Book Club Assignment

I attended a book discussion in the library system I work for. I had to just observe because I hadn't had time to read the book. I told the librarian this. The book discussion book was The Coincidence of Coconut Cake. Since I did not participate, I will just address the assignment questions here.

Who is asking the questions, is there a leader or do people take turns? The librarian was obviously the leader but the atmosphere was not formal. The atmosphere was casual because even though the librarian had notes and prepared questions, it was clear that anyone could ask additional questions. They didn't have to stick strictly to what the librarian had planned. So, they did not officially take turns, but anyone was free to speak up and ask a question of their own whenever they wanted to.

I spoke with the librarian beforehand and she told me she read the book, and feels like she's good at talking about books. However, she has only been doing the book club for a couple months so she likes the feeling of being prepared by having a list of questions. This, she said, is in case conversation slacks off or it gets awkward. She said she makes notes for possible questions as she reads and also looks at questions that have already been prepared in the library's book club to go kits.

If there is a leader, does the leader answer the questions as well or let the attendees respond first? She said that she does think out her answers to the questions too, in case she gets a quiet crowd and needs to deliberately spark them to talk. She said this has only happened for a few questions in the past. Usually people are there because they like to talk about books. She said she prefers to let them answer and not answer herself. At this book discussion she didn't have to answer any questions herself.

What type of questions are asked? Any involving just yes or no answers? During my observation the librarian asked a beginning question, which led to a lengthy discussion and a question asked by one of the patrons. During the rest of the time the librarian asked three other questions - so there were a total of four questions posed by her, about three by patrons and the rest of the time was discussion of those questions.

Her first question (after a brief intro where they just shared whether they liked the book or not) was, "It's clear from the beginning that Devlin and Lou have different plans for their lives. Why do you think they were together? What are your thoughts on Devlin?" This led to a funny conversation because the women didn't think very highly of Devlin.

Some other questions included:

"Delight is born in the heart. It sometimes also depends on its surroundings. Which do you think is more true?" So the group talked about whether they thought happiness was more inside you or because of surroundings.

"What did they think about Al's decision to keep his identity from Lou?"

"What do they think about the importance of second chances?" They didn't all agree about giving Al a second chance.

They also talked about Milwaukee (the setting of the story) and some of the recipes in the story.

All of the questions asked were thoughtful. None of them involved just yes or no answers. In fact, I was surprised at how thoughtful some of the responses were. The patrons related personal examples about finding happiness in their own lives and about experiences they had with giving people second chances.

Do all attendees actively participate? All of the attendees, nine total, were women. I haven't read this book but it sounded like a book that mainly women would like. It was mostly older women, in their fifties and sixties. They all participated at some point but to varying degrees. A couple ladies were kind of quiet and a few were very outspoken.

Do any attendees swoop in and steal all the spotlight? One woman did tend to, "swoop in and steal the spotlight." She was the first to answer several times and her answers were too lengthy. I could tell the librarian was trying to steer it away from her and she did manage a couple times to change the subject and get the discussion going in a new direction. One time, the librarian even interrupted and said, "What does everyone else think of that question?" The woman wasn't intending to be rude. You could tell she was just a "talker."

What is the atmosphere of the discussion, where is it taking place at? The atmosphere was relaxed and casual, everyone seemed friendly with each other. The librarian told me later that it was the same group she had for the last book, so they knew each other. The discussion took place in the library's large meeting room.

Are snacks or drinks provided?

Tea, coffee and water were served, as well as coconut cake. The librarian said they always have coffee, tea and water but they don't always have cake - the title just called for it this time.

What types of books does this book club normally discuss? I mentioned earlier that this librarian is new to the book discussion, so she is still working out what types of books to use in the future. She said she'd like to try a variety but is going to take into consideration what this group wants by asking them for their input. They read A Redbird Christmas in January and at the end of this month they are discussing Hanging Mary so there is already some variety in titles there. She expressed doubt over having a huge variety recommended from the group because they all seem to like books like The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, but she said she is going to try her best to mix it up.

I thought the librarian did a great job. She was well-prepared, created a welcoming atmosphere, and was very judicious in leading and guiding the discussion.