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June 29, 2009

On book club etiquette

ask amyI'm not a huge reader of Ask Amy or other advice columns (though I do completely order my life according to the daily horoscope). But I was drawn to this recent topic about a book club member who used the group's email list to drum up business for her husband.

Is this an isolated problem, or have others suffered such bad behavior? Now's the time to discreetly suggest to wayward members that some behavior modification is in order.

For the record, here's Amy's column: Dear Amy: I have a neighbor who is part of our book group. She doesn't often come to the meetings, but she has used our e-mail addresses to promote her and her husband's businesses and a student-exchange program. I only e-mail my neighbors about the next meeting. I am uncomfortable about this and would like to address the issue with her. Any suggestions?

Dear Concerned: In situations such as this, it is best to ask oneself, "What would Jane Austen do?" An Austen character would no doubt dispatch this issue with her customary rapier wit, all the while creating something of a commotion, which would be nicely and neatly resolved in about 200 pages.

Receiving a group e-mail three times over six months sounds tolerable to me, though it's obvious that you don't like it. Bring up these solicitations at your next book club meeting. If there is a consensus within your group, send your neighbor a group generated e-mail reminding her that these are private e-mail addresses, not to be used for sales purposes.

Otherwise, if you are on your own in objecting to this, reply to your neighbor yourself, asking her to please remove your e-mail address from her group e-mails. You needn't go into chapter and verse about her infractions and how they affect you -- keep it simple.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 6:00 AM | | Comments (4)
Categories: Book Clubs
        

Comments

I wonder if Amy knows that the Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" would dispatch the offending book club member with a few well-placed kicks to the head.

I remember reading this. And I don't consider three "commercial" emails sent to a "personal" group list acceptable over any time period.

I really am a b*tch.

Eve, I bet a lot of folks feel the way you do. Members of my book club may point out a news article that others would be interested in, but they stay away from commercial emails.

Hi,

Ref : Another Day in Paradise – Mark Reece ISBN 9780956419804

Please forgive the unwarranted mail, but I hope you might find the following book of interest to your readers. The title is ‘Another day in Paradise’ and it is written by Mark Reece.

The book was launched two weeks ago and is currently receiving some great reviews.

Max Clifford said, ‘ one of the best reads, I’ve ever read.’
Sorted Magazine said, ‘ I couldn’t put it down. I was hooked from the first paragraph.’
Daniella Westbrook said, ‘ My favourite book of all time.’
Mike Osman said, ‘ Absolutely brilliant. I lost sleep reading this book. Should be a film.’

Please see www.anotherdayinparadise.co.uk

Or view the Youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twKXjrOGKrk

Kind regards,
Mark Reece
Tel : 001626 335000 ( + 44 1626 33 5000 )
www.anotherdayinparadise.co.uk

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About the blogger
Dave Rosenthal came to The Baltimore Sun as a business reporter in 1987 and now is the Maryland Editor. He reads a wide range of books (but never as many as he'd like), usually alternating between non-fiction and fiction. Some all-time favorites: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole; Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery; and anything by Calvin Trillin or John McPhee. He belongs to a book club with a Jewish theme.
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