Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
I've never understood the "group read" concept. Why not read something that you enjoy instead? [...]
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ReadingManiac
Well the idea is to discover books you might not have noticed. I've come across some great ones in genres I usually ignore that way. And there's always the option to chuck it if I'm not enjoying it.
I dnf'd My Cousin Rachel. It was rather different than her other books. I'll have to try Jamaica Inn.
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A group read is more than just finding books you might not normally try (although that can be a big part of it), it can also be about learning to appreciate books in different ways partly by (sometimes) learning why others appreciate books that you don't. It's also about discovering things in books that you have never noticed, because different readers notice different things. Sometimes a group of readers interpret the same text quite differently. (In the NLBC here on MR, I remember a lengthy discussion about whether someone jumped out the window or whether they were pushed, and I thought it remarkable that different readers had such distinctly different impressions of the same scene.)
Of course if you can't stand a book for whatever reason then, group read or not, it may turn out to be a DNF, but in a group read even the reasons for that decision can add to the discussion.
I'd also add that some books are better for group discussion that others - or tend to lead to more interesting discussions...
A couple of days ago I finished
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, translated by Simon Pare. I had really mixed reactions to the book and one of my first thoughts was that I would have liked to discuss it with others. The book started out very sweet and gentle ( perhaps too sweet, and definitely exploiting my love of books for their own sake, but hey, exploit away, it was working for me
) but as it progressed I started to dislike some of the main protagonists - there was a selfishness to them that was turning me away. On the other hand, the fact of this impact on me, and that I'm still thinking about it now, seems to demonstrate a well written book. And days later I still don't really know what I think of it.