Anonymous wrote:I think you could just say I'm having trouble finding the time to commit to the books / attend the meetings. Thanks for having me, but I am bowing out for now.

+1 This is great!

"Your book choices suck."

Anonymous wrote:Pretty simple. You have time for the weekly meeting itself, but not the extracurricular activity (reading the book). That would explain why you can attend other events, but not book club.

This. I dropped out of mine when my son was born. But I'd been hemming and hawing all over the place before then. It just wasn't enjoyable for me and I felt guilty since I founded the club. I really did have time to read, but not the heavy nonfiction everyone else always voted on. I'm in the beach-book phase of life, which the other members would absolutely never admit to reading such "novels"

Pretty simple. You have time for the weekly meeting itself, but not the extracurricular activity (reading the book). That would explain why you can attend other events, but not book club.

I'm finding the books we cover too academic for me. I want to read lighter books these days, books with redemption, and leave agony and hand wringing for others.
Cheers!

“Once Upon A Time I enjoyed book club.
The End”

Just say "Hey, I thought we were going to read interesting books and discuss them at length. Instead this seems to be all Danielle Steel, cheap Chardonnay and gossiping about those not present. I'm outta here."

Anonymous wrote:

I have a lot on my mind and hope that in the future that situation will resolve

Not this. It would be normal for acquaintances to feel that maybe you need support. It sounds like a difficult time, for you. They might even worry about you.

+1

I have a lot on my mind and hope that in the future that situation will resolve

Not this. It would be normal for acquaintances to feel that maybe you need support. It sounds like a difficult time, for you. They might even worry about you.

"Hey, I can't keep up with the book club. Looking forward to seeing you at church next week. "

My book club has people come and go pretty regularly. Some of them will let the coordinator know that they won't be able to come but hope to return in the future and others ask that we take their name off the list to keep email down. Either way, we just move on and believe what they told us or assume they just aren't in a book club state of mind at the moment. I can only think it would matter if there was some sort of long wait or one of the other members went to bat to get you into the club. In that case, maybe you want to stress how much you have enjoyed it but want to give someone else a chance who is in a better reading place at the moment.

Anonymous wrote:I think you could just say I'm having trouble finding the time to commit to the books / attend the meetings. Thanks for having me, but I am bowing out for now.

this. polite and to the point, not saying anything negative about them or their choices of books etc.

I think you could just say I'm having trouble finding the time to commit to the books / attend the meetings. Thanks for having me, but I am bowing out for now.

I think I would say that I have found that lately I am not able to focus well enough to read and enjoy the books because I have a lot on my mind and hope that in the future that situation will resolve and I could rejoin. I might say I am taking a break for awhile rather than quitting.

I am currently in a book club that I don't enjoy. I see the members of my book club regularly in other venues and activities, so I do not want to burn a bridge. But I am ready to let them know I am dropping out of book club.

What's a better way to say "I am dropping out of book club"? I keep stumbling on a nicer way to say this to make it clear I will no longer be participating.