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Best Tidbits
Your book club might consider celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr Day by reading an autobiography or biography of this esteemed man. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr
. is a good choice as the famous I Have a Dream speech is included.
With the inauguration date fast approaching, here are two timely suggestions for your reading groups or for you just to read on your own: Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance , and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)
, both written by Barack Obama, our new President-elect.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! A great tip from a "faithful reader" in Kansas: One excellent choice for a New Year’s Resolution is to join or form a Book Club. Start off 2009 on the right track by reading a good book and talking it over with some friends. Look through this webpage to get more motivation to start or join a Book Club. It will be the best New Year’s Resolution ever.
This is one of the last Tidbits of 2008 as I've had company and will have more beginning Saturday! Need to cook instead of spend time on the Internet! Click on this link to NoveList and see David Carr's list of Books of the Year and have a Happy New Year of reading!
Mark your calendars.......Thomas Hardy's classic novel, Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics)
will air in a two-part series as a PBS Masterpiece™ Classic on January 4th and 11th.
If you like historical romantic suspense novels, try Kate Morton's The House at Riverton: A Novel .
(It reminds readers of the romantic suspense of Daphne Du Maurier.) I'm reading it between wrapping gifts and baking Christmas cookies! It's a great read and hard to put down!
Thanks to a faithful reader from Missouri for this comment. "I saw on the NBC Nightly News that the Los Angeles, CA public library system experienced their busiest year ever in 2008. The librarian interviewed said they credit a significant part of that activity due to readers that no longer wish to purchase books but are now remembering that public libraries actually loan the books that you can return when you're finished!"
So don't forget your local library is a great place to get books for your group if members don't want to spend their money buying them.
A new idea for your book club is to serve wine to go along with the book you're reading, that is, if your group drinks wine! Choose one of the hot new Spanish wines when reading a book set in Spain. You get the idea!
If you are thinking of joining an established book club, be sure to check out the type of book club, what they read, their ground rules, gender, and all those other things that matter to you or you could find yourself in a group not to your liking and you'll be disappointed!
In the December 7, 2008 New York Times, Ann Kent, the founder of Book Group Expo, is quoted "Today there are perhaps four million to five million book groups in the United States, and the number is thought to be rising." She goes on to say, “I firmly believe there was an uptick in the number of book groups after 9/11, and I’m expecting another increase in these difficult economic times,” she said.
We’re looking to stay connected and to have a form of entertainment that’s affordable, and book groups are an easy avenue for that.”
Reading Group Choices gives a list of reasons to give books for gifts. This should help you with your shopping for the holidays!
Opening January 9, 2009 is another film adapted from a great book! It's The Reader (Oprah's Book Club) , by Bernhard Schlink.
(15-year-old Michael Berg and an older woman, Hanna, have a passionate love affair as Michael reads German classics aloud to her before making love. Hanna disappears without a word and years later Michael encounters her as the defendant in a court case where she is being tried as a war criminal.)
Religious Seasons - Many book clubs are organized in churches and other communities of faith. Your group can select a reading that would make a good
spiritual connection to a particular religious season or observance. For example, Christians can choose a special book for the Christmas season, Jews can choose special books relating to Hanukkah, and African Americans, Kwanzza.
It's December 1st and Christmas is a-comin'. A great read for your book group this month would be that favorite classic, A Christmas Carol
, by Charles Dickens. Watch it on television, or get tickets to the play if it's being presented in your area, too!
One last celebration for November - It's Native American Heritage Month as well! Celebrate by reading The Plague of Doves: A Novel
, by Louise Erdrich or any of the good books by other Native American authors.
Happy Thanksgiving Day!! In between eating your traditional turkey dinner and enjoying family and friends, take time to relax and read a book!!
Many have sought to be president, but elections only allow for one winner. Why not choose for your book club a biography on a presidential election loser, someone who ran for president but did not win the election? For example:
, William Jennings Bryan, Aaron Burr, Henry Clay, Thomas Dewey or Adlai Stevenson. We can learn a lot from those who wanted to serve our country as president but did not get the opportunity. There are several good books written by or about John McCain, our latest presidential election loser, as well.
Rainy Day Books in Fairway, KS, posts Book Club Favorites from readers in the KC metro area. Has your group thought about reading and discussing any of these great suggestions??
Since women of all ages are reading the wildly popular Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
series by Stephenie Meyers, perhaps your book club will read and discuss it, too! You can find discussion questions on the Internet by entering "Twilight discussion questions". Have fun!!
The winner of the National Book Award for 2008 is Shadow Country (Modern Library)
, by Peter Matthiessen, a revision of a trilogy of his novels originally released in the '90s. The winners of the award receive $10,000. Mattiessen also won this award in 1979 for his nonfiction work, The Snow Leopard (Penguin Classics)
.
