What Makes a Good Book Discussion Group?

I've been in several book discussion groups over the years, both locally and online.  I've enjoyed all of them.   In early 2013 I started an online book discussion group called Curl Up and Read.   We've enjoyed discussing books and growing as a group.

Our group is friendly and casual.  We have chosen (by vote) upcoming themes.  Each month members nominate a book for the upcoming theme.  We then vote in an online poll.  The person who nominated the book leads the discussion.  

I asked group members for some input about book discussion groups.  They gave some great answers, and (with their permission) I am sharing them here.

What do you enjoy about being part of an online book discussion group?

"I like the camaraderie, the book recommendations, the discussions and the structure." (Gayla)
  
 "Hearing other people's perspectives of the books we read. I often learn about something I missed or hear an insight that makes me appreciate the book more." (Arlene)

"Several things. One is being able to talk to people about the book. For me, reading is half of the enjoyment and talking about a book I just read is the other half. A number of my friends are readers also, but we seldom read the same type of books or read the same book at the same time. I enjoy hearing what others think and in return expressing my ideas, and getting feedback from others about my ideas.   A second reason is that I hear about books and authors that I am unfamiliar with. " (Fred)

"I'm a librarian in a public library, so my primary reason for joining online book groups was the exposure to lots of books, reviews and recommendations. I can only personally read about 4 books a month, if that, so this is a way for me to become familiar with books that I haven't necessarily read, and that helps me help patrons find books that fit their interests. Being a good reader's advisor doesn't mean that I have read a lot of books, but it does mean that I have read ABOUT a lot of books." (Laurel)

"I love it when there’s a lively discussion either about the book or some aspect of the book. I am also curious to see if other people respond to the book the same way I did, and if not, why not." (Pam)

I especially enjoy talking about books.  I was an English major and of course I loved literature classes.   A book discussion group provides some of the lively dialogue that I found in college.  I also love learning about new books!  (my response)

What types of books do you most enjoy discussing?

"I am getting better at reading all forms of book except for Dystopian and Horror Novels. Also not crazy as a rule of non-fiction unless it is an interesting biography of a person." (Gayla)

"Apart from books that are specific to a group like my Dickens group, I like a variety, and I like to discuss lesser known books, often indies, because those are the gems we are all less likely to find on our own." (Arlene)

"Fiction, non-fiction (usually science or essays on a variety of topics), mysteries, SF/F, poetry." (Fred)

"Books that I've actually read! Ha ha. My interests are pretty wide, but in particular I like 'literary' fiction, classics, historical fiction, and mysteries. I usually have some book challenges that I have set for myself each year and I am in a face-to-face bookclub that reads things that are outside of my usual comfort zone. This summer, for instance, I am reading as many titles as I can that fit The [fill-in-the-blank] Wife. Just finished The Crane Wife and am now reading The Anatomist's Wife." (Laurel) 

"I think probably mysteries. They’re usually ‘safe’, meaning they don’t contain content that might offend some group members. But a good one is always fun to read, and will generate interesting discussions on which clues different readers picked up on and why. I personally love science fiction, but I think I would need to be in a group of other people who also love it to have a fun discussion." (Pam)

I like discussing a wide variety of books, but especially classics, mysteries, historical fiction, children's fiction (especially classics/vintage), and literary fiction.  (my response)

What are a few books that you consider ideal for book group discussions?

"We Are All Called to Rise by Laura McBride, The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood, Thursdays in the Park by Hilary Dodd, The Blessings by Elisa Jurka, just for some suggestions."  (Gayla)

"From my most recent reading, Time Shifters by Shanna Lauffey is a good choice because there is an interesting writing style and it deals with time travel which is a popular interest, plus she's one of those indie authors I referred to in the second question and a lot of people may not know about this series.

Also some of the spin-offs from Classics like Jack Dawkins by Charlton Daines which I suggested in a group recently. These can be compared to the source material and assessed for literary quality.

I tend to like genre fiction, especially Fantasy and science fiction which isn't to everyone's taste, but I've found some really good ones over time that fans of these genres would enjoy."  (Arlene)

"That's hard to say. I frequently am wrong when I try to predict how a particular book will go over in the group. But, I will list some of my favorite authors, anyway:
Jane Austen--novels
Lawrence Durrell--novels
Hawthorne, Poe, Melville--novels and short stories
Kim Stanley Robinson--novels, SF
Gene Wolfe--novels, SF
Ray Bradbury, Ted Sturgeon,--short stories, SF
Loren Eiseley--essays, science and personal issues? (I have a number of posts by him on my blog)
Konrad Lorenz--essays
Russell Hoban--Riddley Walker and other works
Ingrid Black--mysteries
Batya Gur--mysteries
Eliot Pattison--mysteries"  (Fred)

