That one book club member who pushed for a vote on every single page turn drove me crazy for 8 weeks straight

At our local library group in Portland, this woman named Susan kept calling for a group consensus every time a character sighed or a door opened, and by the third meeting I just asked her if she wanted to read the novel or direct a courtroom drama.

3 comments

3 Comments

ray13624d ago

Maybe Susan was just trying to make sure everyone actually read the book and had a chance to speak up before moving on. Some book clubs let the loudest person run the whole discussion and quieter members never get a word in. A little structure can keep things fair even if it gets annoying sometimes.

the_elizabeth23d ago

Guilty as charged, I'm usually the loudmouth who steamrolls the convo without meaning to lmao. Last book club I basically monologued for ten minutes about the symbolism of the red door before realizing everyone else was just nodding politely while checking their watches. A Susan might have actually saved me from myself if she'd shut me down after two minutes. God knows I need someone to hand me a participation trophy for shutting up sometimes.

felix_black23d ago

This reminds me of something I notice at town hall meetings in my area. The same three or four people always dominate the Q&A, and everyone else just sits there. Then afterward, they complain nothing got decided. It's not just book clubs, it's everywhere. A good moderator knows when to step in and say "hold on, let's hear from someone else." Without that, you get the same problem repeating itself over and over.