My book club met this week to discuss All the Light We Cannot See. Most of us liked it a lot and we had a really good discussion of the characters and their role in the story, and whether we liked the way the author told the story, skipping back and forth in time and between characters.
I joined this book club a few years ago when my friend and neighbor Deb decided to start a book club because the one she was in didn't discuss the books. I was reluctant, but she was persuasive and for the most part I haven't regretted it. We have read some books that I loved that I never would have read and some others that I hated. We have added a few members and we have a few snowbirds who only come when they're in town. Usually we don't have every member at a meeting, but if everybody came, we would have 12 women. Just today one of our member asked about adding two of her friends to the club. We will discuss it at our next meeting.
How many is too many for a book discussion group? When do the number of members start to negatively affect the discussion? Would people start feeling like they aren't heard because there are too many people in the discussion?
I am an introvert from the type of family that doesn't all talk at the same time, so I always find it hard to be heard in meetings. I also have what apparently is another introvert trait, of needing time to think about something before responding. So I often hear, "You didn't say much in the meeting." Or "You have really good ideas, why don't you talk more?" I like the structure of our book club because we start by going around the circle and each person has a chance to rate the book, 1 to 10, and say whatever they like about it. This guarantees that everybody gets heard at least once. And though we have people who talk more and those who talk less, we are very kind and respectful to each other.
So I am undecided on whether adding two more members would be good or not so good. New people can change the dynamic of a group, for better or worse. But you can't really ask people to stop coming after you've said yes to them.
Well, I have a month to think about it. And begin reading the next book, which is The Secret Daughter.
It is funny to hear you discuss book clubs and realize so many of the "issues" are universal. There is definitely a tipping point when too many is too much. I am officially in a book club, but lately rarely attend because it all gets too much for me.
ReplyDeleteI agree- you bring up some universal issues.
ReplyDeleteI am now in a book club of just 8 because we also have dinner, and that is the limit of our tables :) I was honored to be asked to join in when someone left. Almost everybody comes each time- we work hard to schedule the next meeting so that can happen. That is one advantage of staying small. I can't imagine just not coming, in fact. I like your tradition of starting with a circuit of rating and remarking.
I agree- you bring up some universal issues.
ReplyDeleteI am now in a book club of just 8 because we also have dinner, and that is the limit of our tables :) I was honored to be asked to join in when someone left. Almost everybody comes each time- we work hard to schedule the next meeting so that can happen. That is one advantage of staying small. I can't imagine just not coming, in fact. I like your tradition of starting with a circuit of rating and remarking.
My student teacher and I were discussing the issues of introverts in book clubs. We worry about the more vocal students taking over the conversation, even in clubs with as few as four students. I wonder if that may be magnified for introverts in even larger groups. While I LOVE the book club idea, I think more consideration needs to be given to those who feel more comfortable writing their thinking instead of thinking aloud.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! As a child I always felt more comfortable writing than talking. As an adult, I recognize my introvert qualities, but I also know that I am responsible for figuring out ways to be comfortable and happy in a group. I Use some techniques others chuckle at, like raising my hand, but it works for me!
DeleteI am a fan of "the smaller, the better" philosophy with book clubs, but one workaround that I've used is to split off into small groups to discuss and then come back together as one large group to share out ideas.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your book club. My own book "group" (we refer to ourselves as the BGGs—Book Group Gals—has been together for about 15 years. We've been through different seasons of our lives and shared many books, meals, trials, and tribulations over the years. They have a part of my heart always. I am one of the 2-3 introverts in our group of six, and they are very patient with us and allow us to share when we've processed something enough to formulate mostly-intelligible comments. We had 7-8 members at one time, but the core 6 have persevered.
ReplyDeleteGood to know that the issues are universal. We are at 12 members right now and it's too many. I feel like 8 was a better number for discussion. The best discussions have been when there are 6-7 of us there. 12 lets there be 'sidebars' to the conversation and I feel like we miss some good stuff being said.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about sidebar conversations rang a bell for -- this is exactly what happens when we have everyone there. Fortunately we have two strong moderators who bring everyone to order. I'm thinking that even 12 is pushing it after reading these very helpful comments.
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