My book club is about to implode over a rule about a "palate cleanser" book.
By @tateactually · Friends
We have a long-standing rule that after a heavy book, we have to read something light. A member is now refusing, calling the rule 'infantilizing,' and it's tearing the group apart.
The full story
I joined this book club about three years ago, mostly with other women in their late 20s to early 40s. The entire point was to push ourselves to read books outside of our usual genres, and it's been great. Very early on, we hit a patch of several very dense, emotionally draining books in a row. A few members were on the verge of quitting from sheer burnout. To fix this, we created the "Palate Cleanser Protocol." The rule is straightforward: after any book that's over 500 pages or classified as "literary fiction" or "heavy non-fiction," the next month's pick must be under 350 pages and be something lighter—a romance, a thriller, a cozy mystery, even YA. For two years, this system has been perfect. It keeps the club from getting too pretentious or too depressing, and I'm convinced it's why we're still going strong. Well, last month we read a massive, brilliant, but incredibly challenging historical novel. It was fantastic, but everyone was ready for a break. As per the protocol, the member picking for this month was supposed to choose a palate cleanser. Instead, she announced she's picked another 700-page historical epic. When we gently reminded her of the rule, she got incredibly defensive. they said the rule is "infantilizing" to adult readers and that she doesn't "have time for fluff." they insisted she joined a book club to be intellectually challenged, not to read what she called "airport trash." Now the group chat is an absolute war zone. About half the group is siding with her, saying the rule is silly and we should just let people pick what they want. The other half, myself included, think the rule is the only thing keeping this club balanced and fun. We aren't saying we should never read serious books, but the mandatory break is what keeps it from feeling like a homework assignment. It feels disrespectful to the spirit of the group to just ignore a rule we all agreed on. Our meeting is this week and I honestly don't know what's going to happen.
How people voted
- Absolutely Agree — 10% (2 votes)
- Maybe — 55% (11 votes)
- Disagree — 35% (7 votes)
Readers say “Maybe” (55%) — 20 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@maybeitsme — She has some serious intellectual insecurity if a light fiction book feels threatening.
@ariaok — Wow what a fun and relaxing hobby you have there.
@taylorm — lmao
@finnmm — I'd pick the silliest, most ridiculous YA novel I could find for the next 'palate cleanser' just to spite her.
@maray — Why does one person get to choose the book for the entire group in the first place?
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