Our book club dove into the classics this spring-into-summer, and it was satisfying as all heck. Since Middlemarch is one of the longest books in existence, we divided it up between two discussions — reading the first half for one month and the second half for the next.
And then we chased it with some midcentury American lit, which made for a fine contrast. Here’s what happened, discussibility-wise…
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Discussibility Score: 5
Because: We just couldn’t stop talking about these characters. And then we couldn’t stop talking about the way Eliot brought them to life. And the way we could identify with, or recognize, so many of the characters who walked through these pages. Eliot made us think, and feel, and wonder, and marvel. Magnificent book, magnificent discussions. And I’m confident the conversation will continue…
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Discussibility Score: 3
Because: While we recognized that there was much we were probably missing and failing to appreciate about this book, none of us were motivated to research it to find out what we were missing. I liked the initial 5 pages (which everyone else disliked), and then from there I felt disengaged and confused and moderately annoyed. We all found the book irreverent and rather sad; and while we believe it probably is important, we didn’t really want to dig in.
Next up: summer of science fiction / fantasy by authors of color. We’re starting with Wild Seed by Octavia Butler (whose book Kindred is one of my favorites)
What’s your book club reading this summer?
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