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we have a problem in our book club

136 replies

hermykne · 05/06/2008 14:55

to kinda sum up, one member is not as literary as the rest of us, i am trying to explain this without sounding snobby but certain words are needed to explain this proble,

she always arrives late and so misses the "book" review.
she has read maybe 2/3 books out of the 16/18 we have done. she hasnt even read the awful ones she picks.

she is very confrontational, when points are raised or opinions about the "book" or general chit chat.

its really annoying, it changes the whole ambiance to the evening, last one 3 of us went home furious with her.

i would say she is naive and this doesnt help and shes protecting her ability to be considered a book reader by being so defensive.

anyway one member W sent a txt to another (Z) asking if the problem re her (U) attendance had been solved - text to all nxt event is on X and one must have read the book to attend-

receiver of txt (Z) replied and sent it to our problem member instead (U), stating yes and maybe she'll read the book.

so Z and U had a talk and she was defensive as usual

what to do
we are having a summer recess as some of the other memebrs just cant listen to her silliness for much longer, and these are older members, she is our youngest.
so

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:29

i want my own book group where i choose everything

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:28

here

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:27

the yellow wallpaper is short

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:27

or a short story novella as one

or something from a magazine or something like granta

or

an article in the spectator

or poetry

hermykne · 05/06/2008 19:25

mrsmuddle good idea for 2 books, i shall suggest that at nxt gathering.

OP posts:
hermykne · 05/06/2008 19:24

LIZS WE ARE GOING TO SATC, we did devil wears prada and waitress.

look into my eyes zippi............

OP posts:
MargaretMountford · 05/06/2008 19:23

the worst book we ever did was the execrable Alchemist

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:23

it seems she is not welcome rahter less becaus eshe doesnt read the book than that she monolposies the social chat

so really you just dont want her there

she is clearly not reading the signals to not come so all you can do is tell her

MrsMuddle · 05/06/2008 19:22

At our book group, we choose 2 books - one "easy" one not more challenging - and people can read one or the other.

The book discussion usually runs from 8-9, and if anyone's not read either book, or is part-way through and doesn't want to find out the ending, they come after 9.

We have real mixture of people, and we frequently disagree about books / children / films / eveything. But that doesn't mean that one person's view is less valid than anothers. I've had people wanting to join our group, but there's eight of us now, and that feels just right. I do find it hard to say no to people though. I'm loving the idea of a questionnaire to join, but ours would be more along the lines of "What's your favourite wine?"

FWIW, our group has read more or less the same as the OP's group, and The Island was one of my least favourite books, too.

Zippi, I love that James Kelman book. You'd be very welcome to join our group with such good taste.

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:21

did you not read my carefully crafted post of some time earlier hermy

i am wasting my energy here methinks

or looks into hermyknes eyes very closely

are you double bluffing

LIZS · 05/06/2008 19:21

I'm sorry, "smart arsed comments" ?! weren't you the one who said she was not as "literary" as the rest. Does that not suggest you are looking for something more serious than perhaps she is or perhaps is capable of ? I wasn't suggestign a critque of SATC, it was seriously meant. Our book group had outings/video nights of films of the books we had "read" - it is another vehicle for discussion and not as frivolous as you seem have determined. You can even do a degree course along those lines !

Whilst I see your dilemma and frustration the attitude of the rest of the group and your unwillingness to look at how it might appear from her pov, comes across as rather playground. You need to agree common aims or it will fall apart. Maybe she'd rather not come anyway or only come to socials ?

hermykne · 05/06/2008 19:20

thats much too strict zippi

OP posts:
FluffyMummy123 · 05/06/2008 19:20

Message withdrawn

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:19

vote to have minutes kept a t each meeting and vote for her to be minute secretary

scottishmummy · 05/06/2008 19:19

Oh LOL are you throwing your rattle out of the pram?having a big ole hisy fit!now you are even chunterring about straw, ah do you do digress wildly.

hope you don't do that in book club

put them all right off you

hermykne · 05/06/2008 19:19

do you like what we've read zippi?

OP posts:
MargaretMountford · 05/06/2008 19:18

cheerio then

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:17

actually is the idea of the book club fun or self flagellation improvement

ypu talk about self sacrifice being involved

does anyone actually like reading and talking about books

maybe you need some different reads?

hermykne · 05/06/2008 19:17

margaret i aint got time to be more forthcoming

zippi exactly just newspapers & gin

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hermykne · 05/06/2008 19:16

no SM but we do hope to attend the hay festival next year.
cheerio

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:15

she doesnt read books

zippitippitoes · 05/06/2008 19:15

no you dont understand no book on sundays

MargaretMountford · 05/06/2008 19:14

hermykne - your replies are a bit brusque and are winding people up I think,which is why we are being a bit sharp

hermykne · 05/06/2008 19:13

zippi
we had it on fridays and a vote was taken to change it to thurs as there was too much drink consumed, the vote was 6 to change day.

anyway my sundays are much more fun than to sacrifice them to a book club.

OP posts:
scottishmummy · 05/06/2008 19:12

unclench its a bloody book group not harvard literary appreciation and discourse of modern literature.

all members please submit 5000 word narrative to accompany each book

YAWN

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