February 2022 Book Club

My IRL book club met this past Tuesday to discuss February’s book. We again opted to meet via Zoom rather than in-person because of the Omicron variant, but I think we’re going to be brave next month and meet in person.

We discussed TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han. There were seven of us that met and all of us read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • One person hated the book with a fiery passion because of the “fake boyfriend” trope and the ending.
  • Most, including me, liked the story but disliked different aspects of it, such as the love triangle, the ending, one or more of the characters, etc.
  • A couple of people loved the book and the characters and didn’t mind the things that the rest of us complained about.
  • All of us watched the Netflix movie as well and every one of us loved the movie. Those of us who only liked or hated the book thought the movie fixed the problematic parts of the book.
  • Most of us don’t plan to read the rest of the series. Some of us don’t plan to watch the other two movies either (me included). A couple of people have already read the whole series and watched all three movies and advocated for us to at least read and watch the second book/movie.
  • Most people like the addition of the Korean culture and the Korean protagonist and how that changed/added to the story.

We actually had a really good discussion about the book and the movie. It spurred on discussions about other tropes we like and dislike, own voices, and whether or not the book being YA played a role in our opinion of it.

We also each recommended some books to vote on for our next list of books to read. I recommended A TALE FOR TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki, any book by Fiona Davis, THE LAST ANNIVERSARY by Liane Moriarty, any book by Sally Hepworth, and TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD by Stanley Tucci. We should have all our books voted on and figured out by next book club.

Next month’s book is NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty. I’m so excited to read it. I love Liane Moriarty so much. Everything I’ve read of hers, I’ve adored. I’m usually the one who requests we read something written by her each year. This will be our fourth book for book club. We’ve read WHAT ALICE FORGOT, BIG LITTLE LIES, and TRULY MADLY GUILTY. All of them made awesome book club books because of the discussions we had.

Anyway, have you read TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

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January 2022 Book Club

I’ve been part of a IRL (“in real life” for those who don’t know that acronym) for 10.5 years now. We used to meet on the third Thursday of each month so we call ourselves the “Third Thursday Book Club.” A few months ago, we all decided it was more convenient to meet on the third Wednesday. We joke that we’re now the “Third Thursday Book Club, now on Wednesdays.”

We met this past Wednesday to discuss January’s book. (Due to COVID’s increased numbers, we opted to meet via Zoom rather than in-person.)

We discussed KEEP MOVING: NOTES ON LOSS, CREATIVITY, AND CHANGE by Maggie Smith (click the link to read my review). There were six of us that met and only five read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • Everyone made the comment they didn’t realize KEEP MOVING was mostly the author’s collection of tweets while she was going through her divorce (affirmations to help her stay positive during a time of turmoil). We thought it was going to be more of a memoir.
  • No one hated the book, but no one loved it either.
  • A couple of people thought it was generic and unmemorable.
  • No one could really relate to the author because none of us have been through a divorce (our group is a statistical anomaly).
  • One person liked the affirmations more than the other sections.
  • One person read KEEP MOVING via audiobook and the rest of us wondered if that experience was weird given the layout of the book.
  • The phrase “keep moving” got old by the end because the author tacked it on the end of every. single. affirmation.

Our discussion was really short because KEEP MOVING wasn’t what we thought it was. Like I said in my review, though, I’m glad I read it because of the two little tidbits I got out of it.

After our discussion, we talked about other books we’ve been reading, voting on our new list of books, the Book of the Month club, what’s going on in everyone’s lives, and COVID. I had a great time as always. I really my book club and look forward to it each month, even if I don’t read the book.

Next month’s book is TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han. I’m very excited to read it. It’s been on my TBR ever since the Netflix show came out, which I still haven’t watched. All things in their proper order.

Have you read KEEP MOVING? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

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