Since 2003, San Francisco's topical discussion group, Chatopic (as in "chat" on different topics), has had a simple format. A small group commits to reading a series of eight books over the course of a year. The group meets every six weeks to discuss the then-current reading, and after the discussion, commiserates over dinner.
It's fun, social, educational, and stretches the boundaries, since the books are hugely varied, often focusing on topics that group members would otherwise never develop a well-formed perspective on (if left to their own devices).
Plus, the make-up of the group is eclectic, ranging from techies to architects, stagehands to real estate developers and food wholesalers.
- Understanding Comics
- When Corporations Rule the World
- Good to Great
- The Rape of Europa
- Animal Liberation
- The Making of a Chef
Chatopic 2010 is upon us, with this series including a charged analysis of the politics of Obama; a precis on better planning/outcomes via the lowly checklist; a post-mortem of the financial crisis from the inside; and a dissection of the rapidly changing state of American journalism, among other topics.