Thoughts on book clubs/discussion groups

I recently read a blog post about 'book clubs'.  My first thought when I saw the title of the post was that the author was going to talk about things like the "Book of the Month Club" and such.  However, she meant those groups of people who read the same book and then get together periodically to discuss the book they all read.   The post somewhat maligned the selections of the book clubs she was familiar with.  She didn't directly attack all such groups, but she did seem to feel that she wouldn't be comfortable with joining such a group since it was doubtful that they would be reading selections she would like.  I was compelled to comment, based on my own experiences moderating such a group that meets monthly at my church (though you don't have to attend the church to attend our meetings).

I noted that I moderate a book group and offered my observation that each group is different.  For one, we don't call ourselves a 'club' because we don't want people to feel excluded or that they have to 'join the club' to stop into one of our meetings. 

Secondly, we read all over the map.  We try to make sure that we read some non-fiction, something 'classic', and one speculative fiction (re: science fiction-ish) work every year.  We're very picky with our choices in general.  The selection has to be about a topic worth discussing. Our choices are usually more 'literature' than 'fiction'. Many have usually been on the bestseller listings at some point, so they're not to stuffy or difficult to get through.  Plus, we have a page limitation; we try to keep our choices to under 400 pages so that most people can get through the book within the month between meetings.

We also limit our meetings to a single hour.  The group is primarily for people who want to talk about books, not to socialize.  If attendees want to socialize with each other, they are free to make arrangements to do so outside of our (ahem) 'sacred' hour devoted to books.  We typically discuss the current selection for 30-45 minutes and then spend the last 15 minutes discussing potential future reading choices.  Sometimes the selection wasn't worth discussing for more than 10 or 15 minutes.  Sometimes we find ourselves still discussing it when the hour is up.

I have been with this group for over a decade.  When I moved 25 minutes away from our church, my love of that group was one of the things that helped me decide to stay with that church instead of switching to the church (of the same denomination) that is less than two miles from my house.

Meeting with others to talk about a book is not for everyone.  The author of the blog article that inspired this post equated such discussions with traveling back in time to her high school English class, analytically dissecting boring books that one was forced to read.

I admit to a certain amount of rebellious reticence when reading something that someone else has deemed that I 'have to' or 'really must' read the book.  However, everyone in our book group has a say in what we read.  If you don't want to read something that someone suggests you have the right to say 'no', but you have to offer an alternative that the group might read instead.  We did this after realizing that some people would say 'no' to virtually anything others offered but rarely chimed in with alternatives.  It's tough finding something that most of us might want to read, so we put the rule in place.  (Several of us equate it with a management philosophy that we've encountered in our professional lives:  "Don't come to me with problems.  Come to me with solutions.")

If you've ever thought about joining a book group/club, but you had reservations about how the group might operate or what the group would read.  There is a solution.  Start your own group!  Come up with a few sentences about what the group would be like and the kinds of things that they would read.  Print up a few notices and tack up copies in local bookstores (especially used book stores) and local libraries.  If your town has a local adult education program, you might be able to promote your group through them.  If you belong to a church, they may be willing to let you use a room in their building to meet and would probably love to promote your group in their own newsletters.  If you live in an area with few readers, there are tons of places online to 'discuss' books with others.

Happy reading!

Books worth reading (or listening to)

As many of you know, I have come to prefer audiobooks to books one actually reads with the eyes. I spend about two hours each weekday in the car getting to and from my job. I used to love sitting in a chair or laying in bed with a book. Between the life-sucking commute and the general chaos of life, and the temptation of less mentally-involving pursuits (computers and video programming), I found that I was only 'reading' one or two physical books a year. However, I have been listening to at least twenty books a year. This is not a phenomenal number in comparison to some of my more bibliophilic friends. Still, that's probably more than the average American reads.

One of the more humorous aspects of this admission is that I have been the moderator of a book group for nearly a decade. Since we meet monthly (excepting July), we discuss eleven books per year. We have some basic criteria for the books we choose. First, the book should be easily available in paperback, though we sometimes will read a book recently released in hardcover if enough people are strongly interested in it. Secondly, we prefer books that are less than 400 pages in length. Any longer than that and it's proven to be difficult for most of us to get through the book in a month's time. We primarily read literary fiction, since it lends itself to discussion more easily than popular or mass market fiction. In addition, over the course of a year we typically pick up one classic book, something non-fiction, and one science fiction or fantasy themed book. That last one was initially in acquiescence to the tastes of the moderator, but the group as a whole now embraces the choice. We have had some really good discussions around the SF books we've read over the years.

