My book club used to pick books based on what was popular on Goodreads...

We spent six months just reading whatever had the most 5-star reviews, like that Reese Witherspoon thriller from last spring. Nobody actually wanted to talk about the plot after the first meeting because half the group hadn't finished it. Then in October, someone forced us to read a 400 page history book about the Erie Canal of all things. It sparked the best argument we've had in two years about how infrastructure shaped immigration patterns. Has your group ever had a surprise hit like that from a random pick?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_charles18d ago

Sounds like you all are really getting after it with the Erie Canal drama. I mean, infrastructure and immigration patterns - that's a pretty heavy topic for what's supposed to be a fun book club night. Were people actually getting heated about lock systems and population shifts, or was someone just trying to win an argument they started over wine?

valh3218d ago

Got heated enough that Dave flipped his wine trying to demonstrate how a lock system worked. I should probably bring the actual book next time instead of relying on Wikipedia summaries.

samwalker18d ago

Got heated enough that Dave flipped his wine" lmao. I mean, was it really that serious though? Sounds like @valh32 was just trying to flex some Wikipedia knowledge and someone called their bluff.