I quit book club after we read “Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead and discussion centered around how much of it was based on true events. Including the existence of an actual underground train running from south to north. Definitely memorable.

My book club just finished reading North Woods and no one liked it but me. I was very disappointed.
One book club member wrote a fantasy novel and self published and everyone was gushing about it.
North Woods nearly won the Pulitzer. One of the members is an English teacher and gave the book an F.
I am over it. I love these girls but doesn't anyone recognize quality literature these days?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in two bookclubs and am a librarian.
The most riveting book we’ve discussed is The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell.
I’ve not read much like it.
I desperately want to discuss A certain Hunger but no one else wants to read it. (Cannibalism)
I just talked one group into north woods and I cannot wait to discuss.
I love chewy books but most do not.

You and I would be great in a book club together. Aside from the host, I'm the only one who ever seems to prepare for the discussion. After reading the book I do lots of extra research on the author and the book, reading interviews and listening to podcasts and so forth. I'm sure other members find me annoying as hell.

For North Woods I had 5,000 things to say and there were people who just didn't even bother to understand the book. I've given up on caring if others find me frustrating.

This would be me, and I would get irritated quickly if other people weren't similarly "doing the homework!"

Also, I think I'm too judgey for a book club.

OMG yes. I'm not reading any more Kristin Hannah, ffs.

Anonymous wrote:I have been in one book or another since 2003! I've been in my current one since 2013. For some reason my memorable things are when we do something aside from just discuss the book! Once a year we read a book and watch the movie for our meeting. A few we've done that for included the first Hunger Games book / movie (only we saw one in the theater), Wild, Crazy Rich Asians, the 1st episode of the Perfect Couple mini series... and once a year we do a field trips... we most recently did majorie post / visited her house which I absolutely loved and can't believe I'd never been there before, A gentleman in moscow and the now defunct Russia House, next year in havana / cuba libre...

Me again - another one that was memorable was the Women by Kristin Hannah and my friend who hosted it was in the military and her husband too and some other relatives and she had out a lot of their photo albums, etc. from deployments and that was cool to see. Our parents had their own Vietnam War stories that we also discussed.

I have been in one book or another since 2003! I've been in my current one since 2013. For some reason my memorable things are when we do something aside from just discuss the book! Once a year we read a book and watch the movie for our meeting. A few we've done that for included the first Hunger Games book / movie (only we saw one in the theater), Wild, Crazy Rich Asians, the 1st episode of the Perfect Couple mini series... and once a year we do a field trips... we most recently did majorie post / visited her house which I absolutely loved and can't believe I'd never been there before, A gentleman in moscow and the now defunct Russia House, next year in havana / cuba libre...

The Sparrow — and, to a lesser extent its sequel; Bel Canto; To Kill a Mockingbird (which all of us had previously read as teens); and A Lesson Before Dying, were all books that prompted interesting, spirited, and memorable discussions in my book group. It helped that at least one member of the group strongly recommended each book, and it helped that at least one member of the group had interests that were central to the topics of the books. What I mean by that last bit is that we were a diverse group, with people who were able to share their understanding of the workings and culture of the Catholic Church; or music; or American History—from multiple perspectives, which supported deeper as well as more personal discussions.

Most memorable one was about "All Fours" by Miranda July.

A lot of the women were older than the main character and a bit judgmental and prudish.

I found the character annoying but could identify with some of her feelings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in two bookclubs and am a librarian.
The most riveting book we’ve discussed is The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell.
I’ve not read much like it.
I desperately want to discuss A certain Hunger but no one else wants to read it. (Cannibalism)
I just talked one group into north woods and I cannot wait to discuss.
I love chewy books but most do not.

You and I would be great in a book club together. Aside from the host, I'm the only one who ever seems to prepare for the discussion. After reading the book I do lots of extra research on the author and the book, reading interviews and listening to podcasts and so forth. I'm sure other members find me annoying as hell.

For North Woods I had 5,000 things to say and there were people who just didn't even bother to understand the book. I've given up on caring if others find me frustrating.

This would be me, and I would get irritated quickly if other people weren't similarly "doing the homework!"

Also, I think I'm too judgey for a book club.

I was in a book club where another member disliked me, so always disliked my choices, even when they were some of the most highly rated novels ever written.

Anonymous wrote:I’m in two bookclubs and am a librarian.
The most riveting book we’ve discussed is The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell.
I’ve not read much like it.
I desperately want to discuss A certain Hunger but no one else wants to read it. (Cannibalism)
I just talked one group into north woods and I cannot wait to discuss.
I love chewy books but most do not.

You and I would be great in a book club together. Aside from the host, I'm the only one who ever seems to prepare for the discussion. After reading the book I do lots of extra research on the author and the book, reading interviews and listening to podcasts and so forth. I'm sure other members find me annoying as hell.

For North Woods I had 5,000 things to say and there were people who just didn't even bother to understand the book. I've given up on caring if others find me frustrating.

Anonymous wrote:I have only attended woefully disappointing book club meetings. I took literature as my major (and have since got a PhD) so my level of discussion and analysis I guess is going to be out of tune with some folks.

You need to find the other literature nerds and start your own!

I’m in two bookclubs and am a librarian.
The most riveting book we’ve discussed is The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell.
I’ve not read much like it.
I desperately want to discuss A certain Hunger but no one else wants to read it. (Cannibalism)
I just talked one group into north woods and I cannot wait to discuss.
I love chewy books but most do not.

I have only attended woefully disappointing book club meetings. I took literature as my major (and have since got a PhD) so my level of discussion and analysis I guess is going to be out of tune with some folks.

*2020s

I’ve had was about the book_____

Feel free to break your answers too if this is one way you think about it—
Spicy vs non spicy
Fiction versus non-fiction
Classic versus 2020