My in-person book club has met eight times this year. Here's what we read this year and what I thought about them as a book club book.
Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel #1) by Connie Willis - What a good book. What a good book club conversation starter. Also, it's like Willis is a time traveler herself with the way she wrote about a fictional pandemic. There is time travel, so if that's off limits for someone in your group, perhaps you should consider a different book. Even my book club folks who aren't into science fiction/fantasy liked this one, though.
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes - This felt like homework to me, but I feel that way about all mythological retellings. I say skip it.
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich - I don't think Erdrich is the right author for me. I found this interminable. It didn't really spark much discussion, either.
Hang the Moon by Jeannette Wells - My review at the time was "The most "meh" of books I've probably ever read. Book club pick that we deeply regretted because it sparked very little conversation. I have very few memories of this book outside of being deeply disappointed in the main character all the time.
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal - I missed this book club. I liked the setting, but there were too many character POVs and time jumps for me to settle in with anyone.
We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - The book itself is whatever, but the true story was fascinating. Sparked a really interesting discussion, including that two of of book club members themselves were adopted from homes like this in North Carolina.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich - Why did we go back to reading Erdrich again? We never learn, I guess. I love Erdrich's Twin Cities settings, I have to admit, but I don't really have it in me to read about the COVID pandemic - maybe I never will. I missed book club, though, because I was sick, but I heard the discussion about it was okay.
Euphoria by Lily King - I didn't care for this book, but it did elicit a great discussion. I think it's a good book club choice.
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Do you go to an in-person book club? If so, what's a good book you read for it recently?
Jeannette Walls is the author of the Glass Castle, right? I have a visceral reaction, just thinking about that book. Not a good reaction.
ReplyDeleteYes, she did write The Glass Castle. I haven't read that one, though.
DeleteI never thought I would say this, but I kind of want to give an in person book club a shot. The reason that I've never joined one is exactly what you have here - 8 books, and of those one was great and the rest didn't hit. I feel like the club might end up feeling like "homework" - but if I don't try it then I'll never know.
ReplyDeleteIt does sort of feel like homework, but it's worth it to me to have fun conversations about books. Sometimes the best discussions come about with books I don't love. Plus, it does force me to read books I normally would not read and that's a way to really grow my personal reading practice.
DeleteI've never belonged to an in-person book club. I do have the same reservations as Birchie, but I would be willing to try it. I just don't think I know enough people who like to read, to actually be able to form a club. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteDoes your library have a book club you could join? Ours has one, but it meets during the day when I'm working, so I've never been able to make that work. There have to be ways to meet other bookish people!
DeleteI liked The Glass Castle but found Hang The Moon was not as good. As for the others, I liked Before We Were Yours, thought Euphoria was okay, did not love The Sentence and DNFed A Thousand Ships. How do you guys pick books?
ReplyDeleteI have done an in person book club and I really enjoyed it. I was in one when I lived in New Orleans where we read books about New Orleans and I learned a lot! Plus I got to meet some interesting people. I actually did a book club when I was living in Instanbul and I cannot remember the book, but it was a great way to meet people!
We pick books for the next month at the end of our meetings. It's pretty democratic, but I will veto a lot of books because they're not easily accessible by library or because I don't want to read another book about World War II or the pandemic. Like, I think Tom Lake has been bandied about multiple times, but I just refuse to read it. LOL.
DeleteWhoa, 2 Erdrich novels in 1 year! I have come to accept that Erdrich is not for me. I did like The Sentence but that's the only book that has worked for me. The others were such a slog and I was so glad when they were done.
ReplyDeleteI've been in a book club for 10 years now! In years past, I rarely missed a book club meeting but this year, I barely attended any meetings because of my work travel. We are adjusting the meetings from the last Wed to the first Wed so that I can attend more as I rarely travel during the first week of the month. Looking at the list of books, I have to say it was not the strongest year for our club. I didn't LOVE anything we read, including the book I selected (Shark Heart). Here's hoping next year is a better year!
Yeah, too much Erdrich all at once. I wasn't there when they picked the second one or I might have vetoed it.
