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A Club that would have me as a member

Jun 18th 2007Julia London
Julia LondonOn Writing!

readingsept05pot.jpgAbout four years ago, I got an invitation to come and speak to a book club about my books. I was a little nervous about it, to be honest. There was a co-ed book club in my neighborhood that met regularly but had a rule that they would only read Important Works of Fiction. Romance novels did not rate and, moreover, they were reading stuff that I needed more than a weekend to get through. You know—Big Meaty Important Works of Ficton. r0424_josephin_sandy-copy.jpg

When the book club extended the invitation, I thought, oh geez….they don’t know the kind of book I write. They’d been together for twenty years, since several of them were cub reporters for the Austin paper. They asked me because they knew someone who knew me. But I went. I was prepared to defend my genre. But I was surprised–not only did these 12-14 women know what I wrote, they liked it! They plied me with wine and chocolate and paella, asked me all sorts of questions about writing and publishing, and laughed a lot. They admitted they had not read a romance, but they’ve read several since.

I had so much fun I asked if I could be in their bookclub. It was one of the best things I ever did. I love my book club. We usually spend two hours drinking wine and eating well, talking about our lives and kids and jobs and husbands. Oh, yeah, we discuss books, too, but usually the last hour. They are my biggest fans, the first in line to buy my books. I can’t bear to miss it—it is my one big treat to myself each month. frissell_two_women_b.jpg

But most important, if it wasn’t for that book club, I think I would have missed some great books. Just this year we have read The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory, the Glass House by Jeanette Walls, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett, The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth, and Confederacy of Dunces by John Kenneth Toole. These are books I know I would not have picked up and read on my own, and I loved them all.

I have been surprised by my attachment to this club—I have never been a big joiner, and the day after I asked I could join them I was having second thoughts. Did I really want to commit to a particular book and one night a month? Yes! I can’t do without my book club.

Are you a member of a book club? A book club? If you could be in a book club, would you, or is reading a private affair? Are you a joiner? Do you like to be a member of a group?

44 Comments »

44 Responses to “A Club that would have me as a member”

  1. Kay on 18 Jun 2007 at 11:30 pm #

    I don’t think I’m formal book club material, I won’t read anything I don’t like. I had enough of that in school. If it hasn’t “hooked” me by the end of the first chapter (and with a peek at the ending) then the is NO WAY I will read the whole thing. Life’s too short, and my TBR pile is too large, to read a book I don’t like.

    But….. I often talk about books with my friends. I love to hear what everyone else is reading. Some friends are so picky about what they read that I put their picks at the top of the pile. :-) One of my children has introduced me to a couple of great historical fiction books.

    I have heard about great books (that I have rushed out to get) on this and other blogs. I listen to the BOOKCLUB OF THE AIR on Minnesota Public Radio, and about half of the time I read their picks.

    I guess the only way I would be in a bookclub was if I could pick the books–so I’ll stay in my club of one. Too bad for me that I’m so difficult.

  2. MJ on 19 Jun 2007 at 12:37 am #

    I’m a really social reader…. love to talk to people about what I’m reading and what I’ve read or ask them about titles I haven’t read…. Anyone who comes over to my house gets books loaned to them if they’re not careful. (Thus I finally abandoned the numbers game and became a harmless librarian by day, too. LOL)

    I haven’t joined a book club since I moved to this city….it’s been a couple of years now, and I guess I’m surprised…. but maybe it’s just a time thing. With a fulltime and a parttime job and three choirs to sing in, there aren’t all that many nights left over. But I’m sure I could shoe-horn a book club in.

    Hmmmm. Good idea….. I tend to be a glutton about reading a particular author (I’m a huge glommer) or type…or genre…. and could use a stimulus to read some books I wouldn’t ordinarily choose….

  3. MJ on 19 Jun 2007 at 12:39 am #

    And of course, there’s the dessert thing. (-;

  4. Sandi on 19 Jun 2007 at 5:01 am #

    I belong to the DFW Readers Group. We meet for tea or dinner…each is once a month…that means one tea and one dinner a month. We all read something different. Mostly we’re romance readers, but we have been known to expand our horizons. There are more members than I’ve met, but the core group is about 10.

    I also belong a group we call the Harlequin group. It’s because we all met while posting on eharlequin. We get together when the mood strikes. It was about every 8 weeks or so, but in the last few months we’ve been meeting more often.

    They’ll be together when RWA hits Dallas in July, and unfortunately I’ll be in Buffalo watching my son attempt to win a national championship bowling, so I’ll miss it.

