Are you a local book club member? After much wailing gnashing of teeth, I threw myself into the fiery furnace, and attended (crashed it seems) my local public library's Book Club. Admittedly, it was only a furnace for 1.5 hours, so I thought I could probably manage it.
Last year, we were actually invited by a waitress at one of our favorite breakfast spots, but when I looked up the book selections, I just... knew it wasn't going to be for me. This year, however, the selections seemed better, and I REALLY like to discuss books, so I decided to try it out. Keep in mind, I live in a pretty small town, that's still quasi-rural.
Lets talk about the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good! The discussion was solid. Most participants had read the book, and had opinions and follow up questions and wanted to chat a bit about the book. Almost everyone had comments, and thoughts and information that did enhance my enjoyment of the book. Many people were friendly, and I can see myself making a few new book club buddies. There seemed to be enough space for everyone to jump in without talking over each other, and the readers did have a lot to say.
The bad? Well- I live in a fairly diverse community and the club-was really just a lot of older white women, which makes me think they don't really do a lot to get people interested in being a member. The club looked more like a DAR meeting - and most definitely did not represent our community as a whole. So, while there were a lot of interesting perspectives, I kept thinking about all of the other folks I know in town who would have had a different perspective, and what a more interesting conversation we might have had. The woman in charge was friendly, but in kind of a weaponized way- if you will. She really...seemed to want to come off as cute and friendly and fun, but she was none of those things. I did feel like I was crashing a party she planned, and she was trying to be gracious, but didn't really want to be. I took an immediate dislike to the lady but luckily the women I sat near were very friendly and I liked them a lot.
The Ugly? They have all the books planned for the year. 10 books. 2 of them are written by Non - white authors. No fun Non-fiction. This definitely kind of bummed me out. I admit, my reading can be hit or miss, but I make an effort to really look for diverse authors. It's a great way to get a new perspective, and expand my thoughts.
Was it worth it?
Yes and no.
Yes- because i did spend time in the company of other readers, and I met at least two people that I really liked and I could see myself spending more time with them.
No- as I didn't feel particularly challenged by the group and at least one woman made me feel actively unwelcome. (BUT- for someone like me- who is incredibly awkward- 1 person out of like 15... is pretty good)
Will I go back? I wasn't sure, but next month's book looked OK, so maybe I'll keep trying.
What's been your Book Club experience? Do you go to a local one? Have you made one yourself that's more invite only? Let me know in the comments!
Sounds very similar to most of my book club experiences. My friend runs a local one which is nice though.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I was not that surprised, but I was still hoping against hope that they would be reading something beyond the usual "women's fiction" Next month is a book about Guatemala, written by a white American woman who "has lived extensively in Guatemala" and I was like, but there are books about Guatemala, written by Guatemalans... maybe I am being too picky, and I guess I'm going to have to read this one....
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