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The librarian in my book club said my questions were too easy and it changed how I read for good
Back in 2019 our club in Portland was reading Eleanor Oliphant and I kept asking stuff like "did you like it" and "who was your favorite character." After one meeting, Margaret, who runs the reference desk at the downtown library, pulled me aside and said my questions let everyone off the hook. She told me to bring one quote and one thing that bugged me, nothing else. Next time I brought the scene where she misreads a social cue and asked why the author made us cringe with her instead of at her. The talk went 40 minutes longer than usual and two people who never spoke finally jumped in. I still write my questions on an index card before every meeting. Does your group have someone who pushes you to go deeper or does everyone just coast?
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mark43610d ago
Honestly that line about questions letting everyone off the hook stuck with me. I heard a podcast once where a host said the best book talk question is just "what did this book get wrong" and man, that gets people going way more than "did you like it." My group mostly coasts tho, no Margaret in sight.
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