"The books that most lend themselves to discussions tend to be books with multiple layers/ themes/ or even flaws. These tend to NOT be books that I have rated the highest. Books that deal with ethical issues are always good, like many of Jodi Picoult's books. They might have something that invites people to talk about their own experiences. You want to get different points of view in a discussion. Not everyone has to LIKE the book. A few titles that had good discussions in my face-to-face group: 

The Room by Emma Donoghue

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee"  (Laurel)

"Our group recently discussed The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) and it got a lot of people interested in participating. I would personally love to discuss Cloud Atlas because I not only enjoyed the story, I was very impressed with the structure of the book and the overall premise." (Pam)

"On a basic level, I always ask that nominated books be in print and available in a number of formats (print, Kindle, used books,  readily available at libraries).  I have particularly enjoyed book group discussions of The Great Gatsby and The Cuckoo's Calling (Robert Galbraith).  Those books stimulated a lot of talk and ideas, and we had a high percentage of group members participating.    I have really enjoyed several books we've read.  A few that come to mind:  The Mercy of Thin Air (Ronlyn Domingue), A Redbird Christmas (Fannie Flagg), and Maisie Dobbs  (Jacqueline Winspear)."  (my response)

Are you a member of a book discussion group?  What do you most enjoy about your reading group - types of books, specific reads, etc.?  I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Positively 4th Street by David Hajdu - Book Review and Discussion Questions

Last weekend I enjoyed re-reading Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina, and Richard Farina.  Author David Hajdu takes readers back to the 1960's Greenwich Village folk scene, where these rising folk singers met, sang, wrote, fought, fell in love, and lived.

My online book group, Curl Up and Read, is discussing Positively 4th Street this week.  I read the book when it first came out, and enjoyed experiencing it again.  I love books that take the reader to another time and place, as this nonfiction book does.

Readers will meet sisters Joan and Mimi Baez.  They developed an interest in folk music early and often sang together as young girls.  Joan, who was older, made a splash in the early folk music scene with her beautiful, soaring voice.  Mimi, who was younger, was a very pretty girl with a strong presence;  several of Joan's boyfriends fell in love with her.  Joan met the younger "vagabond" Bob Dylan, and they developed a complex romantic relationship that lasted, off and on, for several years.  Dylan is not portrayed very sympathetically in this book.  He is seen as a brilliant writer but a difficult personality.  

Mimi fell in love with the older, rakish singer/writer Richard Farina.  They met when she was only 16 years old.  He was married at the time to singer Carolyn Hester, although their relationship was quickly unraveling.  Mimi and Richard married two years later.   They worked together to become a folk duo.  (Photo of the Farinas from the book, above.)

As Joan Baez got more involved in the peace movement, Bob Dylan became interested in growing as a musician and becoming a rock singer.  His first live electric set was met with boos during the Newport Folk Festival of 1965.

Richard Farina, former college roommate of Thomas Pynchon, wrote a novel that would become a contemporary classic, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me.  Mimi worked very much as a helpmate to him and she also focused on their music career, mastering several instruments.  Richard died tragically on Mimi's 21st birthday, when he was killed driving a friend's motorcycle.

We bring our own experiences to some books more than others.  This is one of those books for me.  I was born in the 1960's and as a little girl experienced folk music just as something my father sometimes listened to.  I really only sought out folk music in the early 2000's, after I originally read this book.  I love Joan's voice, Dylan's songwriting, and especially love the beautiful sound of Richard and Mimi's voices blending together.

I have always loved Joan Baez's beautiful song about her relationship with Bob Dylan, "Diamonds and Rust."   Some time ago, I dated a man who was a sort of Dylan type and I know that this made me a bit impatient with Bob Dylan as we meet him in this book.

I have recommended this book to many friends, and I would love to hear from you in the comments (below) if you read it.

In researching this book, I found some interesting videos that I think you might enjoy as well.  This longer video (9 minutes) features Bob Dylan and Joan Baez singing at the March on Washington, 1963.

Richard and Mimi Farina perform "Bold Marauder" on Rainbow Quest hosted by Pete Seeger.  This was originally broadcast on February 26, 1966 about two months before Richard's tragic death.

 
Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust," with lyrics and photos of her life with Bob Dylan.


I was not able to find discussion questions for the book online, so I made a list of 10 questions for our book group.  I am sharing them here, in case you are interested in a group discussion of this book as well.

1. What do you think of the title of this book?  Do you think the song "Positively 4th Street" (lyrics here) suited the book?

