Clubbing

A combo of two suggestions by: Heidi and by litlove

Have you ever been a member of a book club? How did your group choose (or, if you haven’t been, what do you think is the best way to choose) the next book and who would lead discussion?

Do you feel more or less likely to appreciate books if you are obliged to read them for book groups rather than choosing them of your own free will? Does knowing they are going to be read as part of a group affect the reading experience?

I haven't belonged to a local book group in years, but in the three that I was involved in at one time, individual members would choose the book for the month which she'd be leading. Sometimes a member would let the others vote between two or three titles she was considering, but this certainly wasn't necessary.

Unfortunately, the first group I was involved in was really just a bunch of women who wanted a coffee klatsch--best sellers reigned and my selections always revealed what an odd duck I was in that group. I was actually told that only a "strong" person like myself could enjoy reading Anne Tyler!

The second group was much better. I read my first Anne Bronte with that group and the trashiest book we read was by Rebecca Wells. But Oprah's bookclub happened and the members got lazy and wanted to read her selections instead of coming up with ones of their own. It wasn't worth the drive out to Huntersville to keep attending.

The third was a group with my friends at the library. I enjoyed this group the most--we read Orhan Pamuk together--but now we get together to play cards or go out to eat instead of discussing books.

These days I prefer online reading groups with other obsessive readers who share similar tastes. I've been much more appreciative of the new authors I've encountered this way.

Booking Through Thursday