Debate: Should book clubs stick to the assigned book or chase rabbit trails?

My book club met last Tuesday at a local coffee shop in Austin. We were discussing 'The Night Circus' and someone brought up how the circus setting reminded them of a real traveling circus they visited in 1998. Then we spent the next 45 minutes talking about circus history and weird circus acts instead of the actual book. Half the group was annoyed we got off track, the other half said that's the best part of book club. So which is it: are we supposed to stick to the material or let conversations go where they want? What's your group's rule on this?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai_burns738d ago

Ngl, I actually read an article about this exact thing a few months back. It said that the best book clubs have a loose structure but allow for some tangents, because those off topic chats are what make people actually want to show up. I think the real issue is when the whole meeting turns into a free for all and nobody even remembers what book you read. Your group probably needs a middle ground, like letting people table a tangent for five minutes then steering back to the book. Setting a timer for rabbit trails has worked for my group, keeps everyone happy.

young.ryan8d ago

Don't you pay ten bucks for the book to actually talk about it?

phoenix_singh258d ago

Actually the ten bucks thing is a bit off lol. Most book clubs I've been in, people either borrow from the library or share copies. Nobody is dropping $10 every single month just to keep up with one meeting. My group has maybe half the people actually buying the book and the rest just grab it used or from the library. The money part is way less important than people make it sound. The real issue is whether everyone actually read it at all, not how much they paid for it.