2. How familiar were you with folk music and Baez, Dylan, and the Farinas before reading this book?   Will you seek out more of their music now?

3. Which singer stands out most for you?  Which is most sympathetic?

4. What was your opinion of the characters?  Did your opinion change during your read?

5. David Kelly wrote in The New York Times (1/6/10):  "You know the story:  Bob uses the enormously popular Joan so he can enhance his career prospects, while Joan uses the enormously gifted Bob so she can sing songs that weren't written by Public Domain;  Richard uses Mimi and her family connections so he can become a folk star, while Mimi uses Richard so she can escape her family connections."  Do you agree with this conjecture?  Why or why not?

6. Why did Bob Dylan and Richard Farina both fancifully reinvent themselves, with elaborate stories about their histories?

7. Joan Baez and Bob Dylan performed at the 1963 rally for freedom march in Washington, D.C.  Hajdu writes, "Were they taking advantage of the movement?  Or was the movement taking advantage of them?" (p. 183).  What do you think?

8. In 1965 Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Fest.  Why do you think he moved away from the folk music movement?  And why did he choose the folk fest as a venue to unveil his new sound?

9. If Richard Farina had lived, what do you think would have happened with his career, and with his relationship with Mimi?

10. Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?

My Unplugged Weekend

Last week just seemed endless.  I ended up working long hours and spending way too much time online.  By Friday night, I wanted a break . . . and so I took one.  I unplugged from the Internet for the weekend (computer, phone, and iPad).   I thought this would be difficult, but it wasn't.  It felt great!

During my time offline, I went yard saling, had lunch with a friend, re-read Positively 4th Street (David Hajdu), spent time reading The Supreme Macaroni Company (Adriana Trigiani), watched a great old movie, Cactus Flower (Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn), went antiquing with a friend, cooked, listened to music, watched an episode of Columbo, walked my dogs, wrote poetry, got up on a ladder to find a book of Pablo Neruda poetry, and generally enjoyed living the way I did 20 years or so ago . . . pre-Internet.

I was eager to read emails and Facebook updates from friends this morning, so I missed the immediacy of keeping in touch.  I also missed Google!   I have a beautiful 1950's set of Childcraft encyclopedias here -- not quite the same thing, unless you want to read about the life cycle of bees.

That said, I loved the way that being unplugged forced me to do some different things.  This is something I will do again.  (And I want to find new ways to spend less time online outside of work hours.)

I wanted to share a few antiquing photos with you.  We went to Broad Street Antique Mall in Chamblee.  This is my favorite antique shop in Atlanta.  It is huge!

 I love this hand beaded basket.  It is just amazing!

Look at all this fun vintage dollhouse furniture.  The detailing on these is wonderful.  They look like Renwal.  (Renwal dollhouse furniture has more detail than the more popular Marx, with little doors and drawers that open, etc.).

Exactly my kind of Christmas tree!  So pretty.  This is a vintage tree, and I love the glass ornaments.

This was my favorite item at the mall.  It's an older wood/paste board dollhouse.  I would date it as 1940's (pre-1950's, when dollhouses were tin litho). 

A 1940's Hershey bar dispenser!

New to me -- Frosty Caboose, with icy treats.  We had Raspberry Sorbet, and it was delicious!

So ... how about you?  Have you tried unplugging from the Internet?  If so, what was your experience?  I would love to hear from you in the comments section, below.

Friday Fave: Vintage Road Maps

My Friday Fave this week is vintage road maps.  I love vintage road maps!  I haven't had them in my shop in a long time, but yesterday I spent a little time scanning and researching these old maps.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy them.  The Florida map, above, is from 1966, and it looks so much like road maps that I remember from Florida vacations during my early childhood.   I loved to look at maps on road trips.   I love the picture of the old Sinclair gas station from the front of this map, too.  And the Sinclair dinosaur is pictured as well!

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This road map is from Atlanta.  It was given by DeKalb County Federal Savings and Loan in 1962.  The bank pictured is at 116 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur.   I love anything vintage Atlanta, so I researched this location.  I believe it is about where the Courtyard by Marriot (was Holiday Inn) is located in Decatur.  Pretty neat!

I hope to find more maps soon ... they are such a pleasure to work with and they bring back a lot of fun memories, too.  You'll find these maps at Birdhouse Books:  vintage road maps at Birdhouse Books.

Thursday Happiness - "Here Comes My Baby" by the Tremeloes (1967)

I just heard this song on the radio (60's on 6, XM Radio) and it made me happy, as it always does ... so I had to share with you.  The Tremeloes were a British invasion band, often compared to the Beatles.  (The two bands often competed for club bookings early in their careers.)   "Here Comes My Baby," from 1967, was written by Cat Stevens.