Book Clubs

I've never understood the point of book clubs.

If I want to read a book I usually sit down and read the whole thing. If it's too long to finish in one sitting I might spend an hour or two for several days in a row.

But people in book clubs may take weeks or even months to read one book so they can discuss it a chapter or two at a time when they get together.

To me, that sounds BORING.  They might as well be back in school completing homework assignments.

If they do read ahead and finish a book before the group discusses it all (Is that considered cheating?) they're obligated to remember details so they can talk about the selection from it at each meeting.

Yes, it's nice to spend time with other people who like to read the same sort of things but, otherwise, I simply don't see what book clubs accomplish.

In a way a book club might be like a critique group where writers share a chapter of whatever they're working on at each meeting. But a critique group has the practical purpose of members helping each other improve their writing so it's ready to submit for publication, and members get to see each others' work change and improve over time.

And it's not possible to read a book in a day or so that hasn't yet been completely written.

If anyone who reads this belongs to a book club I'd appreciate hearing why.