Comments on: Book Club Agony

By: Joan Peterson

Joan Peterson — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 23:27:24 +0000

I’m with you, Lauren. I’m in a pretty good book club that is even willing to read a mystery story now and then. But I have to admit that Harry Potter has it all over the usual choices. I think I’ll take your advice. At 80, I should have plenty of time to re-read that lovely boy, followed by The Hunger Games, The Game of Thrones, you get the picture. Life’s too short to spend any time at all in literary agony.

By: Lisa Quing

Lisa Quing — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:36:39 +0000

My friend and I started a book club to read through all of Jane Austen’s books. That was four and a half years ago. We have since read through nearly 40 books together – mostly classics with a few contemporary novels mixed in. And my friend and I pick just about all the books. And people read them! I hope you find an enjoyable environment for book discussion.

By: lauren

lauren — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 03:25:29 +0000

I related to this article. Each bookclub I considered was reading dark, ponderous novels, which struck me as pretentiously dreary, and long test reads revealed little literary weight – these books seemed depressing for the sake of being depressing and appearing “artsy”.

I’ve finally settled on re-reading Harry Potter and wish I could find a group of adults to discuss that.

By: Bob Sutton

Bob Sutton — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 22:27:56 +0000

I believe “Laughter is the Best Medicine”. If you are going to read something that depresses you so much, you should balance it with large doses of humor or a show that makes you laugh. I use this as a gauge. If I watch a show by myself and it makes me laugh, it is funny. It’s a lot easier to laugh in a theater full of people who are laughing. The real test is what happens when you are alone.