Arthur tells Ash he thinks “the whole point of a book club is to read things you wouldn’t normally.” (p. 71). Do you agree with him? If you’re in a book club, do you feel it encourages you to read outside your comfort zone?
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I’m not sure this is always true. I think there have been times in my life when I wanted to share favorite books with others who considered them favorites also. Or I have wanted to share books that related to a certain theme. But currently I completely agree with Arthur. I love when I share books with friends that I would probably not normally have chosen for myself. Sometimes I start them a little reluctantly but then am surprised by how engaged I become in these books. Other times, I may not become so engaged and I do feel those books are outside my comfort zone. But I like that it introduces me to something different in books. One of the reasons I love Book Browse is that it offers me the choice of a variety of new books, to add to the authors I have long read and loved.
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I definitely agree that being in a book club has widened the choice of books I’ve read. Often I have felt that I enjoyed a book but would never have read it except for my book club participation.
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I don’t think it’s the “whole point” of a bookclub, but it’s definitely a perk. I’ve read books I normally wouldn’t have if it weren’t for my book club.
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I think it depends on the book club. I had one at my place of employment that stressed diversity and it was excellent at pushing me out of my comfort zone. Then there have been others where it’s been more genre-based (historical fiction) so I don’t know that I found many books I wouldn’t have read anyway - and it was more about the wine, anyway, LOL.
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I agree that being in a book club pushes you to read many different types of books. I belong to a book group and we read all types of books. I also believe that reading a wide assortment of books leads to many great discussions.
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I don’t believe that getting out of your comfort zone is the whole reason to join a book club. Although, I did a bookclub for a few years through my local library. I did read some books that were out of my comfort zone but others I really knew I would love them I knew they were the kind of books I would love.
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When I led a discussion group at the library where I worked, many members told me (in a good way!) that they read books they never would have picked up on their own. Granted, I knew their tastes & didn’t push too many boundaries but I picked topics/titles that I knew would stretch their reading muscles.
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Being in several book clubs has really expanded my reading horizons. I love learning new things and exploring new genres. I love finding new favorite reads and introducing other members to some of my favorites. For me a bookclub is all about discovery and learning.
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I do think a book club helps you at least “try” to move out of your comfort zone.
I don’t like to move out of what I ike to read, but I have found a few books my book club recommended that I really enjoyed and would have never picked up. It also helped find a few new authors.
Welcome, Carla!!
Same here - I have read a few books that I would have never picked up.
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Good leader. 
Good to not push too hard - the member may have left.
I don’t feel the whole point of book club is to push you to read books you wouldn’t have read otherwise. I think you should get enjoyment in reading a book. I do read books out of my comfort zone, sometimes they are good sometimes not so much.
Most definitely a book club is important for exposure to new reads. Every book club I have been in has had members often remark on how they would never have chosen to read a particular title if it hadn’t been for book club.
For me, the fun of a bookclub is the variety of books…and those that get me reading something I might not have selected is great.
YES! Since joining a few different book clubs, I’ve read so many books that I never would’ve chosen on my own based on the brief summary. But for certain book clubs, I’ll read whatever the recommendation is without learning what the book is about beforehand, and I’ve discovered some absolutely wonderful stories and MANY great new authors.
It’s not the whole point, but I do know I have found books I would never have read without the gently urging of a book club. Even when I joined a genre-specific book club, I found books I would have never pulled from the shelf for a read. I think it’s good when a book club can do that. But I also love sharing books I would have read on my own and discussing them with other fans of that type of book. So it’s a mix for me.
Reading books I wouldn’t normally read is certainly a positive of being in a book club, but I don’t think it is the “whole point”. My favorite part of being in a book club is hearing everyone’s viewpoint (favorite character, new knowledge, surprises, etc.) of the chosen book.
A little bit of both maybe. This year it seemed like half the year were books I had already read and recommended to the leader. That meant I had to read them again when I could have been reading something new! Next year I am taking over as leader of the group and hope to encourage a wider range of books we read. And often the books I get from Bookbrowse are books I might not have chosen including The Busybody Book Club which I loved.
Yes! A book club is a great way to find new genres of reading that you might not pick up otherwise. I sometimes find myself falling into the rut of “easy reading like Freida McFadden and it take a good long book club selection to pull me out of that. This month, it was All the Colors of the Dark this is propelling me towards deeper reading!