Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky warned me back in 1968 about anchoring. They said that when a painter offers to paint my room for $100, that price of $100 may well serve as an anchor for my thinking. Offers for less are "cheaper" while offers for a higher price are "more expensive". The anchor serves much like the zero on the Farenheit temperature scale, a reference point.
When my book club decides on the next book, my brain refers to a price for the book using the reference point of $9.99 for an e-copy. That price or lower is ok and higher isn't ok. If I am not enthusiastic about a book and the price is above my reference point, I often look for a summary of the book. Cliff's Notes are still around but there are alternatives sometimes. I am persnickety and don't want a long summary.
The club discusses a book, which is a complicated social event. It can involve a wide range of questions and comments. I try somewhat to be a good member of the group but even knowing the book by heart doesn't guarantee that I will contribute valuable comments. I realize that I make some contribution by showing up and commenting when appropriate.
A participant in a talk I gave recently said that he saves money and gets ideas about a book from YouTube. He said that between authors, booksellers and publishers promoting a book and comments and presentations related to it, he picks up plenty of information about a book and even its effect, reception by others and opinions about it and related works.
