Earlier today, Jeanne asked about book groups and whether we were pleased with the level of discussion. I’m in two, sort of. But I’m only really committed to one, of which I’ve been a member for…15 years? More? I’ve kind of lost track. Our level of discussion varies widely, depending on who is there, how seriously we took the book and what else is going on in our lives. But our group began as a group of women writers, so there is generally a higher level of discussion than I think you get at many book groups and it is usually very satisfactory.
The secret is, I think, the right blend of participants, with common goals and interests, but enough variety to keep things interesting. We have writers, academics like myself, and high powered professionals of various sorts. We all love to read and mostly love to read the same kinds of books, but also love to explore the unfamiliar. We mix new fiction (we seem especially fond of fiction from Asia at the moment) with classics and occasionally nonfiction, although we find that is often harder to discuss in our timeframe. We do not, as my other book group does, have any one person in charge of a given discussion. We scoff at reading group guides and overviews. We start the discussion when we’re ready, and it’s not always at the same time. Each meeting is at a different member’s house and that person makes a meal and provides wine. The person who proposed the book often starts off the discussion (it may or may not be the host), but not always. Some books we just can’t wait to talk about and our conversation bubbles up in small group chatter before the meeting starts until someone realizes that we’re having multiple discussions and decides to get the ball rolling. We usually discuss the book while we’re eating dinner. Sometimes the host makes a dinner that goes along with the book, but often it’s just what she does best. The food is always excellent and the wine is plentiful. Both are important to the functioning of the group.
I appreciate this group more and more every time I go to my other book group. It’s not that it’s a terrible group. It’s not. But it is, I think, not me. The books they read are less serious – not that I want serious all the time, but a lot of these books are things that I have no interest in reading. It is a large group – necessarily so, I think, because seldom can a quorum attend. It tends to be very structure. The person who picks the book hosts. This may mean they have people over to their house for dessert and coffee, or host at a restaurant or bar. We usually meet during the day, but sometimes in the evening. Most of us have elementary school-aged children and this is the schedule that works best for most. This group sometimes gets a little too wrapped up in the readers’ guides. The discussion rarely gets beyond the superficial. But once in a while it does. I suspect if we read better books, the discussion would be more interesting. Some of the members really love to read, but for a lot, it seems mostly social. But they do take it as a responsibility to read the book, more so than my real book group. I think it’s because this group runs into each other so often. We all live in the same neighborhood and see each other on the school playground daily. With my other book group, we are all old friends who don’t see each other nearly enough. The books bring us together, but they are not the only reason we are there. I feel an obligation to attend the second book group, one that is part of living in this community and being socially involved. But my first book group is pure love. I love the books, the discussions, the food, and the women who are in it. Even though I don’t get to attend as often as I would like – it’s held in the city more than 50 miles away from here and the scheduling can be a real challenge – that group keeps me going. They are my inspiration, my therapy, my primary source of vicarious travel. I can’t imagine life without them.
Like Jeanne, I’d like to hear more about book groups too. Are you in one or have you been? What do/did you like about the group? What didn’t work? What books yielded the best discussions?
Posted by harri3tspy 
Posted by harri3tspy 
