Men share thoughts on book groups

A few weeks ago, I asked our male readers nine questions about book groups.

Lots of them responded (thanks, guys!) and herewith are representative answers:

1: Are you now or have you ever been in a book group?

"The lack of book group opportunities for males has long been a sore point for me."

"Yes. I passed through one once when serving pie to my wife's book group. Thus I was in a book club for about 36 seconds."

"I have never been a member of a book group. However, I believe that graduate seminars make a good substitute."

"[I belong] to a school book club of faculty members. I am the only man who attends; all the other men at the school … are book club wimps."

"I don't belong to a book club unless two people constitute a club. [A friend] likes to buy books and after we both read it, he sends it to a brother of his in Florida who then sends it to another brother in Louisiana."

"Actually, I do belong to a book club along with many other adult males. It's called priesthood meeting."

"Are you completely insane?"

2: And while we're at it, are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist party?

"No, although I tried reading Marx's Manifesto for the fun of it once."

"I was a registered Democrat in my youth."

"No. But I am a member of the Republican party, which under the last administration seems to have done more damage to the country than any commie."

"Nyet."

3: Was it a coed book group?

(Author's note: Please see above responses involving school book clubs and 36 seconds.)

4: Did you start going with your significant other because she made you?

"I have not been invited. AND I AM GLAD."

5: What kinds of books have you read in your book group?

"We have read all of the books by Tom Clancy (before he got weird and wrote with others), Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Michael Crichton … are you seeing a pattern here?"

6: Did you go OT in your book group and talk about stuff like your daughter's upcoming wedding and whether or not you should include a photo in the invitation?

"No on the photos. The guy looks at the photo 36 years later and wonders who that is."

7: Why do more women than men belong to book clubs?

"In the days when fewer women worked outside the home, they wanted book groups as opportunities to socialize and have adult conversation."

"Men realize that they are only allocated a certain number of spoken words in their lifetime, so being of a cautious nature, they choose not to waste words on book discussions …"

"I think men who read books like to discuss what they're reading but like to do it informally."

8: Would you ever consider belonging to a book group?

"Yes! Do you or your readers know of any coed groups in the Lehi area?"

9: And while we're at it, would you ever consider belonging to the Communist Party?

"I have too many other things to do."

E-Mail: acannon@desnews.com