Our book club's vibe totally shifted after we ditched the 'leader picks' system

For two years, our club in Austin had one person choose each month, and discussions were flat, maybe 15 minutes of talk. Last fall we switched to a three book vote, and now we argue for over an hour every time. The change was immediate, because people actually care about the books they voted for. We get way more heated debates on themes and characters now. Has your group ever changed how you pick books and seen a big difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnson.jesse1mo ago

Switched to a random number generator picking from our TBR list. Sounds crazy but it killed the endless group texts arguing about picks. Now we just read whatever comes up and the surprise factor actually makes people more open minded.

the_margaret20d ago

A random number generator for your TBR list? That is wild honestly. I mean, I get why it works because the arguing is the worst part of any group, but the idea of just letting a computer decide what we read next month makes my eye twitch a little. Tbh I think I'd have to quit if someone suggested that in my group, but I also respect that you found a way to actually enjoy it. Maybe the surprise factor breaks people out of their comfort zone, which is probably a good thing for most groups. Still, I'm kinda shocked you went that far.

paulschmidt1mo ago

Totally get that shift... we saw the same thing when we moved from a rotating host pick to a simple "bring a suggestion" night. The person who brought the chosen book gets to lead the talk, and man, the energy is completely different because they're already pumped to defend their choice. It stopped feeling like homework and started feeling like a real, messy conversation about why we even like to read. Watching a quiet member finally get their weird sci-fi pick chosen and then totally come alive to explain it was a game changer.