I've always wondered what it would be like to be in a book club. Of course, I'd actually have to learn to read first, but that's a minor detail.
Anyway. I was flipping through a book my wife was reading the other day, and much to my dismay, it had a set of ready-made questions for book clubs to discuss at the end. Which would be fine, except that many of them were questions that could be answered with a "yes" or "no," or simply had no relation to the book. I can imagine some pretty awkward discussions:
"Did you have a mother figure that wasn't your mother?"
"That's kind of personal, don't you think?"
"The book says to ask this question. Did you have a mother figure that wasn't your mother?"
"Uh.. sure. I guess."
"Who?"
"Lynne Cheney."
"Hmm. Next question."
With that in mind, I've taken the liberty of coming up with some similarly EZ-n-Fun discussion questions for one of my favorite bits of light reading:
- Have you ever worn a hat? Discuss.
- The novel is set in Ireland. Do you like U2?
- Have you ever exposed yourself on a beach?
- In the chapter "Oxen of the Sun," which character reminds you of your favorite doctor on ER? Discuss.
- The final chapter is a lengthy internal monologue. Have you ever written a sentence without commas or periods? Was it a grocery list? If not, did anyone else understand it?
I'll have my agent give Oprah's agent a call.