Book clubs - outdated?

[sadya]

I joined a yahoo group about books once. Their description said they discussed all kinds of books. That wasn't the case however, they mostly argued and sometimes insulted each other about religion. That's all they talked and argued about. A few times I still threw in a comment about some books I had read, but no response to that. I also gave my view about their discussion a few times, but then I really wanted to go back to book discussing which never happened. So after a while I left.

The best place to discuss books for me are still online forums and sites such as LibaryThing and Goodreads.

[SarahMackmin]

I'm part of a couple of book clubs that meet regularly and discuss the books that were set. However one of them is organised in a way which doesn't really invite open conversation and discussion as it's rather regimented.

I hadn't thought about joining an online book group and quite like the idea as this way I can post ideas as I go on the book and get live feedback from bigger groups of people.

[Freethinker]

I'm very torn by the idea of book clubs. They had one where I used to work & I did read couple of the books to get myself out of my comfort zone but I never attended the meetings. I had a few issues mainly that a) they tended to read contemporary fiction & I prefer classic fiction or non-fiction; b) because it was with work people I'm not sure how honest I could have been about my opinions, as I wouldn't want to offend anyone. My very good friend & I have talked about setting up our own non-fiction club, where we would invite like-minded individuals who we know to join but I feel that the point of joining a club would be to meet new people, plus my good friend & I read a lot of the same books so I have someone to discuss them with anyway! Ideally I would like more pals IRL who have similar intellectual interests to me but I don't know if setting up a book club is the best way to meet them. I could be wrong of course!!

[Annelore Trujillo]

I've never been a part of an actual book club, but I think it could be fun. It's still nice to discuss opinions in person with people you actually get to know. I just don't know how to find out where to join one. And I don't really have the time to join one.

[Kourtney Bradley]

I have always liked the idea of joining an in-person book club, but I don't think they are much of a big there where I'm from. Our public library doesn't even get as much traffic as I would think. My son and I visit there very frequently, and hardly ever see anyone there doing much but browsing the internet.

[adria_charles]

I have always liked the idea of joining an in-person book club, but I don't think they are much of a big there where I'm from. Our public library doesn't even get as much traffic as I would think. My son and I visit there very frequently, and hardly ever see anyone there doing much but browsing the internet.

Generally, from what I have noticed, is that used bookstores hold most of the book clubs. That's how it is where I am from anyways. I would recommend checking to see if there are any in your area. I feel pretty lucky as well considering my town only has one used book store and they have multiple book clubs being held there.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

I enjoy irl book clubs, both for the socializing and the discussions. I don't think one is better than the other (online or irl), just different and meets different needs.

[JennyKp]

I think that there is nothing wrong with a book club being a socal event. It's nice to meet people with a common interest and helps if you are socially isolated. I did find when I was in book clubs years ago that they were dominated by individuals and it was difficult to express an alternative opinion.
The reason that I left them was because I have a difficulty with remembering titles and indeed authors which can make it difficult to discuss. I also have the same problem with films and names of famous actors! Despite this I love reading.

[jamesabr]

I don't think that book clubs are outdated. They serve to get readers together for a common purpose, which can lead to friendships. I have the time for book club meetings, but online book clubs, like this one, are the most convenient. There aren't really any that I can attend where I'm at.

[MTReader91]

A co-worker and I made a pseudo-book club. She reads the books first and then lends me the books to read. We discuss our likes and dislikes, who our favorite character(s) is(are), who we think is the bad guy in the upcoming book, and so on.

[Ama Idim]

I haven't experienced any around me in recent times but my mum started a book club which has been on for over 2 years now, was meant to be in two sections, kids and adults. Only kids show up, so it's more like a kids reading club now but I still show up, I noticed that most of the adults around me don't read.

[MTReader91]

I join here to get a different perspective on books. I'm an avid reader and I wanted something different. In the last town I lived, the local library had various book clubs, but they were genre based and mostly for teens and school aged children. With technology now, I would say a lot of people don't read for fun. They read for college or work.

[Kalin Adi]

I used to belong to a book club some years ago, and I enjoyed being there. Nevertheless, it was far from my house, so I had to travel a long distance. That´s why, little by little, I stopped going. Now I live even farther from where the book club meets, so it is impossible for me to go there. This is one of the reasons why I belong to this club now. It´s very convenient to read at my own pace and post whenever I can.