviously some people, like you, do not. Whatever floats your boat - it's all good!

Re: Book Club Expereiences?

Marsha2003 — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 00:44:08 GMT

On 1/29/2014 VCamp2748 said:
Marsha2003, I like to discuss the books I've read for the same reason I like to discuss movies I've seen: to share my thoughts & opinions about the story with one or more other people & find out if they interpreted it the same way I did. If we didn't see it the same way, then it's fun to discuss why.

Some of us like to do this & obviously some people, like you, do not. Whatever floats your boat - it's all good!

I'm certainly enjoying reading all of the perspectives on this thread.