    Sandi

  5. Stacy ~ on 19 Jun 2007 at 5:59 am #

    I don’t belong to one, and I’m like Kay - if I feel pressured to read something, that’s the quickest way to turn me off to it. It’s some crazy rebellion thing I guess. I prefer to read what strikes my fancy - a historical, a paranormal, a romantic suspense, erotic romance, whatever.

  6. lisapbailey on 19 Jun 2007 at 6:15 am #

    This is a hot button topic for me. Everyone that is around me knows I’m an avid reader. I get asked to join book clubs often and asked “have you read…” or “you should read…”. I think my basic problem is rebellion. Too many rules cause me to break out. I crave solitary time and for me that is reading. It’s fun to talk about books with like minded folks in a limited capacity so I get that on message boards and blog sites such as this one. I have a few friends from Nora Roberts’ message board that I meet with a few times a year. We end up hashing what we’ve read, what we want to read, etc. Other than that, I prefer my own opinion and freedom of selection. (In saying all that, I know there are some Important Works of Fiction out there that I’m missing out on.)

  7. Bethany Hamilton on 19 Jun 2007 at 6:32 am #

    Yep - I’m with most of the above.

    I like to read what I want to read, when I want to read it. I tend to resist change when it comes to my TBR pile. For the most part, it consists of every book written by only a few select authors. I get this terrible sinking feeling in my stomach when none of the “old reliables” have any new books out and I’m searching my local B&N.

    I don’t think I could be in a book club, as Kay said, unless I was the one picking all the books :D

  8. amy1242 on 19 Jun 2007 at 7:28 am #

    I did belong to a book club for the last 4 months that the book store was in business. I read the books faithfully and discussed them with the group. I was always surprised at the choice of book every month, but read them anyway. One was so badly written, with such a sloppy ending that I was afraid to say anything as the group was singing it’s praises. But of course, I had to be honest, point out all the mistakes and make the point that I thought the “hero” in the story was more of a “stalker” than anything and that he gave me the creeps. Silence, for about 20 seconds, then laughter. What a treat they would have had to read any of the books by authors on this site. The store folded and so did the book club. But I’m looking for another one to join, hopefully with better choices.

  9. Susan K on 19 Jun 2007 at 7:36 am #

    I used to be in a bookclub. There were a few of us on Christine Feehan’s Yahoo Group, a couple of years ago, who realized we all lived in the same city and decided to start a book club of our own. We met once a month at a Barnes and Noble. This went well for a couple of months. And then one day I was the only one that showed up. I emailed the other ladies but I never heard back from anyone. I was upset too, cause I looked forward to that every month. We not only talked about books but we also talked about writing and tv shows and fanfic. It was a lot of fun. Since then I haven’t tried to find another one. I’ve thought about it. The only thing is I’d have trouble with a club that read anything other than romance.

  10. Kasey on 19 Jun 2007 at 7:55 am #

    I would love to be in a bookclub, but right now I am working on my Master’s in English and I have a lot of lit classes. So sometimes it feels like I have book clubs all the time wiyh sll the assigned readings that I have. So when it is summer or Christmas break, I am relieved to be able to pick up and read whatever strikes my fancy.

  11. cail on 19 Jun 2007 at 7:59 am #

    i’m more of a book lender/borrower. instead of all reading books together, my friends pass around the good ones.

    my problem is that if i read a book i’ll start it as soon as i get it, and then by the time the next meeting rolled around i would have read at least half a dozen others and mixed it all up in my head.

  12. Julia London on 19 Jun 2007 at 8:19 am #

    I should have said that there is no pressure to read any of the books in my book club. We all take turns picking, and if we don’t like the book we are reading that month, we can put it down and read something else. No one minds. We recognize we can’t please everyone.

    But for me, I am always fascinated by why a person picks a particular book. So I usually end up reading them. There have been a couple of real duds in the group, but for the most part, I have been pleasantly surprised.

    Susan K — I would have been scarred for life if my bookclub didn’t show up!!

  13. Claudia Dain on 19 Jun 2007 at 8:48 am #

    Julia, I feel so guilty!!! A bunch of college friends of mine (and a few others I don’t know) asked me to join their book club last March. I happily said I would and have yet to read a single book.

    The catch is this: they’re in L.A. and I’m not. I’m their long distance member, communicating my thoughts on the book in an email.

    I think that’s why I’ve been so bad about not reading the monthly selections—what’s my payoff? They’re getting together to party and eat great food while I get to…read a book I wouldn’t choose on my own and compose a mini book report on it. Yeah, they’re having all the fun!

    But you have reminded me how much fun it is to stretch my reading boundaries and how much total fun it is to talk about books.

    No more excuses. I’m reading the July book. Thanks, Julia!

