Book Club Experience

The Mug N' Muffin Book Club met on a Thursday morning in February for an hour. The book club took place in a small meeting room on the lower level of the public library. This group has met together over the past few years. There were 10 attendees including Angie, the librarian, and myself. February's book selection was This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. It was a great atmosphere where this group of men and women came together and shared their reflections.  They are a group who loves to read good literature and enjoy getting together and discussing what they have read.

Snacks and drinks were provided at the beginning and included coffee, tea, water and an assortment of muffins. The group drank their coffee and ate the muffins and had small talk with each other while waiting to get started. It was very obvious that they have been meeting together for a few years. That being said, they were also very welcoming to newcomers and loved to share with the newcomers as well. Besides myself, there was another first time newcomer to the group.

Angie acted as facilitator. She asked everybody what they thought of the book. After the initial response, each attendee went around the table and shared their thoughts and feelings about the book. Usually each person shared for about five minutes.  I had read the book as well so I participated in the conversation. As each person shared their thoughts, other attendees would discuss a point that was made by the person doing the sharing. None of the questions that were asked by Angie or the club attendees were yes or no, but rather open-ended questions. Everybody was very respectful about the opinions and statements of others. All points were considered in a positive manner. The participants really thought out their points and discussions. Some of the attendees even brought prepared notes so they could remember the points they wanted to make. The following are two examples from the discussions:

• Example one: The first attendee talked about sitting Shiva, a Jewish tradition of mourning. Other people then spoke up about their understanding about Shiva and other Jewish customs. A consensus was made that this book helped them understand Jewish customs and traditions better.
• Example two: One of the attendees discussed the mother and the role that she played in the story. Others then gave their opinions of what they thought about the mother. One attendee thought she was a good mother while another attendee thought she tried to manipulate situations.

The age variation was interesting. People ranged in age from around 40 to 80 years old. The age difference plus the variety of backgrounds and perspectives added to flavor the discussion. I found it interesting that the oldest attendees were the ones who were least offended by the graphic nature and language used in the book. (The book contained a lot of sexual content and language in it.) In the end, it was agreed upon by the entire group that they really liked the novel. As one attendee said, "We are all adults, when it came to a sexual part that I didn't like, I just turned the page until it was over."

While every member actively participated, there were two attendees who did talk more than the others. They both always had something to say about all of the other attendee's thoughts, but instead of deterring from the discussion, it added more depth and simply complemented other people's thoughts and opinions. These two were also the last ones to share their thoughts and opinions as we went around the table. One of them complained that they were almost out of time and she would not get to share, but ironically, she was probably the most talkative during the hour. She did have time to share all of the notes that she had written though, with time to spare.

Angie allowed the participants to talk about the book before she would answer any questions that other attendees had asked. She also included some open-ended questions when certain points of the books were brought up during the discussion. Angie had used questions that she found on the Internet. One example of one of the questions she asked was about what we thought Judd's reoccurring dream of only having one leg might symbolize. Angie did a really good job of acting as facilitator and when the discussion of a certain point would seem to run its course, she would move on to the next person or ask another question.

The Mug n' Muffin book club reads a variety of titles including nonfiction, historical fiction, mystery and relationship focused books. Other titles they have read or will read in the future include: Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History Making Race Around the World  by Matthew Goodman; On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts; The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton; and Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope by Don Van Ryn. They see a list of available titles (usually from Novel Conversations), then decide as a group which titles they want to read. So, in essence, it is a popular vote from the regular attendees.

This was my first book club experience and I really enjoyed it. I liked the discussions and reflective thinking that went on by group. It was a very relaxed and delightful atmosphere where everybody shared their love for reading. I look forward to participating in more book clubs and actually starting my own book club.