Used to skip the discussion questions in book club, now I can't read without them

For like 3 years I'd show up to my Wednesday night book club without even looking at the discussion guide. I thought I was just there for the wine and gossip. Then last month someone asked me why the main character's obsession with her dead mom mattered, and I froze because I had totally missed that theme. Now I spend 15 minutes before each meeting writing down my answers to the prompts. Has anyone else found that actually prepping changes how you enjoy the book itself?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby49421d ago

My 4th grade teacher Mrs. Patterson made us do these reading response journals and I hated them with a passion, thought they ruined the fun of just getting lost in a story. But now I think being forced to stop and think about what you just read can actually pull you into the book deeper instead of pulling you out of it. For me, looking for specific things like character motivations before I start reading changes how I pay attention to little details I would have just glossed over. It feels more like a conversation with the author than homework, but I get why that's not for everyone.

elizabethhart21d ago

The whole thing reminds me of how people take photos at concerts now. Everyone used to complain about phones ruining the experience, but then you look back at those blurry videos and you remember the exact moment the lights hit or the crowd went wild. It's like stopping to take a picture forces you to pick out the parts worth saving, and then you end up paying more attention to everything else too. Same thing with reading journals, you have to pick something to write down so your brain turns on the "looking for treasure" mode instead of just coasting through the words. I think that's why some people hate being told what to do with their books, but also why some of us end up loving stories more when we have to wrestle with them a little.