Unofficially, we also try to make sure that the book is available in audio so that our poor beleaguered moderator can consume the book in the way most convenient to her. About once a year, we want to read something that is not available in audio format. I usually manage to get through the book by reading it while I'm on the exercise bike in the morning. Usually I keep up with current events by reading magazines while I exercise. So, if I have seemed under informed about a popular topic, let's shift all the blame to my book group's inconsiderate choice of book for a month. It couldn't possibly be that I spent more time reading MacWorld than The Week that month, or that I really just wasn't paying attention when Pakistan and India finally decided to go to war over Kashmir.

When I travel, I usually pop a book in my suitcase for the trip. I like having a page to look at while I'm on the airplane. It helps distract me a tiny bit from my discomfort with the entire idea of air travel. Over the years, I have tried to pack lighter and lighter for my trips. My body just can't carry heavy bags around any more, plus there's something kind of freeing about not hauling around a major pile of stuff while you're traveling.

As I was embarking on a recent trip, I was nearly done with the book that I was reading. I debated whether to take a second book with me. I decided to just pick up something at my destination when I finished, since I couldn't justify the space and weight of a second book in my luggage. As I was boarding the plane, I walked by passenger after passenger with their hands lovingly gripped to their thin little ereaders. A few of my friends evangelized on the wonders of their ereaders, but I didn't see the point for myself since I really didn't consider myself a 'reader' any more. I had become a 'listener'. After that trip, my subconscious mind got busy mulling over the various issues of reading, time, travel, and the like.

I am about to leave for my first ever overseas vacation. I'm going to Paris. Since I really don't want to carry anything unnecessary with me, what reading material to take has been a critical issue. Also, I will be on an airplane for at least seven hours in each direction. That's a lot of reading time (or sleeping time if I could manage to fall asleep on a plane). Those ereaders were starting to look more and more attractive as I thought about this trip. So, I gave in and bought myself a Kindle, primarily with the thought of using it when I traveled.

I decided that I would try to read something on the Kindle before the trip, to get used to the ereader experience. The best time to try it out seemed like bedtime each night. Decades ago, I would read at bedtime. Over the years, various things broke me of the habit. Back problems made it difficult for me to find a comfortable position to read in the bed that I shared with my husband. Plus, neither of us liked the other one reading in bed when we were trying to fall asleep. However, when the husband departed with the bed, I got a new highly comfortable bed. Low and behold, I actually could read in bed comfortably and without annoying anyone else. This turned out to be a boon on another level, since reading at bedtime seems to have significantly reduced my bouts of insomnia!

In the last month I have finished two novels on the Kindle. I am still listening to at least one book a month as well. My 'to read' list on Good Reads is growing as I expand my repertoire, adding books that are only available in ereader format. Whenever I stumble on a book now I look at what formats it's available in. My format of choice is still audio, with ereader format as a backup. I am still loathe to acquire books with actual pages in them unless absolutely necessary. If for no other reason than my house is full to the rafters with physical books, many of which I keep meaning to get around to reading. I'm trying to fit some of those into my bedtime reading habit, now that I have one.

When choosing new books to throw into the mix there are lots of criteria to consider. One criteria from my book group weighs heavy on my when I am considering a potential book: length. Even if the book isn't something I would recommend to the group, I need to make sure that I have time to read the book group's selection every month. So, I'm not willing to commit to a book that will take me more than a few weeks go get through, not even as a bedtime book. I'm too new to the ereader game to commit months to one book. I relish the idea of consuming multiple books in a month with my new toy.

When it comes to the printed word, I like my book group's guideline of under 400 pages. Audiobooks are a bit different. It depends on how much can I 'read' in 2-3 weeks? Considering the length of my commute, I look for books that are under twenty hours in length. That usually allows me to listen to two books a month, one for the group and one for just me.

I get all of my audiobooks from Audible.com. I used to buy them on CD, but it's so much easier listening to books on the iPod and not having to worry about remembering my place on a CD if I need to take the CD out of the car's player for some reason. So, I guess that's another limiting factor, since not all audiobooks are available there. Some are just on CD. Some are still just on tape!

