Question about the book selection at that new cafe on Elm Street

I noticed they only stock bestsellers, which made me wonder if that limits good club debates... has your group ever avoided a popular book for that reason?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_bennett113mo ago

It's a real problem with how places pick books now. They just grab whatever's on the front table at the big store. My group tried a huge bestseller last year and the talk died in twenty minutes because we all had the same take. Feels like chasing trends makes everything bland, not just books.

linda_wood2mo ago

Oh absolutely, Craig.tessa, because what every tired book group needs is homework assignments to dig past the surface plot. Because that's what we all signed up for, right? A nice relaxing evening of literary archaeology instead of, you know, actually talking about the book. But seriously, when a book is just a big shiny trendball with no real corners to grab onto, even the most enthusiastic group can only say "yep, that was fine" so many times before someone checks their phone. It's like trying to have a conversation about a blockbuster movie where every character is just the same generic cardboard cutout. My group tried that one mega popular thriller last year and we spent most of the time arguing about whose turn it was to pick next time.

craig.tessa3mo ago

You mentioned the talk dying because everyone had the same take. Isn't that more about the group than the book? A really popular book can still have deep arguments if people are willing to dig past the surface plot.