I used to think our book club should only read new books

At our meeting in the back room of the Seattle library, a member brought a worn copy of 'The Left Hand of Darkness' and argued its ideas were more current than half the bestsellers we'd picked. We spent the whole hour debating it, and I realized I'd been missing out on classics that actually spark better talk. What's the best old book your club has read that felt totally fresh?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_park82d ago

But what if chasing "fresh" classics just becomes another kind of trend? We tried "1984" last year and honestly, the talk felt stale. Everyone just repeated the same points about surveillance we've all heard a hundred times. Sometimes a brand new book, even a flawed one, forces a real debate because no one has the talking points memorized. A recent novel about AI ethics had us actually fighting at the table, in a good way. That raw first reaction can be more real than a polished take on a book we're told is important.

nancy5242d ago

Okay but have you ever been in a book club where it feels like you're just reciting homework? Parker_park8 you're totally right about that stale feeling. We read a famous classic last fall and it was like everyone just read the sparknotes and called it a day. There's something special about a book that hasn't been picked apart for decades, where your own messy reaction IS the point. That AI book sounds way more alive than any dead discussion about a book we feel pressured to like.