I swore by reading only fiction in book club until we tried a true crime novel last quarter

Honestly, our book club used to just do novels and maybe a memoir once a year. Then someone suggested a true crime book three months ago, and the debate after that meeting was wild. We had like 8 people arguing over the motives and evidence for a solid hour. It was way more intense than any fiction discussion we've ever had. Tbh, now I wonder if mixing genres more often keeps everyone from getting bored. Has anyone else's group changed genres and seen a big shift in how people react?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonreed12d ago

Oh man, I totally get this. I used to think true crime was just trashy entertainment compared to real literature, but then we read one last month and it sparked the best discussion we've had all year. Honestly it made me realize I was being a snob about genres for no reason.

wadeyoung12d ago

Hard disagree with you there, @simonreed. Good discussion doesn't mean the book itself was good, it just means the people in the room were smart enough to make something out of nothing. We read a true crime novel last month and it was basically just rehashing police reports with dramatic pauses. I'm still a snob about genres and I'm fine with it. Some books are just empty calories no matter how many people in your book club have opinions about them.