Best sentence I read today:
"Breaking up isn’t so hard to do when it means freedom from inane critical commentary, political maneuvering, hurt feelings, bad chick lit and even worse chardonnay."
The Times has a gripping feature on the culture of book clubs. It won't disappoint. Read it here.
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8 comments:
Brilliant. Book clubs. Ha!
And what's with the Oprah seal of approval. That should make want to buy something? I don't get the appeal, really?
Ideas, anyone?
Also, I thought of asking you this the other day, what music are you listening to these days to get inspired for writing new stuff?
Not every book is meant to be analyzed. Some stuff needs to be read one, speed read at that, and then forgotten about.
As with any social group, you may fit in well with one book club, but totally clash with another.
I've never done a book club myself, mainly because I don't like reading on a deadline. Some books I fly through, others take me months, and still others I quit halfway through never to pickup again.
But I do love discussing books.
A literary salon, yes. A book club a-la stereotype, no.
Good feature.
Literary discussions are great. However, one needs to be in the right setting. There is a lot of lightness attached to the term 'book club.' I am also a fan of the old-school literary salons, the kind that Schlegel and the German Romantics proposed.
Discussions of literature are mind-opening and can bring about much realization, however, there are some odd signs attached to traditional book clubs. And as the woman says in the article, a goofy title is ok once in a while, but if it becomes a habit, you're quickly out of there. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be in a book club where the 'notes' of the Da Vinci Code are discussed..... Ye Gadz, indeed!!
I can't belong to one for similar readers as the lady featured in the article.....
People read for different reasons, of course. I do find it odd that book clubs are seen as hubs of insipid literary activities. That's a stereotype, no doubt, as there are good book clubs where actual pieces of literature are read and discussed.
I don't get the Oprah seal of approval, either. I mean, yes, she is influential media-wise, but is she one of the literati and trained in the belles lettres?
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