Just realized skipping the pre-reading discussion questions changed how much I get out of a book

Everyone in my book club swears by looking at the questions first to guide their reading, but doing that made me focus on looking for specific answers instead of actually enjoying the story. I tried reading the whole book blind last month for "Project Hail Mary" and my thoughts during discussion were way more natural and less forced. Has anyone else tried ignoring the questions until after you finish the book?

2 comments

2 Comments

bailey.sandra20h ago

Tried reading the questions before and spent the whole book thinking "okay but is this the part about the journal entry on page 87." Makes you feel real smart when you're right though.

the_jenny13h ago

Right? It’s like a little game of mental hide and seek but you always know where the treasure is buried. My trick is to read the questions first then spend the whole time patting myself on the back for catching every clue. Honestly it’s the only time I feel like a detective without actually having to solve a crime.