Book Groups – Sally Allen

May 16, 2016May 30, 2017

Four (more) alternatives to a traditional book club

So many book clubs I’ve participated in might have survived if we'd had an alternative to reading a single book, especially when we didn’t share the same taste in books or the same goals for our book discussions.

A few months ago, I wrote about three ways to shake up your book club with new approaches, inspired by my numerous and varied failed book club attempts.

My current book club operates on the traditional “let’s all read the same book” principle. Still, I can think of many groups I’ve participated in that might have survived if we hadn’t put that particular pressure on ourselves. This is especially true when we didn’t share the same taste in books or the same goals for our book discussions.

I love talking about books and hearing what everyone is reading. In the spirit of creating community (and social events!) around books and reading, here are four more suggestions. They’re tailor-made for readers looking for a social night out and some casual book chatting but without the restrictions of reading a single book. Continue reading “Four (more) alternatives to a traditional book club”

May 8, 2016May 30, 2017

Book club books for moms

If you’re a mom who has ever been in a book club with other moms (especially moms of children your child is friends with), this scenario may ring familiar: We get together to talk about the book. This lasts for a solid 12 – 17 minutes. The ensuing two hours of conversation are devoted to discussing our children.

To be clear: I’m not knocking this. It’s only natural since our children are fascinating, as are their experiences, their challenges, their relationships. Literature can help us work through and better understand all of the above, which is why we thought to start the book club in the first place! In honor of Mother’s Day, and in the spirit of reading as self-exploration, how about a list of book club books tailor made for moms?

I realize my list is slanted by my suburban, middle class mother experience. I would love to hear suggestions for further and broader reading in the comments. Continue reading “Book club books for moms”

October 18, 2015May 30, 2017

Alternatives to the Traditional Book Club

If the popularity of book clubs demonstrates one thing, it’s that readers are not cowering wallflowers hiding from the big bad world in their books.

Don’t get me wrong. I have my cowering wallflower moments, but loving books has little to do with it. On vacation recently, it was discovering a shared love of reading that pulled me out of my shell. “How is it?” the woman occupying the beach chair adjacent to mine asked, bobbing her head towards the book at my feet.

Aaaand, we’re off. We talked about e-readers versus paper books, what kind of stories we most enjoy, and what we generally love about reading. We also agreed that the ultimate vacation would involve reading all day, with no interruptions.

Our exchange raised a question I’m forever thinking about: how I can love books and reading as much as I do and still have quit at least seven book clubs over the past 10 years? Continue reading “Alternatives to the Traditional Book Club”