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Why stick to Dickens? Book clubs don't need to be literary

By: Charlie Beckmeier


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When I suppose “book club”, my mind immediately goes to classics like Jane Eyre or the new David Sedaris, but it’s perpetually firmly rooted in the realms of literary or social commentary. But for several people, literary fiction just isn’t their cup of tea - so you shouldn’t be shocked to find that book clubs span a ton of alternative categories besides the standard mystery/thriller, historical romance, and memoir. Be creative and try introducing one of those categories to your book club - simply assume of the fun you'll have coming back up with book club questions!

Cookbooks
Why not? Cookbooks, whether or not providing advice on the way to eat cheaply, or exploring another culture's cuisine, can be terribly personal. Not solely do you're able to suss out personal details regarding the cook, you get the bonus benefit of attempting out recipes.Sample questions: How did food impact the cook’s childhood/adulthood? Did you find these recipes frustrating? Did you are trying improvising ingredients?

Graphic novels
Why not? Many graphic novels happen to be terribly deep stories, and have gorgeous illustrations to go with the compelling storyline.Sample questions: How do splash pages and irregular panels categorical broad concepts like intense emotion and therefore the shifting of time? Will the style allow you to raised settle for outlandish settings like house or futuristic dystopias? How do the writer and artists work along to express characterization and plot development? Did any parts take you without warning? Were you in a position to detect patterns in either storytelling or art?

Erotica
Why not? If everyone is comfortable enough to talk about sex and what turns you on (this can be the sort of thing I’d see more in an exceedingly faculty dorm than a area of mothers), then you may have some actually illuminating discussions regarding culture, sexuality, and even identity. Conjointly, these are sometimes short story collections, so you'll be able to interact only as abundant as you’re comfortable with.
Sample questions: Which lover (male, feminine, or in an exceedingly same-sex story, clarify that character) did you discover yourself identifying with? Why will the author decide to set the story in a very bedroom/workplace/airplane rest room? Were there components to a story that unnerved/disgusted you, and why? Is there creative benefit to erotica?

Photo collections
Why not? Whether it’s a tribute to famous musicians, celebrity scandals, landscapes, or landmarks, a image is price a thousand words. Assume you can come up with a lot of than that in a very discussion?
Sample queries: (Steer aloof from technicalities - unless you’re all photo buffs! - and continue personal reactions.) Why did the artist plan to use color/black-and-white? Is this a candid or a posed photo, and how does that affect your reaction? What's the message that the artist is making an attempt to transmit?

Audiobooks
Why not? This isn’t therefore abundant a topic as a completely different style of experiencing the content, so maybe this can dip into the Sedaris and Patterson categories. However introducing the audiobook possibility may guarantee that more members get to actually read the book before the next meeting, due to the ability to own it within the automobile or on a morning jog. Plus, it will be a more personal expertise to own a book scan to you by someone, especially if it’s narrated by the author him/herself.

Sample queries: Were you stunned at how smart/unhealthy the narrator was? Did the story have one or more narrators, and that works higher? Did you find yourself focusing more or getting more distracted taking note of the book? (Plus other queries primarily based on the precise category you choose.)

Learn a lot of regarding book clubs at this really neat digital book club!

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Charlie Beckmeier is a writer for Bookology where he is currently writing about The Lovely Bones. Check out his work at www.book.ology.com!

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