Book Clubs Are for More Than Books
When was the last time your book club discussed a book? If it’s anything like mine, discussing the book takes a backseat to socializing. My book club comprises my oldest friends. It is older than my marriage. The original, core group of members were girlfriends who worked for the same company and knew everything there was to know about one another. When we convened for book club we didn’t need to spend any time catching up; we could focus on the book. And in the beginning we read serious literature like Of Human Bondage and Sons and Lovers. We were still relatively new when we decided to include our significant others, inviting them to join us for a discussion of Our Man in Havana, a book deemed light enough for them to enjoy. The men never left, and the book choices were wide and varied.
Over time we created an algorithm for who would choose the next book. The variables included who hosted last, who chose the last book, and whose house we were going to next. It ends up being rather complicated (I blame the math majors among us) and we spend a few minutes at each meeting reviewing how that works. We also created a mnemonic to help us remember whose house we would meet at next. It would work, too, if we could remember what it was.
We’ve read a lot of wonderful books. I’ve bought each one, filling several bookshelves. There were also some memorable disappointments. No one made it through Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, and we still laugh about how painful The Master of Ballantrae was. We used to work hard to find books that no one had read. A few years ago we decided it might not be a bad idea if someone had read the book that was being suggested. That way we could assert some form of quality control.
If life had stayed the way it was in those early days, we’d probably still be diligently discussing books, but that’s not the way life works. The group has had marriages and children, a divorce and illnesses. The company we once worked for doesn’t exist anymore and none of us has worked with another for many years. We try to meet every two months, but it probably averages out to more like three or four. We use the time to catch up; a lot can happen in three months. We spend a weekend in the fall at my family’s house in Vermont. A lot of visiting gets done around the fireplace with a few bottles of wine when no one has to drive anywhere. And there’s an annual pilgrimage to another family’s home on the beach in Gloucester. We talk about having book club in Tuscany, but haven’t yet. No one is ruling it out though. Maybe when all the kids are out of college.
When I suggest that my husband read the book for the next meeting, he scoffs that it’s not a book club; it’s a social club. But he’s wrong. There are always a few people who have actually read the book, and however anemic, there is time spent discussing it. A good book club is about more than books. It’s about the great stories we all have to tell.
Old Lady
11:38 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
How does one join a book club?
Judy Mintz
11:43 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
One gathers up a few like-minded friends and starts one! There's all kinds of information on-line about how to start a group.
Robert Hayes
9:06 am on Monday, February 25, 2013
If you have a Merrimack Valley Library Card, you have access to over 250 Book Club Kits, which typically come with at least 10 copies of a book, a discussion guide, and a big bag for storage. http://www.eventkeeper.com/kitkeeper/index.cfm?curOrg=MVLC
Karen Walz
3:06 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
I belong to a book group--we've been going for many years, and we do socialize and discuss ourselves, but are very enthusiastic about discussing books. We have a great system in which our "core group" (we welcome newbies by invitation) each nominates two books every two months; then a member connects each title to an Amazon link, and sends out the entire list with links for members to vote on. The first two titles getting the most votes are the books for the following two months (we skip December and have a holiday "Yankee book swap" instead). We cover a vast array of genres--our main critera are: under 500 pages, not newly published so that it's accessible in paperback and easy to get via library, and we're not fond of "fluff" or very light reading--we prefer substance that's worthy of discussion, whether fiction or non-fiction. When I think of everything we've read over the years, I'm really astounded. I'm so happy to have read Henry James, Jane Austen, and many modern and contemporary authors, not to mention the books I wouldn't have heard of, otherwise! It's one of the great pleasures of my life.
Judy Mintz
4:23 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Sounds like you have a wonderful group, and a good system.
Debra Russo
3:40 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
"Bookends" is alive and well after nearly twenty years. We generally meet every other month on the second Wednesday at 7 pm at Wilmington Memorial Library, and we always welcome new people. The library has information about our meetings and the books we read, which are as varied as we are. We don't require our members to attend every meeting, although most of us do because the discussions are so interesting.
Judy Mintz
4:23 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Here's to longevity!
brigara
4:56 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Great post Judy. I loved reading this. I have been in a book club with friends for about 10 years now. It has gone away for a couple of years when life seemed busy and now has recently been revived. We are meeting tomorrow in fact!
Judy Mintz
10:06 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thanks for the comment. In return, I will share one of my book club's favorites, in case yours hasn't read it yet, Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner. Enjoy!
Julia Whitney Robarts
7:40 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wonderful thoughts, Judy, and so exactly what my fledgling book club is about. We do read a book each month, but are welcome to come even when we don't. It's always great to reconnect with my friends, catch up on Downton Abbey, eat wonderful goodies, share wine, and, yes, discuss the book (or the main character we wanted to slap silly, or the agonizingly long build up to the climax, or the author's incessant use of a particular word, or...)
Judy Mintz
10:08 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thank you. And speaking of agonizingly long build ups and other authorial missteps, some of our liveliest discussions have been about the books we hated most!
Ed E
4:52 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
What a great post!! Thank you for sharing :)
Judy Mintz
10:08 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thank you!
Susanne Sullivan
4:12 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Some of us would be truly bereft without our trusty book groups! I hope everyone is aware public libraries always have book discussion groups: start there if you haven't got a neighborhood group handy (or even if you do!)
Janet Beyer
5:35 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
I love my book club. We have been meeting for about 15 years. As guidelines: fiction and dead authors. We read the books we were too young to read when we read them. The hostess chooses the book, but usually has two to recommend. We also read (see above) Angle of Repose, last month Anna Karenina, and this month: Frankenstein.
Tina Stewart
10:17 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
All book club members and avid readers should mark their calendars for Wednesday April 3, 7 pm for "Book Talkin' with Eileen MacDougall at the Wilmington Memorial Library. Eileen will inspire you with lively descriptions of several good books. Enjoy the opportunity to share your latest reads. Register on the library's website for this event or call 978-658-2967.
The Book Oasis
12:15 pm on Friday, March 29, 2013
Reading Library has a couple great book clubs. I think they post their lists on their website. We often take their recommendations as good selections for the store.