Patricia Abbott (pattinase): Reading Groups

Monday, July 30, 2007

Reading Groups

Do you find it difficult to read an assigned book? This is my dilemma in my reading group. Usually I can blame it on the length of the book and the fact that the women tend to choose didactic books month after month. This seems to be true of most books groups. Examples: Snowflower and the Secret Fan, Nickel and Dimed, The Red Tent, Reading Lolita in Tehran, Arc of Justice. But even when I choose the book myself or even when someone chooses something I would probably like under other circumstances, I am resistant to reading it. Why? does it harken back to my misadventures as a student? Is this true for anyone else?
This month we are reading The Good German. I'm on page 72 in a 500 pages book with a few days go. Does anyone have crib notes I can use? And the movie supposedly stinks so I can't do a Leave to Beaver stunt like that.

19 comments:

Graham Powell said...: I have a lot of trouble reading "assigned" books, too, even if I assign them to myself. I might buy three Nero Wolfe books used for a dollar each and read them in a weekend, while that hardback by Hot New Writer sits on the shelf, month after month.; 2:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Maybe it's because we'd rather read for pleasure, for the sheer joy of letting our mind go free. When we were in school and assigned a book to read, then do a report it was work and took all the joy out of the story. When we settle in to read for pleasure our imagination goes with the flow instead of worrying what we're going to say or write about the book.; 3:44 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Now sometimes when the discussion of the book takes place, I suddenly realize I have enjoyed the book and gotten something from it. But when I see it lying across the room on my bedside table, I cringe. It's there right now, shaking a finger at me.
Hey, Graham-Your site calls to me more than any book.
Hey, Sandra-Any stories coming up?; 3:50 PM
Unknown said...: I've never been in a book club, in large part because I can't imagine I'd enjoy it. I certainly like talking with friends about books (well, okay, there's going to be some unpleasantness over Harry Potter), but there is something profoundly unappealing about being assigned a book. That's one reason why my best book buying plan is to buy one at a time, when I'm fired up over a specific title.

Re: The Good German, I haven't read it, but you could always pick a scene to find particularly interesting and come up with comments on that. Worked in a lot of my college classes when I finished some (but not all) of the reading.; 4:56 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: My last book group was in the seventies and it served as a consciousness raising group. This group of women is all teachers and willing to expend energy on worthwhile causes and enlightenment. I agree with every liberal cause but don't really want to see films like Sicko or An Inconvenient Truth. They're preaching to the choir, of course.; 5:00 PM
Anonymous said...: I've actually got a story up today at Shred of Evidence. Thanks for asking!

I've never been in a book club either. For me, reading has always been a private thing, a chance to escape from the everyday. I cringe at the thought of talking a book to death.; 5:13 PM
Anonymous said...: PS: What about you? Any new stories we can read?; 5:38 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Go, Sandra. Loved it!; 5:41 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Supposedly a flash piece on muzzleflash, but I'm beginning to wonder what happened to that one. Fall ones in pulp-pusher, demolition, mouth full of bullets and bayou review. Supposedly one in Murdaland 3. I sound more productive than I am. Many have been accepted long ago.
Thank you for asking.; 5:45 PM
Anonymous said...: You have been busy! The waiting to see them published is almost harder than sending them out :-)) Did you ever find a home for your ghost story?

And thanks for the kind words about my story.; 6:23 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: dI've had it at Mysterical E for a month or longer. I have the feeling it will die a slow death on my hard drive. Your story was a perfect flash fiction piece.; 6:37 PM
Anonymous said...: MystericalE has a slow response time, usually several months. They kept one of my stories for a year before they accepted it. But Joe DeMarco had been sick at that time so everything was behind schedule. I think they've pretty much caught up in the last six months, but responses are still slow. With any luck we'll see your story in the fall issue.; 6:49 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Thanks, Sandra. I think it was your original idea too.; 7:34 PM
Stephen Blackmoore said...: I don't think I could handle a book club. The whole assigned reading thing would just bug the hell out of me.; 7:37 PM
Sandra Scoppettone said...: I have that same reaction. If I've been asked to review or something like that I can't stand to read the book. But then I could never stand to do anything I was supposed to do.

I say dump the club and write your damn novel.

BTW, I love quick responses re email.; 10:43 PM
Peter Rozovsky said...: Seeing a book on a list is enough to put me off it even if I was about to read the book anyway. Having said that, I'm about to join my first reading group. I've read books by authors on the list, and perhaps we'll be able to steer the discussion on some interesting tangents.

None of the books, at least as far as I can remember, is by a Hot New Writer, by the way.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/; 11:37 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: It sure seems like we're a persnickety bunch. Funny because the women in my group don't seem to mind it at all.
Peter: let me know if your group reads something interesting. we can use some suggestions. We don't do hot new writers as much as old standby topics.; 12:44 AM
Peter Rozovsky said...: I don't have the list in front of me, but Helene Tursten, Andrea Camilleri and Michael Walters were on it. The head of the club also told me that its members loved Fred Vargas, whom I have been reading and very much enjoying recently.

One thing that did leave with a good feeling about this particular group is that, while it bills itself as a group focusing on mysteries with archaeological and historical themes, its reading list ranges more widely than that. Perhaps that's one key to running a successful group: Be flexible.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/; 11:17 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Peter-I love the idea of a group that focuses on crime fiction. I doubt I could find a group like that here but I bet such "experts" would have a lot of value to say.; 8:12 AM