Play Book Tag discussion

What other book clubs and groups are you in? Tell out them and how they are unique.

I’ve been in the same F2F bookclub since the early 90’s (probably 92 or 93). Members have changed over the years, but ther is one person that has been there longer than me. Each member hosts on their turn and gets free reign to pick any book they want (no voting or preselection).

As for other groups, I’m probably most consistently active here. I also belong to Historical Fictionistas (as are some others here). I also like reading challenges so I’m in several groups that are more about challenges (Nothing But Reading Challenges, Another Million More Pages, and Stress Free Reading Challenges). I go through phases on the challenges.

As far as Goodreads goes, I belong to the Historical Fictionists and the Jewish Book Club. I'm not as interested in the traction of HF, and maybe read about 1-2 books a year with them. Its huge, like 9,000 people and you don't really make connections. The Jewish Book Club has been an extreme bust, and the moderator is somewhere between invisible and nonexistent. But I've made a few friends complaining about that. And usually read four or so of their books a year, when they look compelling.

I run my own seasonal book club called the Impromptu Book Club. Its for women who like to read who are too busy to be in a book club. We get together when inspired to. Sometimes three times a year, sometimes 6, sometimes once. It used to be that I would throw out that I wanted to read something to the huge list, and see if anyone wanted to join me. Those that said they wanted to, got to pick the season and the date. Others could just hang out on the long list. In the beginning, we read mostly what I suggested, and at my convenience. After a while, it happily became a theocracy, where our smaller devoted group of 8-10 would decide together what we wanted to read, and when was a good time. We got stopped up on the Hate You Give, hoping some of us would invite our teens to read it with us. That never took off and we have been kind of at a standstill since. I had put off reading the Hate U Give for this meeting, but half of us and our teens have read it. Some of the women have asked me where we are - and if there is something new planned. Its forever on my to do list, but we will be reading something together this Spring. I think the ladies really like the idea that we do it when it works for us, and not on some kind of schedule no one can manage to keep up. And that we read what we together decide, and not one person's pick. But I think a few are frustrated that I have been so behind with it. Then again 6 or 7 of us in the devoted group of ten are throwing bnei mitzvahs this year, which is a super big deal, another six of us have had a child starting high school. So Impromptu has sort of worked. We have read together Americanah, the Nix, the Marriage of Opposites, The Buddha in the Attic, All the Light We Cannot See, and two books our ladies authored. Also the Children Act. The Gift of Rain. Many of the folks that wanted in on the action are amongst my dearest friends, so I love this warm opportunity to be amongst smart women who fill my heart, and who I am walking through this life with as sisters.

I'm in another book club, with professionals in my circle, this group is made of wonderful quirky, deeply thoughtful couples and family therapists. I have read 8 books with them, and I love this group, and their perspective. They also meet four times a year, and its a privilege. With them I recently read Commonwealth, Brokeback Mountain, and a few others that really stayed with me. Naturally, they pick interesting books that shed light on issues of relationship with couples and families, and reading with them is a sheer pleasure and delight. I always walk away lifted and raised.

For the second time in its inception, a once a year event, is being held in Boston, where the Jewish Federation will read a book together. Last April, over 600 people read Here I Am, by Jonathan Safran Foer, and we had a discussion with the author at a beautiful hotel. I loved that book, and it made my top ten last year. The tag line for the event was One Book, One Community, a Million Conversations. I am surely participating with them again. This years event in April is going to be The Cooking Gene. I will be interested to see if the crowd is as large as last year.

I really love PBT, but there is something completely different about these group discussions that are live and active, when you get the right people. I have thought for years that I never had the right book club - so I started one. Thankfully my crazy idea of having it be spontaneous and seasonal is one that folks liked. It does have its own consistency and momentum. But something more regimented would never have worked at this juncture in our lives. Great topic and I look forward to hearing about others experiences.

I joined a once a month books club at the library but everyone read their own books and just talked about it. It was horrible. Quit after 2 months. Everyone wanted to only talk about their own books and not listen. Also participation was 4 one month 2 the next.

Glad I found PBT. these are my only 2 experiences with book clubs.

I'm a regular participant in four F2F book groups; and am on the mailing list for two other F2F groups (though I rarely attend - maybe once a year).

Group 1 - together since 1996, meets every month. We take turns recommending a book (no voting) and leading discussion. We also take turns being hostess. Usually the discussion leader and the hostess are two different people, but occasionally someone will do both.

Group 2 - together since 1996, meets every month. We take turns recommending a book (no voting) and leading discussion. We meet in a local coffee/sandwich shop. I'm now the coordinator of this group, as the longest active member.

Group 3 - together since March 2007, meets every other month. Once a year we collaborate on choosing the next six titles. This group reads exclusively Latino Literature. We meet in a local Latin restaurant for lunch and sangria. Yesterday's meeting lasted until nearly 2 p.m. (started at 11:30a)

Group 4 - Not sure when it started, but I've been attending for about 12 years. This group is run by the Alumni Organization of a local university, and the professors of the English department choose the books and moderate the discussions. The meetings are held at their alumni center, and include wine, appetizers, and a 5-course meal. It's open to the public but it's $50 per session, so I only attend 3 or 4 times per year.