  14. Susan K on 19 Jun 2007 at 9:04 am #

    It was pretty upsetting. I think I sat there for an hour to an hour and a half. I kept telling myself that maybe they were stuck in traffic or had an emergency. I felt like a fool sitting there waiting for people who never showed up. And I think that experience is why I’ve never actively looked for another book club.

  15. Sabrina Jeffries on 19 Jun 2007 at 9:13 am #

    Susan, I had a similar experience with an autism support group another woman and I started. She was adamant about how we needed one for parents with teens. I agreed (still agree). The first few meetings went well, although attendance steadily dwindled. The last meeting she and I were the only ones to show up. I told her I wasn’t doing it anymore.

    Sometimes people think they need or want something in their lives, but once they have it they discover they just can’t fit one more thing. When I sent out e-mails, I got lots of excuses, no enthusiasm for the meetings. So that was it. I don’t believe in forcing people to attend things. So don’t feel bad–it wasn’t you, I’m sure. And how rude was it of them not to answer your e-mails? That’s just wrong.

  16. Sabrina Jeffries on 19 Jun 2007 at 9:21 am #

    There’s a bookclub in my somewhat upscale neighborhood. I found out from someone at a neighbor block party. She asked why I wasn’t a member. I hemmed and hawed, but the truth was, I’d never heard of it. When I found out that the woman running it was the same woman to welcome me to the neighborhood by e-mailing me from my SJ website, I figured it was one of THOSE bookclubs, you know, the earnest kind where they read IMPORTANT books (as Julia says). Either they were afraid to ask me because they feared I’d try to get them to read “trashy” books or they just don’t like me. Either way, I figured I’m better off not pressing it. :-)

    The few neighbors I have met have been very lovely, nice people, so I figured I’d quit while I’m ahead.

  17. Sabrina Jeffries on 19 Jun 2007 at 9:26 am #

    But I do get to discuss books–with tons of people, mostly my fellow writers in my chapter. There’s so many of us and we spend so much time together that I really don’t feel the lack. Especially since time is at a premium for me these days (I say as I write while walking on the treadmill).

  18. Claudia Dain on 19 Jun 2007 at 9:28 am #

    Susan K, you poor thing! If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s people not answering emails. No excuse since it’s so easy to do.

    Of course, now that I said that, I’m going to go triple check that I’ve answered all my emails!

  19. elsiehogarth on 19 Jun 2007 at 9:52 am #

    I belong to a Book Club. A group of 15 women that have been together for 18 years. We are very proud to call ourselves “A Romance Readers Group”. We don’t care what the genre is as long as there is a man and a woman in the book there’s romance.

    The group meets the first Tuesday of every month at our local Borders. Everyone has a favorite genre where they are an expert about even though we will read just about anything. Since we are 15, we choose 2 books a month as our monthly read then I write the chosen authors and ask them for discussion questions pertaining to their books. It is a wonderful way to spend an evening. We also enjoy when an author joins us to really discuss their books and get to know them better.

  20. Nicole Jordan on 19 Jun 2007 at 10:17 am #

    My mom is an avid book-clubber — she’s in two. And yours sounds great, Julia. But I’m like a lot of the other goddesses… I wouldn’t the structure of being told what to read. Although if were like Elsie’s romance readers’ group, I would probably love that.

    Right now the closest thing to a club I have is a small private on-line readers’ loop where recommend books we loved. I’ve found some wonderful new authors that way. But I sure do miss the comaraderie of getting together face to face… and of course the food and the wine!

    NicoleJ

  21. emmiebee on 19 Jun 2007 at 10:41 am #

    Hello Goddesses!

    I’m a member of a great Book Review Club. We meet once a month and discuss the best and worst that we have read since the last meeting. We then have a topic of discussion (HEA is this month’s), and pull out our old favorites to illustrate our points. I really like this format because I am not forced to read anything that I really hate, AND I get to ramble on about my new finds. I get great tips on authors that I might not have picked up on otherwise- last month I was introduced to Carla Kelly! WhooHoo! Tonight, I’ll give rave reviews to both Sins of a Duke and Beware a Scot’s Revenge!

    -Em

  22. Kay on 19 Jun 2007 at 10:50 am #

    My DH and youngest son are doing a “GUYS READ” summer bookclub through the public library. This is the 4th year my DH has done it with one of our children.

    A group leader picks out books for the age group (4-6th grades, 7 & 8th grade or 9-12th) You check out the book & pick up a list of questions to think about while reading the book. They are a mix of classics, current award winners, new releases and graphic novels. Some don’t work for our family’s taste (sports-related) but most are a hit and the whole famiy reads them!

