Slightly off topic but can I ask for your views on book clubs?

[CreatedANewName]

I belong to one.
I joined for social reasons mainly (change in my circs and needed local friends.) But after 2 years I think I've had enough. And no one gets together out of the meetings anyway.

In all that time I have enjoyed about 3-4 books out of all those we read.
It's one choice per month provided by a member.

I feel really disappointed as I love reading and am not short of books I want to read. But I've become tired of reading books I'd never normally choose and am wasting precious time reading them.

Anyone empathise?

Yes, completely. That's why I left the one I joined. I realised I only want to read books I choose to read, not something suggested by someone else. I read for my own pleasure, I don't necessarily want to discuss what I'm reading. I'm clearly just not a book club person.

I joined one in the last year and we have monthly zoom meetings. It means I have one week reading the chosen book, and three weeks reading my own choice. I’ve actually like reading books I may not normally consider.

I think I am the opposite. I'd love to find a local bookclub. I used to go to one in my old area which I loved, but just can't find one here.

I'd even run one myself if I could find some people. I thought I'd found one, but I was the youngest person there by about 30 years (not joking) and the leader was a retired lecturer who had prepared notes she read from. Marginally interested but not what I had in mind

I used to go to a book club when I lived in Oz. A popular book would be chosen, so most were newly released books or a book of a bc members choice. We’d rotate houses, and have snacks and drinks 🥴
More often we’d be 🥴 only after we discussed the book obviously.

I started one myself on our street, although we've not done anything virtually over the past year.
I do struggle sometimes with the choices and have not finished a few books but I generally try. We do drink and chitchat 8-9 then book discussion thereafter. I do hope we'll be able to start again this year.

I've never been in a book club, never had the opportunity.

But, I know I'd hate having to read books suggested by others. I also suspect I'd be a pain in the ass. I talk too much a lot, I tend to get very emotionally invested & would possibly struggle with differing opinions.

(I promise, I'm nicer when on a topic other than books!)

I barely have time to read stuff I want to read, never mind trashy novels that someone else has picked.

I left two as also became fed up of reading books I didn't like. Second one was really bad because organiser had no idea how to run one - no discussion ideas to get the conversation going (most people didn't know each other) so it was mostly "I liked/hated it" with not much beyond. There was one man and whenever he turned up, it always felt as though his comments were deemed more worthy of listening to as well plus he hated my favourite book.

I like the idea of them but the reality has felt like a burden.

I'm in two book groups, one for over 15 years and they have become good friends, the other is more recent. I enjoy talking about books and analysing what we've read, but if you don't enjoy that then I can see that book groups are probably not for you.

I'm lucky that both my book groups are full of women who choose mostly great books (but that I might not have chosen myself).

Never understood the appeal. I like reading books not hearing other people’s ill thought out opinions about them. Waste of time.

It depends on the book club. I love mine and I love reading new authors suggested by others. Sometimes I don’t like a book, but most of the time I enjoy it or am at least glad I’ve read it.
But then none of the novels are trashy. We read my sort of books for the most part.

I’m in two.

One has been established for nearly 20 years, some of the founder members are still in it. I was invited to join about 5 years ago (it’s invite only and yes, there’s a mutual trial period :-)). I love it tbh. They all really care about each other, they’ve been through bereavement, cancer, bankruptcy, redundancy, emigration - you name it. We also go away as a group at least once a year. People often meet up outside of book group. We always talk about the book - our secretary makes sure we do ;-). So yes the books are important but it’s the friendship that binds this group together. For the choices, one person comes up with a list of 4-5 books, then we vote for the winner from that. The book choices are generally pretty ‘literary’ but accessible which suits us all.

The other one is brand new, online only, and is an offshoot from a larger non-book network that I am part of, so I’m already friends with many of the people that come. It’s much less formal - there’s no membership as such, no ones expected to come to every meeting, it’s just read the book and turn up for a chat. It’s working because we mostly know each other already and talking about books is just another reason to get together. Because it’s online, it’s really easy to join - no hosting etc. The books are chosen very randomly! The organiser asks for suggestions, they are put on a FB group vote, then whoever wants to vote does so. I’m not really a fan of this way of doing it this way. People tend to propose their favourites, rather than looking for ‘good’ or interesting books.

My sister is in quite a literary book club. They are all English / American Lit post-docs minimum. There’s only 4-5 members max. She’s friends with one other person, but they hardly know anything about the other 2/3 - not where they live, who their partners are etc. They meet in a pub back room, there’s a bit a social chit chat then it’s down to serious book talk. They are very careful in their choices of books - I think they do it by mutual agreement, not voting or “it’s your turn to choose» etc.

So book clubs come in all sizes and shapes! For me, just talking about books wouldn’t be enough, especially if I didn’t like the choices or the method of choosing. I’d need to click with at least some of the others on a friendship level. And TBH it’s the friendships / socialising that makes up for having to read the occasional clanger. So maybe OP you’ll find one (or start one) that’s fits better.

That's all very interesting.
I'm into book clubs in principle, as I like talking about books, and professionally, it's my field.
What I've found is that a lot of the members - who are mostly intelligent/ degree educated- don't analyse the book in the same way as I do and I'm becoming the odd one out, rarely agreeing with them!
In turn, someone brings along 2 books and we vote on which one.
There is rarely anything trashy on the list but on balance there have been very few I'd have chosen myself and I've begun to resent buying and reading books I hate by page 50!
I joined mainly to extend my friendship group but that's not happened. They are a nice bunch but no one's my soul mate.
Still sitting on the fence!