Group 5 - Used to be our local indie book seller's book club. When the store closed, the two booksellers who used to lead the club, decided to keep it going. They meet monthly, except for December. The two former booksellers choose the titles. I attend once or twice a year.

Group 6 - My own university's Women Alumnae association hosts a book discussion two or three times per year. I'm on their mailing list, but they almost always send out the email only two or three weeks before the meeting and I can rarely make it. I've sent feedback and suggested tha a several month advance notice would be better, but I think they rely on work-study students to manage this... so there's limited coordination. I haven't attended in two years, though I've wanted to!


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As for Goodreads ... I am (at least nominally) a member of about 30 groups. About half of them are groups that migrated from Shelfari ... but several of them are barely active. A few are stricly administrative (private group for moderators; Goodreads feedback; etc). The groups I'm most active in (other than PBT) are the Goodreads challenge groups:
Crazy Challenge Connection
The Seasonal Reading Challenge (frequently referred to as SRC)
Wacky Reading Challenges

I used to go to my library book group every month but I started hating every book they picked so I stopped. I did like the librarian who was in charge though and I was sad to hear she had passed last year.

On here PBT is definitely my most active group. I want to try to get back into the 1001 books list more so hopefully I can become active in the Reading 1001 group. I also like the Crazy Connection Challenge group which I think I learned of from BC at some point in time.

Book Concierge. wow what a load. All your groups sound interesting but group 4 sound like it's a book club and event all rolled into one.

Just this one for me. I've tried others but this is the only one that stuck.

This is really my only one.

I joined the Popsugar challenge group on GR this year - great for recommendations, but I haven't joined in with the monthly reads so far. It's a huge group, so I think that would be the only way to 'meet' people.

I've never done a F2F group but am vaguely looking at local groups. Preferably ones that involve wine...

My first f2f book club was via a community association in a community I lived for 17 years. I was part of the 5 people who started it up in Jan. 2011.

When I moved (within the city), I wanted to start a community association book club in my new area. I don't drive, so walking distance is super-convenient for me. It took a while to get organized, but we started in September last year.

I stayed with my first book club "officially" until the end of last year, but am on the mailing list and will go if they are reading a book I plan to read, anyway. I already went in Jan. so it was like I'd never left! :-)

Here on GR, PBT is it. But, I'm much more active with groups over at LibraryThing. There is a Challenge group that hosts multiple monthly challenges over there, plus a few more groups that moved from shelfari to LT. Two of those groups do monthly challenges I participate in, as well.

Only PBT for me. I've been vaguely looking at the English* book club at my library, and their meeting at the end of the month is about Remarkable Creatures, a book I've already read and loved, so I'll take it as a sign I should go. I have exactly three weeks to convince my introvert self this is a good idea.

* They have two book clubs, French on Mondays and English on Tuesdays. Technically I could do both, but I'm not masochistic enough to make myself read that much Quebec literature. My town has a high anglophone population (the library is about half and half French and English books), so it'll probably be interesting. We'll see.

I belonged to one for a number of years, a group of moms that I became friendly with because of our kids. We would read a book and then go out to dinner and discuss. It was fine for a while, but it turned into more of a let's have dinner for 45 minutes and discuss the book for ten. We would vote on books, but too many of them were barely worthy of discussion - to many lightweight romance type books, I don't mind them on occasion but there really wasn't much to talk about so I gradually pulled away. By that time I was very involved in Shelfari and a member of several groups besides PBT. While I am happy at Goodreads it just isn't the same without the nested discussions we had in Shelfari which felt more like conversations.

I run a face to face book club. We meet monthly and have a book choosing roster, so the books are quite diverse. There are six of us that attend regularly. I initially joined after having my first child as I was finding reading difficult at the time and thought it would be good motivation to read at least a book a month. I ultimately inherited the group as the organiser’s husband passed away. She asked me to caretake temporarily and never came back.

Wonderful stories, especially the long term affinity of Amy and Tessa. My only book "club" is an ongoing tour of sci fi wonders with a Canadian friend and sharing of zillions of mysteries and thrillers with my farmer neighbor.

I also run a f2f book club here at home, which I LOVE! I have become such great friends with the women in the group and we have awesome discussions, but most of them are not voracious readers like my PBT friends.

I don't know if I can live without PBT!

I belong to several other groups here on GR including Historical Fictionistas and the Nora Robert Groupies, but I more just lurk on those groups to get book ideas.

I belong to several on-line book groups, with the primary ones being PBT here on Goodreads (RIP Shelfari) and a group called Booktalk Forever on FB.

I also belong to two in-person books clubs - both are library clubs. What I like about both groups is that they really are about discussion of the books - at least primarily.

One is a "drop-in" group where our book list is public and anybody is welcome to drop in - although mostly it's the same people it is nice to get new people once in a while.

The other group is set up to screen books for the Plymouth, MN library annual read. Like many cities, Plymouth has an "annual read". The book is always set in MN or by a MN author. And the book always has to have a theme or topic that we can spin additional discussion from, because the library also brings in additional speakers and usually even has a movie on the topic for the annual "Plymouth Reads" series. This group is more of an obligation because I really do have to read each book, but it's nice to make a contribution to my city.