What would you think if your book club had chosed a "chick-lit" book?

I read a range of stuff. I did English Lit at uni so often I just enjoy an easy read where I don't have to concentrate too hard. I loved Beloved when I read that, I enjoy some classics but I also enjoy Jodi Picoult and Marian Keyes and Freya North, and I'm happy with my choice of reading matter most of the time. I love the Harry Potter books too. I find it a bit baffling hearing some of the criticisms people make, but then it would be boring if we all liked the same stuff.

Just finished reading Beloved by Toni Morrison - NOT a book group book, but found when I kept flicking through "the book group bible" and it fell open on the same book every time.

Would highly recommend that for a group, loads to discuss

We had a chick-lit one in the summer. Deliberately for something people could read by the pool etc.

I think book clubs are good to open you up to any sort of book you would not have read otherwise. Chick-lit or more highbrow stuff.

Just finished Thanks for the Memories and thought it was OK. Preferred PS I love you. We're all different!

it sounds like you've got it all under control and it will all be perfect
hope you have a lovely time! are you going to post pics on your profile briefly? i'd loooooove to see your dress and a few beach pics after the event!

re canada - yes, he's got the posting order but in order for it to actually happen they have to peer at small girl and work out how much she will cost them. so med, ed, housing and welfare have all got their calculators poised, waiting for our reports from the uk. we're going out next month for a ski hol, and will visit the school to get everything sorted out hopefully. a small bit terrified that they might call it off - dh will go loopy. we haven't told the kids yet, don't want the other 2 to blame their sis for us not going if it doesn't happen... i'm sure it will all work out, but there is a lot of red tape to wade through first... and in the meantime i've got to get rid of most of the junk we own before shipping lol.

Thanks Mad - we're really looking forward to it. Dress is still being made last minute but dressmaker seems wonderfully relaxed so I am going with it! Phew. DP and I have already talked about importance of enjoying some quiet time during the day and our photographer has recommended we go off quietly for half an hour, just us, to the beach for some pics and quiet time between things. So that's all good.

So glad your mum is on the mend - it's not an easy process so she probably just needs time. And also great that the service for your grandfather went well - it makes such a difference I think.

Canada sounds quite fun though? DP will be stationed there?

it's the floating sensation that does it for me... hope you feel better in a day or two.

I am sort of floating. Should probably be asleep but I'm too worked up worrying about all random stuff, and the codeine is giving me nightmares when I sleep.

vamp - (i love that diminutive btw) - i bet my house is worse...
...you can type after codeine? i have to sleep lol as i'm a danger to myself. hope the whiplash is easing (did i see you had a bump in the car somewhere? hope all ok)

yes, yes, i am lol

i took a couple of months off what with one thing and another. came back to mn to discover there had been all sorts of shenanigans during my absence. took me a whole day to get my head round the moldies thing and attempt to work out who was still here.
mum has just finished her treatment and all looks good so far. thanks for asking! still a bit worried about her as she seems quite down, but i think it's because it's 'all over' and she just needs to get back to normal... g'dad's funeral was lovely as far as it goes, and life here still chaotic as usual

i keep eyeing the weight loss threads, meaning to scan through and pick a suitable one - i have to say come december i completely gave up and thought 2009 might be a whole new year, so haven't weighed myself for at least a month. i know i've put on all the weight i lost as well, but i'm being kind to myself - there were more important things going on

we think we are moving to canada in august though so i've got to be skinny enough for shorts by then. that is if they accept dd2 (sigh), we are report writing at the mo.

six weeks! eeek! how exciting though - have you got your dress sorted and fitted, or are you doing it last-minute as planned? are you ready?

really really really good luck if i don't bump into you again before then - hope you have a fantastic day! just remember it will only happen once, so promise me, when it all gets really busy, and everyone is flapping around, to take 5 minutes out with dh and just stand and look and listen, no rushing around, smell the flowers, whatever. aw, how lovely, i'm so excited for you!

I forget that where I read a lot (my house is a state ), that other people don't so want it to be every book as "worthwhile".

sorry- Hijack there. Forgot to flag it!

Hi MadWoman - yes, same Bling. I just like to change the extra bits while retaining the "essence" of me!

Still trying to lose weight (not going brilliantly but have lost some), still getting married in six weeks! wow, that's soon!

Are you Romy? I think I saw a thread saying you were? In which case... How's things with the family - how's your mum?

vampireswalkin - Yes there is book snobbery on MN and I'll admit to being one of those snobs. I read very little and so want to feel that what I've read has been worth the effort and that I haven't frittered my precious time on something that's badly written or the same as something I've already read. So I don't really want to read chick lit with my book group because, when I've read it in the past, my feeling on finishing the book has usually been 'oh, is that it?', not 'what a good read'.

But I'm judging the books, not the people who read them. Other people make other choices for other reasons. That doesn't bother me.

Should probably add in to say that I had hideous period pain, whiplash and was on codeine when I first posted too

Ah, sorry it wasn't just this thread tbh, I've noticed a sort of book snobbery comes up a lot on MN, with people Judging (with the capital J) the likes of chick lit, Jodie Picoult etc, as if something not high brow or award winning isn't worth wasting effort on.

The same when people whinge on about the "appalling" writing of J K Rowling, ignoring the fact that this woman has gotten a new generation loving reading again, as well as a lot of our generation.

'the whole point of book clubs for me is to pick things i wouldn't necessarily pick...'
that's what most people were saying - i'm not sure what's to be 'got over' as i can only find about two posts that suggested anything different... and both of those were aware (and expressed slight embarassment and a bit of mortification at the fact) that the view could be interpreted as snobby...

didn't want to start a ruck - was just curious what we were supposed to be 'getting over ourselves' about... apols if i appeared terse.

I would never nominate a chick lit book when it was my turn to choose, but I would remind myself that I joined a book group to widen my reading!

In our book club we have done most of the usual books aldread mentioned. I think there is a bit of snobbery attached to the 'chick-lit' type of book, when actualy some of them are not that bad - just a bit of escapism really.
The literary types who turn their nose up at some of our book selections, watch a ton of crap on TV. I don't think there is much difference in doing that.

isn't what what most people were saying?

flame - isn't that what most us were saying?

Sounds more like it Flame!

Quint - You'd probably like ours (more tea n cake than wine though). We don't all discuss the same book, no-one is even forced to finish a book each month. We have a topic (this month is Sci Fi), and everyone chooses a book from the genre. Next month, we say what we read, what we thought etc, and half the time pass on the books to whoever thought it sounded good.

Oh, and once in the cycle we watch a film (of a book) because one of the members has a great home cinema set up

I read anything. The whole point of book groups for me is to read things I wouldn't necessarily pick.

get over yourselves.

... we deliberately tried to pick 'lighter' stuff over the christmas or summer holiday period for example... who wants tolstoy by the pool or on the beach?

ohbling, are you the other bling or a different one? i've lost track of who everyone is... are you getting hitched soon/ were on a diet thread last year?

I think the person who made the point that all book clubs have their own character is right. And if you find that reading chick lit isn't really what you want from book club then you should consider finding a new one.l Our book club varies from stuff that's really hard going to chicklit but to be honest, the chat about the book is normally only about 15 minutes!

But we've all enjoyed getting to know a new bunch of women.