This isn’t really a challenge so much as a commitment. I am in a ‘real life’ book club that meets once a month to discuss the selected book, every month except December when we meet to eat! My commitment is to make an honest attempt to read each book and come ready to discuss it. If I really find a book unpalatable, I will DNF it, but I have to have read enough to explain what it is I didn’t like about the book and participate in the discussion. For each book, I try to read through the discussion questions ahead of time, and to have a general rating in mind. We collectively rate each book we discuss!
We’ve made some changes this year. Our founder has taken a leave from the group and she was the person who selected all the books and led most of the discussions. The main change we’ve made is that we are not selecting the entire year’s list of books in advance. We have a list of books we want to consider, but we will add to that as we go along. In December we selected books for the first three months of the year, and in March we will select books for the next three months. We also are encouraging more members to take a turn to facilitate the discussion.
If you are interested in seeing what we are considering adding to our list, take a look at our shelf on Riffle. And if you have a book that your book club loved, leave a comment with the recommendation below. We’re always looking for just one more good book to add to our list!
It looks like you have some fun potential reads! I'd highly recommend Everything I Never Told You, Big Little Lies, and All the Light We Cannot See.
ReplyDeleteOur book club currently picks books only a month in advance and whoever is hosting picks several selections, which we than narrow down to one by a vote. I like that method because it means we all get to have a turn picking what we read, but no one person is responsible if we dislike a book, since we all voted :) I love being in a book club and will definitely be looking to join another when I move after grad school!
Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDeleteWe all contribute ideas for the next year late in the fall. Then in Nov/Dec we get a list together and discuss. Previously our founder chose all after this input, but for now at least, we reach a consensus. We try to do a few months ahead so everyone can get the book on reserve at the library or get it purchased for their ereader.