Are You a Book Club Person?

Since I love to read so very much, you’d probably think that I’m a member of lots of book clubs. But I’m not. I used to try them, because I adore the idea of book clubs. I mean, what’s not to love? Reading? Check! Talking about reading? Check! Book recommendations from people who love to read? Check!

And yet…I find that while I enjoy reading books, I don’t enjoy sitting around and dissecting them. It’s not that I’m opposed to critical thinking. I love critical thinking. And I love books that deal with tough topics (I’d better, since I write them!) But when it comes time to have the discussion…I fail miserably.

I think some of it is that I love to read for the sake of reading. And I enjoy thinking about the contents of the book. But once you start to hash it out and try to turn it into a discussion, I start to lose my love for the book. And that makes me sad. Maybe that’s because I’m also a re-reader and I don’t want to have the baggage of a book club discussion ruining my re-read? (I don’t know, that just occurred to me – any re-readers who love book clubs want to chime in? If there are any of you, of course.)

So – what about you? Are you a book club person? What do you love about your book club?