The LBG Year in Review: Ian McEwan’s powerful The Children Act collects top honours in the 2015 LBG survey, besting a clutch of rivals hot on the heels of the narrow winner in a remarkably tight race.
Overall the razor-thin differential reflects a generally balanced year with no clear stand-out title dominating the annual voting.
Membership Year in Review Vote
Observed choice quality within the readership is down: 2015 stats show the lowest report of book choice quality since inception.
The overall satisfaction level with the 2015 reading list dipped below the 4.0 mark, the lowest level recorded since the group’s initial meeting in 2003, and is reflected in the end-of-year review vote distribution.
One title in particular, The Martian by Andy Weir, generated the greatest polarity in opinion of any book read to date, earning both zero- and five-star ratings from the membership.
It was also the second year in a row where a title failed to crack the 3.0 rating barrier.
While these ratings do generally suffice as a general barometer of the overall quality of selections, there may be other conclusions to draw from depressed satisfaction figures. For example, selections considered less mainstream, experimental or polarising might strongly divide opinion – and result in lower quality scores – but, quixotically, actually drive greater membership participation and group satisfaction.
Challenging or divisive books may not make for great end-of-year stats but they usually foster strong, vibrant discussion, enriching the whole experience.