Do you belong to a book club? I’ve found that a book club expands my reading a lot simply because I’m not always reading my own choice. I’m not always reaching for my favorite genres or authors.
Years ago (circa 2007-2008) I participated in a book club. I don’t remember for how long the club lasted or how many books we read. But I do remember two of the selections: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Good Grief by Lolly Winston. I gave both of those books 5🌟.
In November 2022, I was invited by another writer to participate in a book club made up entirely of novelists. Those of us participating live all over the country, so we meet by Zoom. While I haven’t liked all the books we’ve read (intensely disliked a couple of them), this experience of reading along with other authors has been so enjoyable. It fascinates me to learn why someone likes or dislikes something when I felt the opposite. Or for that matter when someone agrees with me, that fascinates too, because sometimes it is for a different reason. Not to mention, novelists often see things in a different way from those who don’t write fiction.
Since the book club began, here are the books we’ve read and the ratings I gave each one:
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman (5🌟)
- Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett (4🌟)
- The Breaking of Ezra Riley by John L. Moore [book not in audio; didn’t read]
- The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (4🌟)
- The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick (4🌟)
- West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge (4🌟)
- Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (2🌟)
- The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks (3🌟)
- The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (4🌟)
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (1🌟)
- The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (4🌟)
- The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard [DNF]
- The Exchange by John Grisham (2.5🌟)
- The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (4.25🌟)
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (1.5🌟)
- People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (3🌟)
If this helps, here is my personal rating system:
Robin’s Ratings:
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved/really enjoyed it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it. Engaging/entertaining/interesting.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed other books so much more.
1🌟 = For whatever reason, I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.
Have you read any of the books my book club has read? If so, do you disagree with my rating? And if you have a great suggestions for my book club (fiction only), please share!
PS If you would like to read my reviews, you can find them on Goodreads. Feel free to send me a friend request or follow my reviews there if you would like.
~robin
Robin Lee Hatcher
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I am in a book club, but we only read Christian authors – but I do read a lot and try other authors.
I picked up the Heaven and Earth book by McBride but only read a couple chapters. Didn’t care for it.
I should have said we don’t read books by any author who is part of our larger group. That rules out a great deal of Christian fiction, which is my preferred genre to read. And I obviously agreed with you about The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. Not my cup of tea at all.
Robin, I think our tastes are very similar and of the books on your list that I’ve read, I would rate them almost the same, except I gave last night’s book 2.5 stars and decided not to finish it. Life is too short to read books that aren’t making me care about the characters! In my just-for-enjoyment reading, I only read Christian novels because I love that they uplift and encourage and always have hopeful if not happy endings. But I believe it’s important for authors to know what is being published in the secular world and so it’s been very enlightening and helpful for me to read outside of what I would ordinarily choose.
I think you are right, Deb. And my regular reading is almost completely Christian fiction. Still, the book club has read some general market books that I’ve loved, and I’ve discovered a few authors I will return to for other books.
Four of us in my Bible study group formed a book club in 2004. We each brought a friend, so we had eight, with varying tastes. We read Kiterunner about the same time you did, and I totally agree at how it affected me. I dropped out of the group about 7 years later because I was still teaching, had limited time to read, and didn’t want to spend it reading books I didn’t care for. Now I belong to three online groups, but pick and choose which books I want to read. Karen Witemeyer’s Posse group suits me so well, because I can find books on my TBR list to fit the categories listed. From your club books, I read The Women in the Castle and rated it the same as you. Love your explanation of your ratings!
I just finished Tamera’s A Million Little Choices, which so amazed me, and would recommend that, but I know you’ve read it, because I read your statement at the beginning of the book. Before that I read Julie’s A Winter by the Sea and enjoyed that so much, also.
Oh, Betty. Tammy’s book is amazing! The Posse option is also a great way to go.
I’m always hesitant to join a book club, because I refuse to read anything with vulgar profanity or explicit romance scenes and unfortunately these books seem to the ‘norm’ now. Christian fiction is my preferred genre, but I do read secular books as well….just cautious with my picks.
Amy, I agree with you. I grow so tired of the vulgar and profane. So I love it when I discover an author who chooses not to go there.
Thanks to this post, I’ve added some of these to my Audible wish list. Thanks, Robin!
Welcome! Hope you enjoy!
I joined my neighboorhood book club a couple of years ago. It has really stretched my usual reading! But in the process I’ve found some great books–my favorite of them being These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant.
LIke you, I love A Man Called Ove and close behind were West with Giraffes and Women of the Castle. But I confess I do remember enjoying The People of the Book (years ago) more than you did. Maybe I need to re-read. . . 🙂
The discussion of People of the Book was really fascinating. The ratings went from a 1 (with two people not finishing because they disliked it) up to several 4s. And yet, even those who gave it a 4 had the same issues with the book as those who scored it lower. I would have cut about 30k words to start with, and most of us mentioned how we kept wondering when the book would be over. That is not a good thing. And again, that even came from those who gave it a 4.
I probably need to re-read that one. I know I was fascinated by the history when I first read it.