Spent $40 on a fancy book club guide and it just made our meetings worse

So my book club decided to try one of those curated discussion guides for our last read, 'The Midnight Library'. It cost about $40 for the group pack, and everyone was excited for 'deeper conversation'. Honestly, it felt like doing homework. The questions were so stiff and academic, like 'analyze the protagonist's moral framework in chapter seven', that it killed the natural flow we usually have. We spent the whole night just reading questions off a sheet instead of actually talking about what we felt. I miss when we'd just argue about whether a character was likable or if the ending made sense. Has anyone else bought a guide that just made things feel too formal and weird?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna_craig582mo ago

Save your cash and just talk about the book next time.

diana1551mo ago

Used to think book clubs were just for wine and gossip. That guide made me actually understand the science stuff. Changed the whole book for me. Now I see the point of paying for a good guide sometimes.

the_oliver2mo ago

Our guide for 'Project Hail Mary' had us debating orbital mechanics instead of the funny robot.