When I dropped by Audible.com today one of the featured selections was Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I had heard that HBO had done a miniseries of the book, so I was curious. Since I don't get HBO maybe I would listen to the book instead. Wrong! The book is 34 hours long. Beyond my limit. This reminded me of a couple of other books that I had nixed for audio length reasons. Stephen King's Under the Dome is also just over 34 hours. Diana Gabaldon's The Outlander is around 32 hours.

When I am old, not only shall I wear purple, I shall read or listen to really long books!

Preferences can change

I have been a reader most of my life. In high school, I primarily read history and historical novels. In college, I started reading fantasy and science fiction. In my twenties, I read almost no non-fiction. At the time, I believed that I couldn't maintain the attention span required to get through such books; I felt like I needed a plot to keep my interest. In my thirties, I started reading the occasional memoir. Now in my forties, the majority of my encounters with novels are through audio books. I spend most of my eyes-on-a-page time with non-fiction works of one sort or another.

I come to this reflection as I weed my massive book collection. I have spent decades collecting books that I hoped to 'get around to' reading. Bookshelves take up a significant portion of our unfinished basement. Since we hope to finish the basement in the next twelve months, I decided to begin a brutal weeding of my book collection. Most of what is being "donated out" are novels that I never got around to reading. Many simply no longer appeal to me. Some still appeal to me. Whether an interesting sounding novel stays or goes is based on two factors:

1. Is it available as a digital audio or audio CD? If so, it can leave.


2. If it's not available in the desired audio format, is it more than 350 pages, and is it still well thought of? If it's long, but isn't well thought of, it can leave.

I love to read. However, reality has set in. Unless I were a woman of leisure who expected to live another seventy years, I could not possibly read all the fiction currently in my house, much less pick up anything newly published between now and when I pass away.

Hopefully, my castoffs will find eager readers somewhere else out in the world.

Currently reading - update

A short while ago I posted mycurrent reading list. Well, I finished "The Holy Road" and "Odd Thomas". Both were excellent reads. I got Goblin to listen to "Odd Thomas" and now he's totally hooked and is trying to acquire the next three books in the series via ebay!

Sadly, my physical reading is now reserved for the "CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide". Intriguing, no? Over eleven hundred pages of riveting non-plot! But, it should help me in my pursuit of the CISSP certification (first attempt at the exam should be in late September).

Next up for my commuting pleasure: Terry Pratchett's "Wintersmith", one of the Discworld-lite novels. I haven't read any of the Discworld novels yet, only the Tiffany Aching series, which I adore. Maybe I'll take the plunge after this. Then again, I have another Pratchett in my queue, "Johnny and the Bomb". I read (listened to) the first two Johnny Maxwell books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I discovered Pratchett only in the last few years. Sadly, he's had some health issues. Hopefully, medical science will keep him healthy and productive for years to come.

P.S. This is actually my 501st post to this blog!!!

Book list meme

Thanks Barbie2be for yet another horrible meme that I couldn't resist. It's a lot of work unless you really like the stuff of the bait, which I do: Books!

Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you want to read. Don't alter the ones that you aren't interested in.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)


2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)


3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee).


4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)


5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)


6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)


7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)


8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)


9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)


10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)


11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)


12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)


13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)


14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)


15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)


16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)


17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)


18. The Stand (Stephen King)


19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)


20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)


21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)


22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)


23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)


24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)


25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)


26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)


27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)


28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)


29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)


30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)


31. Dune (Frank Herbert)


32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)


33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)


34. 1984 (Orwell)


35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)


36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)


37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)


38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)


39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)


40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)


41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)


42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)


43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)


44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)


45. Bible


46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)


47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)


48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)


49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)


50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)


51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)


52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)


53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)


54. Great Expectations (Dickens)


55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)


56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)


57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)


58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)


59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)


60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)


61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)


62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)


63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)


64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)


65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)


66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)


67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)


68. Catch 22 - Heller


69. Les Miserables (Hugo)


70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)


71. Bridget Jones's Diary (Fielding)


72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)


73. Shogun (James Clavell)


74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)


75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)


76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)


77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)


78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)


79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)


80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)


81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)


82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)


83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)


84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)


85. Emma (Jane Austen)


86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)


87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)


88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)


89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)


90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)


91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)


92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) -


93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)


94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)


95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)


96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)


97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)


98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)


99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)


100. Ulysses (James Joyce)