Is anyone interested in a book discussion group?

I'm less so now, but even when Dlowan started this thread, when I had access to whatever book, was reluctant. (Not that I've looked back and seen what I said.) And before that, when I was an english major, I noticed my own repulsion to academic analysis of, say, Wordsworth, and then punted. My next major for a bit was psychology, and that didn't last either. I then wanted more structure, when, if you know me, I'm not your best exponent of structure.
Here's a case where Soz and I are on opposite ends of the teeter totter. She's very good at analysis.

It's hard to explain why I don't want to go into analysis talks. Maybe I like to savor my take for a while, perhaps before I change that, but I want to control my savor time.

Books are personal to me, to start with. I think I became me through books making sense of my own observations or turning them upside down.
I've some distaste for analysis over feelings. Mixed with distaste for feelings over analysis.

My ex was very up on that book, House of Mirth - which will not matter to you but was an indicator I should perk up, he and the university liked it. It annoyed me. The truth is I couldn't read it.

It was one of the books I stopped with (Karenina drove me nuts and I tossed it)

Recently, I was reading a book a friend sent me, Joyce Carol Oates' Gravedigger's Daughter. The opening chapter has allllllllmost shut me down - not so much for the character, but Oates's writing. Repetitve stylization.

I get she is playing with how people think. I just have no patience for it, a flaw of my own.

A good friend of a good friend studied with her and just about adored her, he a male m.d.

Sigh. I'll give it a few more pages.

But wait - this wasn't the book we are supposed to be discussing. I am part of the distraction, just by talking.

But that's my point -

I think I am inherently against a circumscribed group.

I see I finally answered on page 9, which gives an idea of my avoidance for years before that, since I'm a long time reader/poster and early a2k person.
So nice I was - hits own head with bunch of bananas.

To explain, I have all sorts of flim flams about people gathering for an evening about one book. It just does not attract me. I'd probably go homicidal in a room for no good reason except stress. Too many theater people in my past experience and I can't stand it.

I'd rather read - or hear - cons and pros and snark after reading the book on my own, if I did, which is why I like the what are you reading now thread - much more natural.

So....my years of finely honed training in seeing the meaning behind the words leads me to believe that you'll not be wishing to partake of the book discussion, then?


Did I get that right?

If so, we've got it.

I also see meaning in words. You know that.

I'm rather antagonistic to elaborate dithering, what they call parsing.
Maybe it's because I'm reading some extremely annoying start of a book by Joyce Carol Oates - I'm apt to yell.

I'm not a fervent fan of dither arguments. Much less a room full of that.

I like peace when I read.

I presume I'm a loner except when I connect.

But, you're right, I'm wrong for book discussion, not least that I won't have the books or will have read them earlier.

I will probably post once in a while if I have read the book.

Cool. I understand. I think perhaps you missed the irony in my last post. But some people get stuff from other people's take on a book.


I'm just puzzled about why you feel the need to keep saying over and over again on a book discussion thread that you hate book discussions? No biggie, but it's got a little old, speaking personally.


It's not compulsory to discuss a book here, as far as I know.

By all means keep telling us why you hate book discussions if you wish to, but I think we got it the first time.

Vive le difference! Or la....I don't discuss books in French. Cos I don't speak French.

Over and over? Did I do that? Maybe, but last I saw, it was something like 1957.

If I did, do that over and over, I apologize. Not that I noticed when I did a run through. I suppose I may have missed pages.

Bad.

That would make me consistent. But I am not interested in nattering the thread, if I did that.