Company Book Club October 2014!

So today we had our first book club meeting. It was nice. Small, you know? We only got interest from 7 people out of the whole place, 5 people said they would have time to get and read the book, and 4 people actually read the book and came along, myself included. So we didn't need to get any extra tables, didn't have to go hardcore on scheduling the discussion points, and there were few enough of us that no one talked over anyone else. We picked the book apart from a few different angles, and had a couple of observations that had the others in our group going, "Oh yeah, never thought of it like that."

Best of all, no one really panned the book, even though individual conversations kind of led to people admitting that they didn't "like" it as such. I don't think that liking a book always has anything to do with critiquing it, which is what I see as the purpose of a book club. It could be my college mindset creeping back up the stairs, but I've always liked really dissecting a novel. If you're already a reader, it's great fun to take apart a novel, to figure out how the gears lock together and what spark of magic makes the whole monstrous engine start.

Editorial moment: Honestly, it's important to read books that you dislike now and then. It opens up your perception of what quality fiction is and is not. That and the fact that enjoyment, I find, is very malleable. You can like something a lot while reading it, then find that on further reflection, it isn't as great as you thought. The same thing can happen of the reverse - you can be completely bored by a book, but agree afterward that it was worth reading and be unable to stop talking about it, and find that it stays in your head forever.

The book we read for the book club was Annihilation, so my thoughts on it are already put to paper. Not much more revealed during the discussion, though I was a little more excited about the novel at the end than I was at the beginning. So much so that I asked the person who suggested the book (an extremely pretty/nice/smart blonde who hears everything like an old lady in a Dickens book and has amazing eyeliner skills) for spoilers about the other two - just a no holds barred, full reveal. It was fun and not something I would do often. I feel like I haven't just geeked out over writing in way too long.

We're hoping to do another book club for November, but I'm hoping it's a quick read because dang my dance card is full right now. I've got 4 harp pieces to memorize and perfect by December 5 because I'm playing a friend's wedding, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo and already have an idea in mind for my 50k words. It's a fantasy story based on a video game concept I pitched to some friends who loved it and suggested I write out the full story. I've got the overarching plot, a loose outline, and even some theme concepts - one of which is that I'm going to try and eliminate the romance. All I need now are the characters and a setting. There may be some feels involved.

So I'm suggesting a light read, something with comedy or maybe classic YA fantasy. Like Douglas Adams or Narnia somethingorother. I'm leaning toward Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Do you have any ideas? Put your suggestions in the comments!