The Book Haters' Book Club

by Gretchen Anthony

• ISBN10: 077833306X
• ISBN13: 9780778333067
• Publish Date: 13 September 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Park Row
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Okay, as an avid reader, this title immediately caught my attention. Was this a tongue-in-cheek title? I had to know more! Written by Gretchen Anthony, I found The Book Hater's Book Club full of surprises.

They say that people who don't read haven't found the right books for them. Perhaps that is true. It's what Elliot hoped for – and that is why he started a book club-style newsletter oriented towards people that hate reading. It was Elliot's dream to help connect people with 'their' books.

Then Elliot passed away, leaving the bookstore in the hands of his business partner, Irma. While Irma is willing to sell the bookstore and move on, others within the community aren't so willing to give up on Elliot's dreams.

I'll be the first to say that The Book Hater's Book Club had a lot of potential. Actually, on more than one occasion, I found myself wishing that the newsletter was real! I love the idea – of trying to help people find a book that can get them into reading.

Anyway, moving on. I must admit that while I enjoyed The Book Hater's Book Club, I didn't love it as much as I had expected. I think the biggest problem this novel faced was pacing. It was just too slow at points. I don't mind a novel that doesn't rush to get to the point, but I expect to get there eventually.

It felt like The Book Hater's Book Club got bogged down by the details. The first half of the novel is centered on the sale of Elliot's bookstore, which is heartbreaking. But that means that the first half of this book was spent setting the scene.

My favorite parts of the book involved Elliott's letters, which were mixed in around all of the drama and attempted to save the bookstore. I enjoyed Elliot's insight. I only wish we had seen a novel written while he was alive. That would have had so much passion in it.

I don't regret the time spent reading The Book Hater's Book Club, though obviously, there are some things I would have loved to see done differently. I can still see this as the perfect book for some readers, and I love that.

Thanks to Park Row and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy

[Jeff Sexton]

Novel Approach To Novel Writing. I *really* like what Anthony did here with the interludes throughout the book, including opening and closing. It becomes very clear (because one of the early ones is "signed') quite early exactly who this person is, but the way Anthony writes them and where she chooses to place them are indeed quite novel in my experience, and thus this book is recommendable for this feature alone. Then there are the (Minnesota-specific) actual book recommendations spiced throughout the tale, in the form of newsletters the bookstore/ book club sent out periodically. And again: *Actual. Books.*. As in, you can search for them on your preferred site and buy them yourself! Which, again, is novel and recommendable for this feature alone.

Actual story-wise, we spend the first half of the book with many of our characters in shock and trying to prevent what they see as a travesty... and then a bombshell is dropped when the answers they've been begging for are finally provided. This bombshell twists the entire book to pivot in a new direction... and gives them all much more depth. Throughout both halves there is quite a bit of humor and heart, and there are a lot of different threads and themes going on here. (So those readers that prefer a more contained/ linear / singular focused tale... I still say give this one a try, but know going in it may not be your thing.) Ultimately the story itself is strong enough here, and the novel aspects of the writing truly take this book over the top in the best ways. Very much recommended.