Does Anybody Read Book Reviews?

Ok, I don't want to shock anyone. Some people may find this a little hard to believe, but I love to read. I read constantly. I read the backs of shampoo bottles in the restroom because that's all there is to read. I read a lot. My favorite form of reading entertainment is the novel followed closely by short stories. My favorite genre is science fiction with a barely perceptible preference for that over fantasy. I just don't know what I'd do if I couldn't read.

And, if what I read is good, I love to talk about it. I love to compare and contrast what really communicated itself to me in the story, which characters I identified with and why, why the central question is worth pondering or whay I have pondered it myself without prompting from the story. All in all, I love to talk about what made it a good story - or what it was missing in terms of my enjoyment.

And there's the crux of the matter. I've joined book clubs. All most all of which turned out to be mostly; a) new writers looking for free critiques from a semi-knowlegable pool, or b) wanna-be writers looking for free advice. It wasn't about the reading...except as it help one write. I read other people's critiques, but hesitate to argue with their honest opinions because their experience is most definitely different than my own, as it should be.

So, where does one go to discuss books? If you have an idea, please feel free to let me know. In the meantime, I'll keep looking.