Cannon Beach Gazette: Stories

It still amazes me that the Cannon Beach Reads book discussion group is still going strong. It was formed in January 2007 by several library volunteers as a winter activity for that January to May. But as May approached, we asked, “Why are we stopping?” The consensus was that we all read all year long, so why not keep the group going. And here we are, about to celebrate our second anniversary.

Why has Cannon Beach Reads been so successful? Perhaps it’s because we all agree that our purpose is to offer the pleasure of connecting with people over a shared book. No one interpretation or criticism of a book is the uniquely correct one. Most important is that we all feel safe to express our thoughts and feelings about each book, even when we are the only one with that opinion. And we have come to enjoy each others’ company and differences. One added dimension is that almost half of the regular attendees are men. For some of the books we have discussed, this has opened perspectives that might not have been considered by the usual all-women group. “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a book that was perceived much differently by the men in the group than by the women. I always feel best about a book group discussion if I come away with an idea or understanding that I had not discovered myself.

We have also learned some things along the way. For instance, by no means all the books chosen have been liked by everyone. An example would be “McTeague” by Frank Norris, which most of us did not like, but that did elicit a great deal of discussion. In contrast, “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen was liked by everyone in attendance, but there was much less discussion about it. We discovered that books need to be chosen for discussiblity, not just popularity. We also discovered that a book that is too long can be difficult for all of us to finish. “The Great Bridge” by David McCullough was in that category. While most of us liked it (though it was too technical for some), all agreed that we not choose another book of over 600 pages.

One of the highlights of the two years was the July 2008 book “The Dispossessed” by Ursula LeGuin. LeGuin joined the group for that discussion, and we were lucky enough to have the author right there to answer questions and listen to our thoughts as well. We also discussed her newest book, “Lavinia,” which was an added bonus.

Another special meeting was the May 2008 discussion of “Anatomy of a Murder” by Robert Traver, and viewing the movie the following week. We had decided early on not to read mysteries, but a person who was moving away asked if we could please do one, so this was a going away present enjoyed by all.

The group now has about 12 members, 10 of whom are regulars. We would like to have a few more readers join us for the 2009 season. Please read the next book and come check us out. We meet the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Cannon Beach library.