My Experience in a Book Group

Why join a book group? Well, firstly I like to read and secondly I like to discuss what I read with other readers. Too often I have read good books but had no one to discuss them with. The other advantage of being in a book group is the selection of usually quality books which are valuable to aspiring writers such as my-self. You learn not only what successful authors write but can also study how they write and develop further writing skills. Put simply, writers have to read widely.

Even though being in a group has been a largely positive experience, there have been a few draw-backs. One being that the age group is mostly elderly people which can make a younger person seem the odd one out. Another disadvantage is sometimes the one month reading time assigned is not enough for reading some novels which can be in excess of 500 pages. Also, the books are not always well selected or to every one’s liking.

One of the real advantages is that most in the group take reading seriously and that many interesting discussions can be experienced. The group members often become friends and have get-togethers around Christmas time.

Overall I have enjoyed being in a book group but would like more time to read some of the books and more say in which books are selected.
By M.S