Book Club, Anyone?

John Guillen52 Comments

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Photo Credit: Torque

No. I will not be inviting you to join my WordPress book club. Cause there isn’t one. But I’ve read about a number of book clubs and although some may be surprised at what I’ve read, I’m not.

Before when I thought of book club, I’d think of a relatively small group of people who get together perhaps once a month to meet and discuss that month’s book. But I’m not so sure this is really happens at some book club meetings. I’ve read a few blog posts and plenty of memes about book clubs and they tell a slightly different story.

For one, the book club really functions only as their excuse to get together however often they do. And second, the book is minimally discussed. So now you might be wondering what the heck they’re doing. They just talk. About whatever. See, that’s fine and all, but why do you need a book club to do what you can via text, phone call, or over coffee? I’ve even heard that it’s how some guys pick up women because a “well read guy” is hard to find. Or maybe that means it’s women picking up men. Bahaha people are hilarious.

Anyway, I’ve never participated in a book club, though the wife of one of my co-workers supposedly wanted to read my book in her club earlier this year. I have no idea if they ever did or not because I only received a single text about it. So now I’m just wondering what your book club experience has been like? Is it strictly about the books or is there a lot of gossip going around?

52 thoughts on “Book Club, Anyone?”

  1. Your cynism is showing again. I’ve been involved in a book club for the past few months. While there is talk about what’s going on in our lives, we also talk about the book. I would say the first few minutes, while we’re waiting for everyone to arrive and while we’re snacking, is about our lives. Maybe half an hour. The other hour or so is dedicated to the book.

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  2. I went to a Book Club hosted at a local Barnes and Noble once, and it was led by one of the bookstore staff members. Because we had this clear leadership (she had several questions specific to that week’s chapters to keep the discussion going each week), we actually did talk about the book. But after a while, I really did think of the people in my group as friends, and I learned a lot about them (my favorite was an older woman from Greece who was experiencing American life for the first time)… In fact, my girlfriend and I even ended up going to a concert with the staff member who led the discussions! Anyway, we were a rag-tag bunch of people who probably never would have talked to one another on the street, but we met once a month because we all enjoyed the same type of literature. I thought it was a fun experience!

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  3. I joined a book club about a month before my novel was in print. I couldn’t hack it. It drove me nuts. Maybe they are not all like that, but it was worse by far than any other social media. Really! Constant conversations about anything but books.

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  4. Every book club I have been in has only discussed the books. The only other topic discussed was items of food to bring…
    I must be the odd duck…
    Other support groups have been a heaping basketful of gossip…but for me..never a book club…

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  7. Personally I’d love to join a book club that has physical meetings (rather than on an online forum like goodreads) but there really aren’t any in my area. And while I don’t mind meeting new people and discussing random topics, like you mentioned, I fear the meetings wouldn’t really focus on the book. But I love the idea because it’s not often that my friends have read the same books as me, so I don’t get to discuss then in depth.

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    • I don’t think I’d be interested. Cause I’d think I’d be the youngest by a million years. So as soon as the discussion turns toward something unrelated to the books, I’d just leave.

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  8. Nope, never enrolled to be part of a book club and probably never will. I had enough of deconstructing books till you stripped them naked in school! By the end of my final year, I couldn’t remember all those amazing thrills, and exciting roller coater rides of emotions I went through when I first read it which is devastating in my eyes 😦 Can this please count as something I tell you towards our serious convo? Please, pretty please with a cherry on top??!!

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  9. I was recently invited to join book club. I respectfully declined. Not because I’ve heard bad things about them but I might be a little selfish…maybe. I like what I like and have a long list of books to read. I didn’t want to be forced into reading something I wasn’t really into. I know that’s kind of the point of a books club, to widen your range of reading material but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t read a book I wasn’t interested in while having one I wanted to read on the waiting list.
    I’m still considering asking if I can join maybe sometime in the future(maybe) just to get out and meet people. Being a shy person was probably another reason I said no thanks. But then it might turn into just get to know you chat like you’ve mentioned. If it already isn’t. I don’t know. I just don’t know. I’m not stressing over it at all but if I do decide to join, I’ll report back.

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    • Ooooh. I don’t think I’ll ever be asked to join one because all the people I know who like books like I do are bloggers. But that would be my reason to say no. Cause I read what I read and I’m not interested in someone else telling me what to read.

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  10. I can totally agree with you! I’ve even read some of the comments because I would love to know too. I’ve always thought that book clubs didn’t really spend much time talking about a book; some that have controversial issues maybe. I also didn’t really like the idea of having to read a book that is “assigned” or agreed upon and to finish it by a certain day. It just takes away the fun of reading for me.

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    • It was a little mixed. I think some said hardly any talking about the book. And others said it was mostly about the book. Eh. And assigned books really irk me. No wonder no one reads that stuff in school. They’re being forced to read something that they’re not interested in.

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