Loved it!

8 of us. Friends.

Some books were duds. But made for lovely debates, and no judgement at all if you couldn’t be bothered to finish because you thought it was a crap.

A lovely evening of treat food, nice wines and good friends chatting about books (and life in general)

Made for lively debates

@CreatedANewName

That's all very interesting. I'm into book clubs in principle, as I like talking about books, and professionally, it's my field. What I've found is that a lot of the members - who are mostly intelligent/ degree educated- don't analyse the book in the same way as I do and I'm becoming the odd one out, rarely agreeing with them! In turn, someone brings along 2 books and we vote on which one. There is rarely anything trashy on the list but on balance there have been very few I'd have chosen myself and I've begun to resent buying and reading books I hate by page 50! I joined mainly to extend my friendship group but that's not happened. They are a nice bunch but no one's my soul mate. Still sitting on the fence!

How does your way of analysing differ from all the rest?

And surely that’s ok and adds to the dynamic?

It did in our group.

I can't imagine anything worse :o

Well OK I can. But it doesn't sound like my kind of thing at all.

Don't want to read stuff suggested by other people. Don't want to read at the pace of other people. Would probably get annoyed by people's opinions.

Occasionally I buy a book and it has "book club questions" at the end of it and they always sound like they are aimed at ten year olds to me it makes me think of being back at school in English class hating all the books we had to study!

OP, sounds like you should give up on this one but maybe there's another one out there more amenable. I've belonged to a number and I hope that the local library one will be able to reconvene in a few months. We've read various sorts of books but I think those who are keenest to suggest stuff prefer more literary books and I've ended up reading some stuff which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

I've also been involved in email based discussions in the past. I haven't tried Zoom ones but might see if the one that used to meet in Brixton Library is still available to meet with in Zoom if they're discussing a book I want to read. Library based ones have an advantage in that though sometimes I already own a book anyway (as I buy so many!), if not, I can borrow it.

It's definitely horses for courses. My sister would hate both of the BC that I am in. We aren't 'trained' in the field and certainly don't analyse a book in the same way that her group are able to do. They actually used to be part of a bigger book club which had a major schism: the words "I don't have time to read this kind of shit" may have been uttered at one point ;-) She is part of the breakaway, take-it-seriously group and that suits her. She's a frustrated academic, with a PhD and several years post-doc experience: BC is, for her, a way to keep a toehold in the world of 'proper' literary analysis and discussion. They've been meeting for 10+ years and the Christmas before Covid was the first time that they've ever even gone out for a meal together ;-0) Strictly business.

Hmm, I've thought about starting your own but you'd need to set out the rules from the start. No, 'Who fancies joining a book club?' because how can you control it doesn't get taken over by people who want to read books you hate?

I've never belonged to a book club. I definitely need more local friends, and I've wondered in the past about trying one, but tbh I've come to the conclusion I'd hate it for exactly the reasons you stated. I'm a big reader, but life's too short to be reading books you don't like. Also, I did enough analysing books at university. Now I just want to enjoy them and have the occasional "Oh have you read that too? Isn't it great?" chat with people I know.

I'm in one with some other mums from one of my DCs schools. It started about a year ago and we've always been virtual - we were using the PTA app thing which was clunky so we switched to zoom about 6 months ago and we advertise it in the PTA newsletter.

I really like it, some of the books haven't been great but it's still interesting to discuss them. We are hoping to be able to meet properly in the summer but live scattered over a wide area so our regular meets might stay on zoom.

I think it's because for the last 6-8 months I have not enjoyed a single book that the group has chosen. We vote , the vote is often finely split (by one vote) and my preferences have not 'won' for a while.

I have started to resent spending a fiver on a book I find unenjoyable almost from the word 'go' but I do approach them with an open mind. On the other hand, I have read two or three that are now on my 'best ever' list.

I hoped to make more local friends and although they are all lovely, I don't think we have a huge amount in common other than reading.

I honestly can’t imagine anything worse. There is so much literary snobbery and reading is my relaxation, I’d find it quite stressful

I’ve belonged to two, the last one I set up. The first one was where we used to live, set up by a Mum friend. Really enjoyed it - we were all similarly graduates and ex Londoners and most of the books chosen were well written & I liked. It had a very social aspect as we were all friends outside the group. It involved a lot of wine which I personally thought was a good thing!

The one I belong to I set up after moving, ‘recruiting’ through the local community Facebook page. As a result it’s far more of a mixed group of ages and backgrounds, though to date we’ve never had a male ‘applicant’ so perhaps it’s seen as a Oman’s thing. I’ve liked less of the books but I will say it’s got me reading more of a variety, less Booker prize list and more genres I wouldn’t usually read. Though I organise the dates and communication, I don’t feel any obligation to control the flow of the conversation, prepare questions etc. All opinions are welcome and I’m quite happy with ‘I liked/didn’t like’ commentary. Analysing books to the nth degree used to ruin books for me when I was studying & I want to read book club books for enjoyment rather than feel it’s a piece of work. If we’ve had a couple of books in a row I’ve loathed and resented reading then I do occasionally hope interest in the book club dies out but on the whole I’m happy with it (although I do miss the wine and easy conversation of book club no 1!).