It’s time again for Musing Mondays, hosted by Should Be Reading.
This week’s random subject for conversation is this question:
Do you enjoy debating / discussing the books that others are currently reading? Why, or why not?
As with a lot of things, it depends on the book. I’ve been involved with several book discussion groups and have found that some books, while very enjoyable to read, don’t necessarily lend themselves to an in-depth conversation.
One example I can think (that is done by a LOT of sci-fi/fantasy discussion groups when they first begin) is Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Don’t get me wrong here — the book is wonderfully witty, well observed and out and out funny. But I’m not sure it lends itself to discussion beyond looking at “well, what was your favorite funny part?”
(I suppose if you were willing to look deeper at it and look at the various versions of the story that Adams wrote over his lifetime (the radio series, the novels, the TV show, the movie), you could get some more out of it. But I’m not sure if this might be homework above and beyond reading the book.)
Now, if a book is one that lends itself well to discussion or as a good jumping off point for a conversation, then I’m all for it. I always enjoy getting other people’s perspective on a book (well, beyond “I hated it” or “I loved it”). I’ve found some fascinating conversations started up when readers don’t necessarily agree on the relative merit of the book and can come to the table with points for each side. I will admit I’ve found some fascinating conversations when I’ve not loved a book and someone else has — to see what the other person liked it so much or what about it appealed to them.
This isn’t necessarily limited to just a single book, but can be for an genres of books. For example, I’m not generally a big fan of romance novels, but I am fascinated to find reviews through various social media sites and see what other readers enjoy as much as they do about them. And I’m the same way — I have my favorites that I just enjoy and I try to share what about the book or genre I enjoyed in my review. It may not convince you to read the book or try the genre, but hopefully you will see why the book “pushed all the right buttons” for me.
Nashville Book Worm 
You’re right, some books don’t have anything to lend for discussions, sometimes we or I only focus on the climax or that funny part of the story, which makes me forget the rest. I got your point there, I’ve seen that in other books, although i must admit, I haven’t read the Hitchhiker’s Guide yet 🙂 Thanks for this wonderful post 🙂
I agree with some of the points you made.
I totally agree. I like to rave about books as much as the next person but, to have a really in depth conversation, there needs to be something else there. An underlying message, something problematic, something that links back to a current social issue, a different writing style, etc.
The book club that I am a part of reads various sci-fi and fantasy romance novels. I can’t tell you how many interesting discussion have come up on race, consent, GLBT issues, etc. just from reading a romance novel. I’m not a big fan of romance novels in general but I’ve found some great ones through the reviews of my club members. I’m sure I wouldn’t have read them otherwise.
Absolutely true about the interest a difference in opinion creates. It is always interesting to know why someone hated or loved the book when you felt the exact opposite. And there are even few times when i realised that they had valid points and i missed a different perspective that also made sense. 🙂 And i agree that some books are just fun to read and there will be nothing to talk about or discuss. I just never gave it a serious thought if it was a problem with the book or me for not being able to discuss it. 🙂
One nice post this is and you brought up some really nice points. Thanks.