Overheard a librarian say something about book club picks that stuck with me

I was at the circulation desk last week picking up holds and heard two librarians talking. One said some groups pick books for the wrong reasons like popularity instead of something that actually sparks debate. Has anyone else noticed their book club hits a lull when everyone just agrees on a book too easily?

2 comments

2 Comments

amyh213d ago

Totally agree that easy agreement kills the fun. Last year my group read The Maid and everyone was just like yeah it was cute and we basically sat there nodding for an hour. I miss the meetings where we'd argue over whether the main character was actually likable or if the ending was fair.

paulw633d ago

So you guys read The Maid too? I gotta say, that book is a weird example because it's actually designed to make you argue. The whole point is the narrator is unreliable, right? My group had a huge fight over whether she was just naive or actually had something wrong with her. Some people thought she was a hero, others thought she was creepy. We were yelling. It was great. I think the problem isn't the book pick but whether the group is willing to push back on each other's takes.