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Posted by Mary Rayme Jun 30, 2007 |
Bookclub Fiction
I have belonged to a small town Bookclub with a total membership of 15 or so for several years. We have read some excellent books, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh, The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, and Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. We have had some interesting and lively discussions about the ideas in the books, the style of writing by the author, and comparisions to other books we have read.
The Non-Fiction
There have been a smattering of non-fiction books: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks, and Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich come to mind. Most recently I hosted Bookclub with the book Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin.
You Want Me to Read What?
Maybe because it's June and folks are on vacation, but only 3 ladies attended my Bookclub and of the 3, only 2 had read the book. Let's just say there was more wine drinking that evening than conversation to be had. My other theory as to the low attendence was my choice of a non-fiction book. As an unusual female appreciator of non-fiction, I have to say that I think most women seem to prefer fiction to non-fiction, and i'm not quite sure why.
OMG! All Chicks.
Which brings me to the gender makeup of my Bookclub--all chicks. This is not unusual, why is that? I'm sure that there are men in Bookclubs somewhere in the world, but in my neck of the woods there are at least 3 very active Bookclubs and none of the members are male. We're not excluding the guys, they just are not interested in attending.
Men Are Literate
We know the men are reading the books. The wives report back regularly about which husband has read and liked a recent or current book club book. So, do men perceive Bookclubs as feminine because these groups have been culturally championed by Oprah? Or do men like to read books, but don't feel the need to get together to discuss them? So are there any men out there who can enlighten me as to the male Point of View on Bookclubs? I'm still trying to figure it all out...