Ok friends, we have a slight problem. This book group is AWESOME! Well . . . when people come and read the books. Now, I'm as guilty as anyone about not finishing that last book on time, but it seems to me that we've had a smaller turnout with fewer people finishing more and more over the last few months. Is this because people were just out of town? Is it because we're having trouble finishing books in just one month? Is it Thursday nights? Is it because we don't have a set format for how exactly to run the group? It's also hard to figure out who will host in the future when we have such sporadic attendance. I am wondering if changes are in order.
So, please give some input here. I'm NOT giving up on the group by any means! I just want to see what can make it work for us.
Would you like to meet every other month? How about an online forum for discussion for those who can't make the meetings? Would more reminders to get the book read be helpful? What do you think?
It's not surprising we need a little bit of an overhaul--do you know we've been going strong for 3 years?? YAY for us!
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Saint Behind Enemy Lines
Any Roald Dahl book
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why
A group of women from the Columbia Stake who love to read and discuss.
Book for June
The Serpent King
March's Book
February's Book
January's Book
Saint Behind Enemy Lines
December's Book
November's book
What shall we read in November?
October Reading
Any Roald Dahl book
September Reading
Summer reading
What we read in March
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why
by Amanda Ripley
Host: Deborah
Date: Thursday, June 16th, 8:00pm
What shall we read in April?
Upcoming in 2016
- January: Ashley, Gifts of Imperfection
- February: Corinne, The Ghost Map
- March: Jillene, A Thousand Splendid Suns
- April: Danelle
- May:
- June: Deborah
- Setpember: Sara
Books We Read in 2015
Jillene: Bittersweet
Carolyn: Counting By 7s
Joann: The School for Good and Evil
Sara: The Giver
Danelle: The Little Red Guard
Kirsten: The Importance of Being Earnest
Christine: The Glass Castle
Sara: The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
Sarah: The Butterfly and the Violin
Deborah: Go Set A Watchman
Books We Read in 2014
- January: Camille, Call The Midwife
- February: Ashley, Sword in the Stone
- March: Carolyn, Phantom Tollbooth
- April: Deborah, Wonder
- May: Kirsten, False Prince
- June: Emily, How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm
- September: Rachel
- October: Christine, Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
- November: Mendy, The Language of Flowers
- December: Corinne, The Blue Castle
Books We Read in 2013
- The Hiding Place
- Nurture Shock
- The Host
- Life of Pi
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess
- Rebecca
- The Distant Hours
- Mary Poppins
Books We Read in 2012
Sister of My Heart
The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen
My Name Is Mary Sutter
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Thirteen Reasons Why
The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen
My Name Is Mary Sutter
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Thirteen Reasons Why
The Happiness Project
The Forgotten Garden
Maj. Pettigrew's Last Stand
The Hobbit
Ender's Game
The Forgotten Garden
Maj. Pettigrew's Last Stand
The Hobbit
Ender's Game
Books We Read in 2011
- The Man Who Never Was, Owen Montagu
- Outcasts United, Warren St. John
- Crossing To Safety, Wallace Stegner
- Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
- I Am A Mother, Jane Clayson Johnson
- In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
- Sundays At Tiffany's, James Patterson
- The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer
- One Second After, William Fortschen
Books We Read in 2010
Jan: A Christmas Carol
Feb: Speak
March: The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
April: Wives and Daughters
May: A Curse Dark As Gold
June: The Help
September: Blink
October: Pudd'nhead Wilson
November: North and South
December: The Hunger Games
Feb: Speak
March: The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
April: Wives and Daughters
May: A Curse Dark As Gold
June: The Help
September: Blink
October: Pudd'nhead Wilson
November: North and South
December: The Hunger Games
Books We Read In 2009
The Actor and the Housewife, Shannon Hale
Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy
The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
Silence, Shusaku Endo
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley
Unwind, Neal Shusterman
Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy
The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
Silence, Shusaku Endo
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley
Unwind, Neal Shusterman
6 comments:
I can only answer for me--some of it is busy-ness. Some of it is I have no interest in a particular book and with other things I have to do (work, outrageous church calling), I know it wouldn't get read. Some of it is I still don't have a library card so buying all the books is kind of expensive, particularly if it's only in hardback (i know, that one's my fault).
I did enjoy coming to book group, but apparently managed to offend some people and really haven't been back since. I'm still on the list for February, though, and I am thinking about what books to recommend.
One thing that doesn't help is the last minute change of venue. This happens about every other month or so--in order to accomodate everyone, would it be easier to just have it in one place every month, but still have the book hostess still be in charge?
I check this blog fairly regularly--I was kind of expecting it to be used as a "this is what we're reading," which it does, and "this is what we read, with a review" which it doesn't. So this might not be the best forum to get a discussion going, is all I'm saying. Maybe a google-group like the savage-mill sisters? For those who can't get to the meetings?
I'm not sure there is a solution, Cami, my friend. I guess each person is in the club for her own reasons and is motivated by them.
Personally, I am not interested in on-line discussion. A big part of the allure of the Book Club for me is the sociality aspect with you other gals. I like the night out to discuss, chat and laugh.
I'm not sure I agree with the venue being the problem. I think that if you have a night out scheduled it wouldn't really matter if you went to location A or location B. I appreciate that a last minute change might be inconvenient, but I doubt that actually keeps people from coming.
As for Thursday nights, they are generally good for me (except when Michael has those quarterly meetings and my babysitter cancels on me). Another night wouldn't make it better for me.
More frequent reminders might be helpful and give me a little "wake-up" to get reading, but I feel bad making you do that. I am a grown woman, for Pete's sakes. Sometimes I just don't manage my time well. That's not something you can fix, but if I figure out a way you can, I'll let you know, Cami!
I can't believe it's been 3 years since we started. I make every effort to come each month because I really enjoy coming to Book Club. Thanks for all your work in organizing it, Cami!
Probably everyone already knows, but for the last 6 months I haven't been able to come due to Clint's class on Thursday nights. This semester his class will be on Tuesdays, so I am good :) Reading the book isn't a problem for me, generally - although it is frustrating when I have read the book and no one else has, only because you can't really discuss - but I love book club anyway for the social aspect, like Mendy said.
I have not been coming this year because Matt is in the Mormon Choir of Washington D.C. and they rehearse on Thursday nights. I let Cami know that I would not be coming anymore, but maybe I should have told the rest of you. I really did enjoy the discussions for the first two years of the group! I am not an avid reader, so it was difficult for me to always finish the book every month.
Angela
i am still in. the first thurs night is still good for me. i like it in person. i can read reviews on-line whenever, but where else will i get the chance to chat with actual adults about something i've read??
i missed last month because i was frantically packing and this month, i'll still be out of town, but i'm totally in come sept.
thurs works for me. i didn't come last month because i had just had a baby a couple days before the august meeting. (his name is henry for those who don't know :) i liked doing the club in person for the social aspect and for a chance for a night out. i try to read the books but admit that i sometimes get behind, especially when i don't get the book promptly at the beginning of the month... it helps to know what book we're reading two or three months in advance but mostly this is a personal organization problem and a personal problem of being able to stay awake at night to read the book... something i struggled with greatly this last month - thanks goodness Breaking Dawn was an easy read.
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