My neighbor said my book club picks were 'too safe' and it stuck with me all week

I was talking to Carol, she lives two doors down, and she flat out said every book I've brought to the club this year has been a 'safe' pick like something you'd grab at an airport. She rattled off three titles I'd never heard of, all from small presses in Brooklyn, and said real debates come from books that make you uncomfortable. Now I'm second guessing my whole stack for next month's meeting, has anyone else had a fellow member call them out like that and change how you vote?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sean10d ago

Carol has a point about small press stuff from Brooklyn, those little publishers put out some wild things. Next time at the library grab something that looks like it might tick you off a bit, maybe a memoir from someone you'd never hang out with or a novel where the main character is kind of a jerk. Your club will either love the debate or hate it, but either way you won't be bored flipping through a safe airport pick again.

hannah_west3910d agoMost Upvoted

Take a look at translated fiction too, stuff from like Japan or Argentina where the cultural rules are totally different from ours. Half the time the author is working with a completely different idea of what a story is supposed to do, and it throws your brain for a loop. Makes for way more interesting talk than arguing about whether the protagonist was likable.