This is part I of a continuing series about Book Discussion Groups. Future posts will look at ways to find a book group, how to make your book group successful, reading group resources, and loads of book recommendations for use in your book group, along with anything else we can come up with.
I'm hopelessly addicted to reading groups. I can't explain the addiction, since most of my days are spent talking about books with booksellers and my publishing colleagues. But I am a serial book club joiner, and am usually the last one standing (sitting?) as the group falls apart.
One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is speaking with members of book groups at local bookstores. These evenings usually provide an opportunity to mingle and chat with readers, and almost always I hear a great story about the importance of a book group to particular person. With those stories in mind, I've come up with a list of reasons to consider joining or starting a reading group. I'm sure I am missing many reasons -- please leave your ideas in the comments.
5 Reasons to Join a Book Discussion Group
1. Meet people just like you
If I were ever to move to a new town, I would immediately search out one or two local book groups. There is something comforting and familiar in a group of readers. Though personalities, backgrounds and culture may differ, I have always been able to find common ground with book lovers, no matter the circumstance. I often speak to people who don't know anyone else who reads for pleasure -- their families think they are crazy for buying more books than they can ever hope to read, and their friends can't imagine why they would rather stay home with a good book than go out to a movie or bar. A reading group provides a place where you don't have to explain. Your behavior is not odd, it's expected.
2. Meet people that are different from you
So often we find ourselves surrounded by people that look like us, talk like us, act like us. Most of our friends are roughly the same age, have the same level of income, and have similar beliefs and values. Book groups are a terrific way of expanding your circle to include people of varied backgrounds and life experience. The act of discussing a book often sparks debate, and entices people to open up about their own views and life stories. I've learned so much about the world from people I've met in a book group, and so many times they were people I would not have met otherwise.
3. Get back to reading
It's a very common scenario, one that I hear all the time: "I used to love to read, but I never got back to it after ___________ (having kids, going to school, starting a new job, ... fill in the blank with your own situation). For whatever reason, reading for pleasure is one of the most frequently sacrificed activities when there are not enough hours in the day. Joining a reading group gives you a reason to sit down with that book. There is a specific deadline for finishing, and so finding the time to read becomes more of a priority. While there are certainly times when life interferes and you may not finish the book before your meeting, motivation comes from knowing that others are counting on your participation.
4. Stretch your reading muscles
I enjoy reading books for their entertainment value, and find nothing more satisfying than spending a rainy day curled up with a page-turner. But sometimes, I want something more challenging. When I read for book club, I know that I will be expected to contribute, and so I tend to read more carefully and more thoughtfully. I read my book group books with a pad of sticky notes next to me, marking pages and passages that illustrate a thought or idea. I find that the discussion around a book always gives me something to think about -- a character trait that I hadn't noticed, or a subtext that flew right over my head as I was reading. My favorite book discussions are those where I start out hating the book, and then after listening to everyone else's comments, come out of the meeting with new appreciation for and understanding of the work.
5. Discover new genres and authors
It's so easy to fall into the habit of reading the same authors or the same genres. After all, there is always an element of risk in a new book. What if you hate it? By sticking to the familiar, much of that risk is alleviated. But so is the joy of discovery. Reading groups force you to explore new reading paths. There was once a woman in one of my book groups who announced at the first meeting that she didn't like reading about other countries or cultures because they were so unfamiliar to her. She struggled with pronunciation, and keeping characters' names straight. But since our books were chosen by vote, we often read books set in other places. I was stunned and delighted at one meeting where the woman announced that she really liked Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is a novel set in Colombia in the early 1900s. It was a book that she would have never picked up on her own, but because of reading group, she found a new appreciation for books set in foreign lands. I myself have loved books that I thought I would never enjoy, and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.
Do you belong to a book group? If so, what prompted you to join? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comments. Please pass this on to anyone you know who might enjoy it -- and check back for Part II of the series, coming soon.
(photo credit: Newton Free Library)
I was raving to Ann about this library and she directed me to a photostream on flickr run by the folks over at Curious Expeditions. Their motto is "Traveling and Exhuming the Extraordinary Past," and oftentimes that quest brings them to libraries like the one pictured here (It's the Strahov Monastery Library in Prague, photo by Curious Expeditions). I have fond memories of my visit to the British Library when I was in London in 2000. I've already spent the better part of an hour poring over these photos on flickr, so I wanted to share them with all of you too.
I woke up this morning to the news that my favorite book of 2008 (so far, but unlikely to be dethroned) was shortlisted for 
I read a few things I've always wanted to read, and a few things that I heard about in 500 Essential Graphic Novels. I read a couple of things 
