Best book club experience

What book read was just perfect for you group, for whatever reason? Did it spark the best discussion your group has ever had? Or maybe it was a book that everyone in the group just loved?

I hosted a handful of random book discussions (not really a continuing club) a while back, and the best-attended were two selections - Jennifer Weimer's Good in Bed and Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.

GWPE was a good read - this was long before the movie came out, so it'd be nice to see it paired with the movie perhaps. But, and I'm sorry to say this to anyone who loves Jennifer Weimer, Good in Bed was dreadful. Did you ever have a girlfriend who just yammered on about guys she's dated and doesn't come up for air? It felt kinda like that to me. :-)

One of my friends, Rosslyn (who's also here on LibraryThing), is hosting a book reading that's sure to be popular - at least in our area. He's Just Not That Into You is something lots of my single girlfriends have read.

Ironically, all the meatier reads, especially the classics, don't seem well-attended. I wonder if it's because people who prefer light reading are somehow intimidated by the gravity of the writing? Or the size?

-Jen

The best discussion our group had was about a fictional biography of Henry James called The Master by Colm Toibin. It was a slow, hard read, and many of us weren't that familiar with James, but some of the themes in the book really sparked a lot of discussion - relationship between mothers and sons, repressed sexuality, illness and personality. There was also a lot of disagreement about whether the book was worth the effort. It was a great meeting.

The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner was a difficult read for some members of my last book club, however it really pushed people to examine the meaning and relationship of the characters. Especially fascinating was a look at Faulkner's life and how his work reflected his personal struggles.

My bookclub is hosted by me as the Adult Services Librarian. There are about 12 off and on in this club. We meet montly and have read 9 books so far. The two which were the biggest hits were The Red Tent (Diamant) and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Everyone in the group (all older women) was very glad to have read both these titles. Conversation sparkled.