    Our city has a “City Reads” book thing twice a year. There are discussion groups at the library and other events. I have only read one of the books and didn’t go to any discussions. Maybe with the next one…..

    I forgot that I was in a parents’ book club years ago. We would read the latest parenting advice, with a focus on special needs children. We each had a child with a different special need, so the group only lasted about one year.

  23. zambonigirl on 19 Jun 2007 at 10:54 am #

    I’m a member of a bible study group. Does that count? We read books (of the bible) and discuss them. We even did a study of Haggai, and I was responsible for coming up with discussion points since we couldn’t find any group outlines like we use for the other books. Right now we’re in the middle of I Corinthians.

    I don’t think I’d want to be a member of a book club, though. Aside from my Harry Potter friends, I don’t really like to discuss books right after I’ve read them. Just discussing the HP books alone exhausts me. The rest of my books are for me and me alone, and I can peruse them at my own pace.

  24. Sabrina Jeffries on 19 Jun 2007 at 11:26 am #

    Emmiebee, you’re a doll for touting our books! But I must say I really like the format of your group–it takes care of the not wanting to be told what to read crowd, and I’ve always loved looking at specific aspects of books–the HEA, love triangles, themes like unrequited love finally returned, stuff like that. Your bookclub would be right up my alley! Like many others have said, I really, really HATE being told what to read. :-)

  25. Julia London on 19 Jun 2007 at 11:55 am #

    I am laughing as I read these. I don’t think most bookclubs are gestapo in nature and tell you what you must read. In my book club, we take turns and suggest two or three, then go with what appeals to the group. But if you don’t read it, its not a big deal.

    Claudia, if you can’t go and eat and drink, why bother reading the book? That’s not the pay off.

    Susan K, there is no excuse for people being so rude. Why are people so ruuuude???

    Sabrina, I think you ought to start your own book club and slowly whittle away at the Important Books bookclub. muwahahahaha.

  26. Sabrina Jeffries on 19 Jun 2007 at 12:41 pm #

    This is why I love you, Julia. You’re so wicked! ;-) Oh, and you write good books, too.

  27. Brandy on 19 Jun 2007 at 12:43 pm #

    I think I’d like a book club, so long as I wasn’t forced (felt forced) to read a book I have no desire to read. I don’t have many people to talk about books with so a book club sounds like a good idea to me.

  28. RachaelfromNJ on 19 Jun 2007 at 1:13 pm #

    I am a member of a book club online. It’s 5 girls all together and we met on a chat forum online. We range in age from 25-45 yrs old. Each one of us picks a book when it’s our turn and that is the book we all read that month. Then we discuss it online in our forum. It’s fun because I’ve read a ton of books that I would never have picked up myself.

    There were at least two times where a member did not want to read the book that was picked, or had trouble getting into the book. Noone is forced to read something they don’t like, so they are excused from reading it. I would say it’s frown upon to not read the book, but it is understood if someone is not into it. I had a bad habit of bailing out on books after just 10 pages, but my book club has helped me to give books more of a chance and I’ve discovered many wonderful books now.

  29. Julia London on 19 Jun 2007 at 1:45 pm #

    We have one member who has yet to read one of the books selected. I think the last one she read was mine, 4 years ago. But we don’t care — we laugh at her and eat her scones.

  30. cail on 19 Jun 2007 at 2:03 pm #

    i would love that romance book club. i’m actually going to google it right now and see if there is one in my neck of the woods.

    i was in chicago last weekend and spent my entire dinner with my friend i was staying with debating different concepts from the Harry Potter series. We discussed what characters symbolize (one being that Prof Lupin is the Potter embodiment of the AIDS crisis), what we expect in the next book, etc. Really really interesting.

  31. Lismore on 19 Jun 2007 at 3:02 pm #

    I do belong to a book group and frankly it is quite stressful. It is too big for one thing, 13 members and three of the women get mad if you don’t finish the book. I tried to get them to read Marsha Moyer or Barbara Samuel and they won’t. Most of them don’t understand my love of the romance genre.

    I keep trying to drop out, but some of the women are really fun and bribe me with great desserts.

    I sound kind of whiny, sorry.

  32. Julia London on 19 Jun 2007 at 3:11 pm #

    Cail, too funny — I’ve heard a lot about the Potter books, but not that particular twist :-).

    Lismore, if we had members that got mad if one of us didn’t read a book, I would hate that, too. Maybe I am a lot luckier than I realized.

  33. foreverdelayed on 19 Jun 2007 at 3:15 pm #

    I would love to join a book club someday. The closest I have come is a Star Trek Book chat I go to through Yahoo. I have to admit that the books don’t get talked about all that much anymore, we usually deteriorate into general chat.

