My book club moderator told me to stop picking 'fun' reads and go for literary fiction instead

So back in March, our book club moderator Susan said if I kept picking light beach reads nobody would take our discussions seriously. I pushed back hard because I thought she was being a snob. But after three months of her suggestions like 'The Road' and 'A Visit from the Goon Squad', I noticed our meetings went from 45 minute chats to 2 hour debates. People actually got into the deeper themes and we argued about character motivations all night. I still love a fun mystery now and then, but she was right that the heavier stuff brought out better conversation. Has anyone else had a club member give advice that totally changed how your group picks books?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sandra15d ago

Susan sounds like the book club equivalent of a personal trainer who yells at you until you actually enjoy the pain. My old group had a guy named Carl who insisted we read 'Infinite Jest' and I still haven't forgiven him for the 90% of that book I didn't understand. But you're right, nothing kills a group faster than everyone nodding along to a plot they forgot by the next morning. I still sneak in the occasional popcorn thriller though, just to make sure nobody gets too full of themselves.

hernandez.finley15d ago

Actually 'A Visit from the Goon Squad' won the Pulitzer so it's not exactly heavy literary fiction, it's pretty accessible.

fox.derek14d ago

Ha! My buddy's book club tried Ulysses once. They quit halfway through the first chapter lol.