“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” Groucho Marx

Some of my friends have a book club and they would like me to join.  Contrary to the title of this post, I am considering it. The problem is that they may want to get rid of me soon thereafter and I hate to put them in that position.  It would be so awkward with them being my friends, not just Facebook friends but actually friends in the real physical world.
The first time they invited me to the book club they were reading the Twilight series.  I was pretty tactless when I told them I was never planning on reading this series of books.  Romeo and Juliet with a vampire twist minus the tragic ending.  I just couldn't get into the mania.  I don't know everything they have read lately but I know they read  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Emma by Jane Austin.  
The other night one of the girls put her copy of The Hunger Games in my hands and said they would be starting the second book soon and then gave me a look like, "stop being such an anti-social stick in the mud."  I was given instructions to read this one first so I wouldn't be behind.

I read the book and it was entertaining enough.  You see if I would stop right there, I would make a fine club member but I know I can't stop. I should add that if you haven't heard of this book it has good reviews. It is a #1New York's Times best seller.  So who do I think I am to be a nay-sayer? Here's my chump change opinion.   The book was entertaining.  The author admits that the inspiration came while watching reality TV.  Reading it is  a lot like watching Survivor. except that people die instead of getting voted off.  (By the way, I will probably give stuff away so spoiler alert).  There is also some Big Brother in the mix (as in 1984 by George Orwell not the TV show) and some werewolf-like creatures thrown in at the end. The reasons this book only rates an unenthusiastic "entertaining" from me are:
1.  The werewolf-like creatures.  I know this is a personal bias. If the author has to call in werewolves, vampires, cyborgs or aliens for the big finish,  I can't help but think she ran out of ideas.
2.  When I read a book I want it to feel like I'm reading a book and not watching TV or a movie. I don't mind if they make a movie about a book later, but there should be a different feel. It distracts me when I get the sense that everything is being crafted for the big screen. I start to hear a cha-ching sound in my head and I can see the author skipping to the bank with bags of money.  I don't begrudge writers making money, I just want to hold on to some stupid romantic notion that the money was not the primary motivation in the writing.
3. The ending of the book is just the set up for the next book. I prefer the end to be the end, not to be the to be continued.....   I had the same problem with the Harry Potter books.  I liked Harry Potter but by the end (or rather the to be continued) of the fourth book I had just about had my fill. By the time I had read the last book I was just worn out.
4. On a positive note, every now and then there was a phrase or word choice that I really enjoyed. If it had been my own copy of the book, I would have underlined them.  I would have liked more of that.