  34. Ellen Henson on 19 Jun 2007 at 3:25 pm #

    When life gives you lemons…toss them in the face of those righteous book clubbers who shudder when you suggest romance. Actually…they are too bitter and sour for a lemon in the kisser. Toss their little, stale, crustless sandwiches at them.

    Do I sound bitter? LOL Actually, the one and only time I went to a book club meeting, I obtained hours and hours of hilarious observations about people who think they are smarter than others. Every time I have more than two glasses of wine, I can break into an incredible impersonation of a New York Snob God.

    Since then, my sisters and I have formed our own club. We serve food and drink and laugh ourselves silly over the latest news and gossip. Then at the end of the meeting, we exchange shopping bags filled with Romance Novels and kiss goodbye.

    It’s called Lemonade, baby.

  35. Suzanne Enoch on 19 Jun 2007 at 3:35 pm #

    I’ve spoken at book club meetings — they always have large quantities of chocolate, which totally makes going there worthwhile.

    As for joining one, I need to spend that time WRITING. Like I should be doing right now. Sigh.

  36. Claudia Dain on 19 Jun 2007 at 3:43 pm #

    In the book club I “joined” (am I a member since I’ve yet to read a book?), each member gets to pick the book, which can be any type of fiction OR non-fiction. I like that amount of freedom. The hostess, who picked the book, plans the food and the theme around the topic of the book. Like they read a book about medical malpractice and everyone was given scrubs to wear at the party and they ate hospital type food. Who could resist a group like that?

    They also mercilessly tease whoever “made” them read a truly horrible book for a particular month–it becomes a real point of humor for the group for about a year, until a new bad book takes it’s place.

    You gotta love a group of women who can say loudly and often to each other, “You pick another one like that and it’s stilettos at dawn.”

  37. Jami Alden on 19 Jun 2007 at 4:24 pm #

    I’m not a member of a book club, and I’m kind of reluctant, mostly because I hear horror stories about books getting trashed for even having a hint of romance in them. Plus, it seems like most book club choices (AKA very important works of fiction) are pretty damn depressing. I have so little time to read these days, I don’t want my reading material to bum me out.

    But I may have to rethink that. I was also asked to speak at my friend’s book club when my first book came out, and I was terrified. I mean, my friend is really nice, but did she really want her other mommy friends to read a particularly racy romance? But I went, totally expecting their scorn and was very pleasantly surprised. There wasn’t a whole lot of discussion about the book, but everyone was very interested in writing and publishing and how I got started. Plus, they were serving some VERY good wine (which I sadly couldn’t enjoy because I was 8 months pregnant).

  38. Lismore on 19 Jun 2007 at 6:51 pm #

    Ellen, love your idea!

  39. KMB25 on 19 Jun 2007 at 7:24 pm #

    I had been lamenting in the not-too-distant past about how I really wanted to join a book club, but I didn’t know how to go about doing it….so when another good friend of mine mentioned wanting to be in a book club, we formed our own!

    We got a few more of our friends and picked a book (the first one was my friend’s pick: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and it was awesome!) We’re now about to get to our second meeting and discuss (this time was my pick) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

    I’m thinking my next pick might be more romantic-minded though….hehe, I’m just not sure how into it the others will be!!

    ~Kim

  40. SuzyQ on 19 Jun 2007 at 8:29 pm #

    I’ve never given much thought to joining a book club. I have so many books in my TBR pile - ones that I want to read - that I don’t think I’d enjoy having someone else tell me what I have to read. Or then again, maybe I would end up liking the book and be introduced to new authors. Then my TBR pile would grow even higher and my extra cash would decline. . . Nah, I think I’ll just pick my own books for now :)

  41. Julia London on 19 Jun 2007 at 8:41 pm #

    Suzy Q, that’s what happened to me — the TBR pile just got bigger.

  42. catslady on 19 Jun 2007 at 10:27 pm #

    I don’t like having to read at a certain speed - then it reminds me too much like a book report. I do like being introduced to new books and authors. Many times I read the books that Oprah has recommended.

  43. RachaelfromNJ on 19 Jun 2007 at 11:54 pm #

    KMB25:
    I read Kite Runner and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Both excellent books. The Kite Runner author has a new book out called A Thousand Splendid Suns which is also great. Lisa See is coming out with a new book in a week or so called Peony in Love.

  44. Julia London on 20 Jun 2007 at 9:32 am #

    RachelNJ and KMb, we read Kite Runner too — it was wonderful. I can’t wait to read his latest. We have not read Lisa See. I now have a pick when my turn comes up :-)