DeleteLast year we read better books, I think. Part of it is that we don't read new books because I want to be able to check them out from the library, but some of the best books we've read have been newer books - Cloud Cuckoo Land and Demon Copperhead spring to mind - so maybe I should just give up on arguing for books we can get at a reasonable time through the library.
I don't think we've ever repeated an author in twenty-plus years of my book club. I like Louise Erdrich, though. I liked Connie Willis back when I read Doomsday book, but it all went badly off the rails for me later on - even though I love time travel books. I also didn't love The Glass Castle. We just read a really good book - Mayflies, set in Scotland - for this week, but I don't know if I can make it to the meeting, which is crappy.
ReplyDeleteHuh. I just looked it up and our book club is nine years old (we first met in June 2015) and we've read two books each from the following authors: Anthony Doerr, Lauren Groff, Barbara Kingsolver, Elena Ferrante, Lily King, and Louise Erdrich. What can I say? We're not that creative!
DeleteI joined so many bookclubs when I moved to my new city, because I knew if I had to make new friends they'd have to be readers... but only one club made it through the pandemic. I loved all the books here except the two I haven't read (the Stradal and Walls). And I'm having some sort of warm anniversary-like feelings because of _The Doomsday Book_ reminded me of when you recommended _Babel_!
ReplyDeleteHow do you find book clubs to join? I feel like people always ask me and I have just sort of lucked into mine.
DeleteThe Doomsday Book AND Babel are fantastic books. No one can make me change my mind about that.
I am part of an inperson–virtuell book club. Last thing we read was an experiment of a book everyone hadn't read prior the two host always head it read and picked. The book was "The night we lost him". I found it rathr interesting but most other said it was bla and we didn't have a great discussion.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed The Measure and The Change very much. I thin the first one sparked the best discussion.
We only pick books no one has read, so that's how our regular clubs work. That's funny that it was an experiment for yours!
DeleteThe Power was a book none of us really loved, but it sparked really good discussion, so if your book club liked The Change, that might be a good option for your club.
I don't belong to an in-person book club. I enjoy the CBBC though! I
ReplyDeleteYES!! I'll have to start thinking about our next book. It's going to be here before I know it.
DeleteI love reading, but have never belonged to a book club aside from CBBC. I'm not sure why, but it has never really interested me. Could I find one? Maybe through my library? Maybe.
ReplyDeleteI liked Before We Were Yours, and I agree, what I really liked was the history aspect, the real stuff, more than the story.
I don't think book clubs are right for everyone. It IS homework and some people absolutely rebel at being told what to read.
DeleteI belong to a book club. It's a group of women who are alums of my college. I'm one of the younger ones. These are some great women and I love meeting with them in person once a month. We are reading 'Early Morning Riser' for April and I'm hosting. My mind is blanking on what we read last time we met. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are enough alums of my college in my state to start a book club, but it looks like my college DOES do a virtual book club, so maybe I'll poke my head into that.
DeleteMuch as I enjoy reading, I've never participated in a book club. I think I'd probably feel too much pressure to finish on time!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I do cut it close to finishing on time...
DeleteYes, I belong to an in-person book club! They're my core friend group and we are SO much more than a book club these days, but we still get together monthly for book club. I think the best discussion we had was Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. Most of us didn't enjoy the book but it sparked such a lively discussion!
ReplyDeleteA lot of the best discussion we have comes from books that are polarizing or no one likes. It's interesting that a bad book can actually be a great choice for book club! There's just so much to say. If everyone likes the book, there's nothing to discuss.
DeleteThe only book club I've ever done is YOURS. So, no in-person for me. I do love your reviews though; I usually note the ones you love.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! I'm honored to be your book club leader!!
DeleteSame as Suz - the CBBC is it for me. The Doomsday books sound great, but there is only 1 book (the first) on Libby in audio. Sigh. I might have to look into a few that were Not For You - A Thousand Ships and the one about the supper club. Stay tuned. :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard that the rest of the series isn't as good as the first book, so maybe it's not a bad think that only the first one is available!!
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