Book Club Panel Held Today at NY Public Library

I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel today at the NY Public Library discussing book clubs with librarians from Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx and it was such a terrific experience. The panel was moderated by Carol Fitzgerald, creator of ReadingGroupGuides.com, the absolute go-to resource for reading groups. On the panel with me were Victoria Lustbader, author of the newly released Stone Creek, which many of you commented on here, as well as Elizabeth Noble, whose most recent novel is Things I Want My Daughters to Know.

We had a wonderful time discussing the strength of women's fiction published this year, like the two books above, and also about all the great books we've read in our book clubs and how we've responded to different titles. We learned so much from the librarians in the audience--they were one of the most informative, enlightened and energized group of readers I've been around in a while!

Elizabeth, who is also the author of course, of The Reading Group, so she's heard a lot of book group stories, had a great way of describing the different types that one finds in a book group -- they either, she said, read to learn, to think or to feel. I thought this was such an interesting comment and it made me think about which type of reader I am. The learner will often nominate a nonfiction book or something that when she reads it, is going to teach her a lot, she wants to spend her time reading also learning. The feeler wants to read about emotions and people's lives and wants to care deeply about the people she's reading about. And the thinker wants to ponder higher more complex issues and in a way, is a bit of an amalgam of both the learner and the feeler. Victoria insightfully commented that the reason that historical fiction is so popular is that it allows us to both learn and feel. (Check out Victoria's first novel, Hidden, a historical novel set in 1920s NYC). I personally think that's why historical fiction has been so popular in my group.

Which type of reader do you think you are? Tell me which and why in the comments and you'll be entered to win a copy of both Stone Creek and Things I Want My Daughters to Know along with a great tote to take them to the beach this summer.

And speaking of summer reading, our host the NY Public Library has just launched a website for summer reading that addresses every member of your family -- from toddlers to adults! Check it out.

Comments

[Laura]

Wow, I'm really not sure exactly what type of reader I am. It all depends on what I'm reading. Generally, though, I like to really get into the characters and if I feel pain when they feel pain or feel happiness when they feel happiness then I'm good to go. So, I guess I could day I'm really into reading for feeling. However, one of the reasons I live for reading is for learning - even if the book isn't something that I would usually read, I can always find something to learn from in a book. That's also another reason why historical fiction is my favourite genre :). Since historical fiction is my favourite genre I could also definitely be classified as a thinker, except that if I think about symbols and such for too long and too much and at too high a level I get a headache and I stop enjoying the book because all I can think about it "is there a symbol in this sentence? Could this mean something?" and I can't focus properly on the book.
So although I have all 3 traits in me, the most prominent ones are the ones where you read to feel and where you read to learn.
I've read reviews for these books, they look really impressive!
xo, Laura

[Darby Lohrding]

Interesting insight there about learners, thinkers and feelers. I would say I am a learner that thinks about what they are reading (for example I "learn" a task, best by "doing"), while at the same time experiencing the feelings of the characters (like putting myself in their shoes).
For example a mystery book - I learn how the detective thinks and feels along with the feelings and thoughts of the villian. Same with a self discovery book - I learn about myself along with why I think and feel the way I do.
I guess I am a good mix of all three, yet books always grab me by what I'll learn from the read.
Thanks for asking!
Darby

[Lauren]

I am a feeler. When I read, I want to get swept up in the book and characters, transported to a different time and place. I want to feel as if I am Japanese, like in Memoirs of a Geisha, or cry with the mother in My Sister's Keeper because I loved my daughter so much. To me, that is what makes reading a pleasure.

[Julie P.]

I love this post! I think those three reasons for reading pretty much sum things up although it's a little hard for me to just pick one -- I think it depends on my reading mood. I would have to say that I usually read because I want to think. If I find myself still thinking about the story or the characters a few days after I finish reading the book, I know it's a good one. I also like learn (sometimes). If I read a historical fiction book and happen to learn something from it, I feel kind of like I'm getting a two-for-one deal! Of course if I'm in the right mood, I just like to read to feel. Who doesn't enjoy a hysterically funny book or a good tearjerker every once in awhile?

[Jen R]

I had never thought about this question before but on pondering it I have decided I am a thinker and a feeler. I love books that take me place and teach me things but that I can feel something for the characters. I don't have to like them, but I need to have some emotion about them to like the book.

[Stephanie]

I definitely read first to feel, since I try to connect with the characters and am sometimes sad to leave them if the book is good. But since I do enjoy historical fiction, I would have to say that I read to learn also.

[Julie E.]

I'm all three, for sure. My reading is all across the map, and I've certainly learned a lot from books, and been given a lot to think about. I've also had the privilege of reading books that have made me feel things in an unforgettable way.
I notice a lot of the other posters here feel the same way. I'm sure there are some readers who read for only one reason, but I think most of us are multifaceted--and in some ways, it's our reading that makes us that way.

[Jenn]

I'd have to say that I'm both a feeler and a learner. More often than not, though, a feeler. I want the characters in the book to become a part of my life. However, if I feel that my brain is not being stimulated enough, I definitely pick up a book that makes me really think.

[melanie]

I can't choose just one - sometimes I want to feel, to experience another life or another way others have experienced things that I've also experienced. Sometimes I want to learn, whether through fiction or nonfiction. I always want to think (except when I just want to feel) --
I think the categories overlap!

[Ti]

I tend to fluctuate between each of these (learner, thinker, feeler) depending on mood. I do find that I feel a bit more productive if I am learning something as I am reading though.

If I am the lucky winner you do not need to send Stone Creek as you were kind enough to send it to me already!

[Terri B.]

I would say I'm a combination feeler/thinker. I want to "experience" the characters' lives and feel something for them (even if it is hatred, but I prefer empathy). I like atmospheric books too, which I perceive as part of the feeling aspect. I also like books that make me think about concepts like "what does it mean to be human," etc. I'm happiest when I can feel (empathize) with my characters while they deal with complex issues.

[Heather Johnson]

I'm definitely a learner! My book club usually complains about the books I pick because they are quite challenging, but in the end they all agree that they got something out of them.

[Kristen S.]

At times, I'm a bit of all three, but most commonly I'm a feeler. I enjoy getting lost in a book and the emotions of each character.

[Dawn]

Wow, I would have liked to have been a "fly on the wall" at that panel discussion; it sounds like it was full of ideas!

Elizabeth's classification schema is interesting; I've thought about what I enjoy reading, and why those books appeal to me. In the end, I think I'm a learner first, whether it be from a non-fiction current events story, a memoir, or realistic fiction which immerses me in a foreign place or culture. Secondly I'm a thinker, I like to make connections from one book to another, or from the book to a situation in my life or community. I think the "feeler" in me surfaces to some extent, no matter what I read, whether I feel empathy with a character, or react and respond to a non-fiction "call to action".

Perhaps we are all a mix of the three types to varying degree; I'll share the question with my book group the next time we get together.

[Carol]

It's not surprising that most of us responding aren't one type of reader. "Real" readers may have some favorite genres or authors, but love dipping into something new at least every once in a while. Me--I guess I'm a combo learner/feeler which I now know explains why I love historical fictions. Thanks for the insight.