Rant: everyone in my club wants to read 800 page epics and I think it's killing us
We meet every second Tuesday at a cafe in Decatur and last month only 3 of 9 people finished the pick. It was a 640 page doorstopper and the discussion died after 20 minutes because nobody had anything to say past chapter 4. I pushed for a 220 page novel next and got outvoted 6 to 2, so we're staring down another brick in June. I get that big books feel impressive on a shelf, but finishing a story together is kind of the whole point of a club. Two people already skipped the April meet and I'm pretty sure it's because they felt behind and embarrassed. Am I wrong for thinking a shorter book that everyone actually reads beats a long one half of us fake our way through?