August 03, 2021

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Do You Like to Read with Others (Buddy Reads, Readalongs, Bookclubs, etc.)?


Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). While Heidi is on an extended hiatus, there are five of us who are hosting it and providing the questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real LifeJen at That's What I'm Talking AboutKaren at For What It's WorthLinda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...

DO YOU LIKE TO READ WITH OTHERS (BUDDY READS, READALONGS, BOOKCLUBS, ETC.)?

I've never been involved in bookclubs, and I'm not totally sure how a readalong is different from a buddy read. Maybe there are more than two people involved? Anyhow, my only real experience with buddy reads so far has been with the lovely Carrie @ Bright, Beautiful Things (she's on Tumblr - though she's in the process of building a Wordpress site - but do yourself a favour and follow/friend her on Goodreads: she reads most genres and writes awesome reviews!). To be precise, I also started a buddy read with Lindsi @ Do You Dog-Ear? once, but she wasn't feeling the book, so I told her she didn't need to suffer through it for my sake 😉 - anyhow, the experience in itself was really nice. Back to Carrie, the thing with her is, not only she's pretty much the only bookish friend I have whose tastes overlap with mine a lot (not to mention, she's a fellow Christopher Pike fan 😁), but she's always willing to discuss books in detail and dissect them/guess where they're going, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. We've buddy-read a number of books to date, and it's always been a riot. Bottom line, buddy reads can be a lot of fun, and I'm open to do more of them with anyone who happens to have one of my TBR books on their list!


Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of August:

  • August 10th: Tell us about the best summer job you've had
  • August 17th: Do you ever buy physical copies of your NetGalley/Edelweiss approvals? (a question I submitted)
  • August 24th: Do you have any pets? Tell us about them (past or present)
  • August 31st: What books are you looking forward to reading in Fall 2021? (September-November)

I'll be back on August 17th, but I'm looking forward to reading your answers to the August 10th question!

Now tell me something...do you ever partner with your friends when you read?

26 comments:

  1. I did one buddy read with Tanya, but we read at different rates. So, we only really had a post discussion. I have never been in a book club either.

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    1. I suppose it would be difficult to buddy-read for someone who basically reads a book in one sitting! 😉

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  2. I did do a read along which is basically you reading the same book with a few other people and then you discuss the book with the others in a blog post or elsewhere but its still mainly just you reading alone.

    I love to buddy read some day but I don't know if I can read a book set to a particular length of time. The trouble with reading with someone is that, as you mentioned here, they will sometimes not like the book and don't want to finish and then, you're left to read by yourself. I guess it's hard to find a book that two people can like as there are millions of choices out there. It really is nice to have shared opinions or even opposite opinions.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. Thank you for explaining readalongs to me. And yeah, it takes people with similar tastes in order to buddy-read, but then again, it's more fun when their brains are on different wavelengths, because that's how you understand the book better and/or notice different things.

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  3. I don't do buddy reads but I do love to discuss books with friends after.

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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  4. I do love to participate in book clubs. Right now I'm in a club that's hosted by one of my favourite Survivor contestants, so it's been pretty cool to be able to interact with him and other survivor fans. I haven't really engaged in much buddy-reading but I'm not opposed to it either. It'd be fun to rant with someone lol.

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    1. "Right now I'm in a club that's hosted by one of my favourite Survivor contestants".
      I didn't know there was such a thing! It must be fun.

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  5. Not a lot of my blogger friends read the same genre as I do so I don't really do buddy reads or readalongs with others.

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    1. I hope you'll find someone eventually! Buddy-reading is fun.

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  6. So I was actually writing a comment when your blog disappeared and thus my comment didn't go through lol. I've never done an official buddy read, but there are occasionally times when I'm reading a book at the same time as a blogging friend, usually when a new book in a series comes out, and it's always so fun to discuss! We can discuss when the final Deadgirl book comes out :-)

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    1. So you were there for the short-lived disaster LOL.

      Oh, yes! I would love to!

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  7. I've done a couple of readalongs (they were fun) but I've never been in a club actually. That's cool that you and Carrie have done a few! I'd like to do more readalongs or buddy reads but it's a matter I guess of matching up books or schedules. They are fun. Maybe we can do a buddy read sometime. :)

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    1. "it's a matter I guess of matching up books or schedules"
      Yep, that's the problem, isn't it? I seem to read stuff that most people don't LOL - or to read it after they have. I'd love to do a br with you though! I'm sure we would get along nicely. Let's find a book! 😉

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  8. How great to have a bookish friend whose taste is the same :D

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  9. I really love doing buddy reads! I think they are a great way to discuss books in detail and to talk about what worked / what didn't work for us in them. Also, something I find is that I'm more willing to read books I'm a bit hesitant to read on my own, simply because I know that, even if the book ends up being disappointing, the buddy-read will be a good experience and will allow me to rant if necessary, lol. I've always wanted to participate in a book club, but alas, I don't know of any. :(

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    1. LOL, yeah, buddy-reading makes up for a book that ends up being disappointing. I'm still bummed that we couldn't read Thirteen Storeys together. But I hope a new chance of buddy-reading will come up eventually!

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  10. I am crap at buddy reading honestly! In theory I like the idea, because I do LOVE discussing books with people, but I am just not good at reading in tandem, I guess. Sometimes I want to read faster, or some days I can't, etc. Plus I am always so behind on review books that I never have time to read my own stuff 😂

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    1. "Plus I am always so behind on review books that I never have time to read my own stuff 😂"
      Book bloggers' main problem 😂.

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  11. I was in a book club when I was in middle school. I guess it was okay. I remember the books we read, but I don’t remember anything we talked about.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Maybe you would enjoy it more as an adult. Certain things rarely stick at that age 🙂.

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  12. Thank you so much for the lovely shoutout, sweetface! 🥰💛 I always have the best time buddy reading with you. Our discussions are a blast, and nobody knows how to dissect a Pike book like you and me! (Whether or not they're meant to be read that closely is another thing entirely. 😅)

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    1. Ha! Good point. But we are the forensics of book readers! 😂 It's in our blood LOL.

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  13. I haven't done many buddy reads, but I've participated in book clubs and it's always fun to hear what other people's opinions are a book I like (or dislike). :)
    -Quinley

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