After your group chooses the book you're going to read, search the Internet for discussion questions, if they are not in the book. One site to try is my favorite, ReadingGroupGuides.com, as they have lists of over a thousand titles, including a little author information, brief reviews of the book plus suggestions for reading by genre. Also included are questions for Non Fiction titles which are usually not provided by the publisher.
This interesting article from the Kansas City Star tells of the filming of Boy In the Striped Pajamas 
, by John Boyne. The book has been a very popular book club read, too.
Two new films, adapted from popular books, are opening nationwide on November 21. First is a great book club read about the friendship between a concentration camp prisoner and the son of a Nazi officer, Boy In the Striped Pajamas
, by John Boyne. The second is the first book in Stephanie Meyer's exciting and popular Twilight Saga series, Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
. Why not read the books and see the films with your book club??
Have you heard about Playaways, the newest format of audio all in one small unit? You no longer need to download to hear a book on tape - just press the ON button! Many books are now available in this format including that book club favorite, Water for Elephants: Library Edition
. They're convenient and cool, too!
ReadingGroupGuides.com features an excerpt about book clubs from author Camilla Morton's book, How to Walk in High Heels: The Girl's Guide to Everything .
As the title suggests, there are a lot more fun topics included in this book, too!
Speaking of a good book ..... I just read The Gifted Gabaldón Sisters
, by Lorraine M. Lopez. It's the fascinating story of four sisters, each named after movie stars: Bette Davis, Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth, and Sophia Loren. And their quest to find an answer to a puzzling mystery in their lives. Has lots of wonderful multicultural flavor!
Read any good books lately? When you get together with a group, whether it be family, friends, or work partners, don't forget to talk about the books you are reading. It's a great way to pick up suggestions for your own future reading!
November is designated as another very important awareness month; it's both National Alzheimer’s Disease Month (NADAM) and National Family Caregiver Month.
Why not have your book club read books with AD as a theme? These two titles, one fiction and one non fiction, both deal with it: The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel  , by Debra Dean and Measure of the Heart: A Father's Alzheimer's, A Daughter's Return
, by Mary Ellen Geist work very well together. They could be read and discussed at the same meeting or one after the other.
Remember all our veterans on Veteran's Day, November 11th, by reading a book on the Native Americans who served in our armed forces. Warriors in Uniform: The Legacy of American Indian Heroism
, by Herman J. Viola would be a great read! A good fiction read is Last of the Breed
by Louis L'Amour, the story of a Native American Air Force pilot who is shot down over Russia and uses his native skills to escape. I have suggested this book to many readers and they really enjoyed it!
Michael Crichton, author of the novel Jurassic Park
, died Tuesday at age 66 of cancer. He was also the creative force behind the television series ER and was noted for his "techno thrillers". If your book group chooses not to read that genre, read one of his books on your own to honor this prolific author.
Veteran's Day is November 11th. Why not read a book on World War I such as All Quiet on the Western Front , by Erich Maria Remarque and then visit the World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO? Or you could read Tim O'Brien's book, The Things They Carried and visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. There are also World War II and Korean War Memorials in Washington, D.C. If you don't live near those memorials, locate a memorial nearby and then choose a related book to discuss.
Election Day is fast approaching! Don't forget to vote. And then read one or both of these books by the presidential candidates: Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, by Barack Obama, and Faith of My Fathers , by John McCain.
All Saints Day on November 1st could inspire book clubs to chose an autobiography or biography of a saint (St. Augustine Confessions (Oxford World's Classics)
) or (A Man for All Seasons
about St. Thomas More) or by someone we admire to have the qualities of a saint (No Greater Love
by Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
One of my very favorite books is Fair and Tender Ladies (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
, by Lee Smith. It takes place in Appalachia and was my first "epistolary fiction" read. I'm reading another one that is on the New York Times Best Seller List and is also a great read - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. These are two totally different books told through letters. Your book group would enjoy reading either one or both of these titles!
A "faithful Liberty, MO reader" wonders if there are any books on Al Smith, the first Catholic to run for President on a major party ticket. Yes, there are two good books that were published fifty-seven years after Smith's death within a year of each other, Alfred E. Smith: The Happy Warrior
, by Christopher M. Finan and Empire Statesman: The Rise and Redemption of Al Smith
, by Robert A. Slayton.
Why do so many of the books I place on Hold at my library arrive all once?? The "to be read" pile on my nightstand just keeps growing! I'm currently reading The Other Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory, and find it a very interesting story of Mary Queen of Scots. Waiting are: When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel
by Kate Atkinson, Devil's Brood
by Sharon Kay Penman, The English Major: A Novel
by Jim Harrison, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I'm looking forward to reading them all!
Thanks to a "faithful reader from Texas" for sending this link to some good reading suggestions: Fall For a Good Book: The Seasons Best Reads. Have you read any of them yet?
The National Book Award finalists were announced on October 15th in Chicago. The winners will be announced on November 19, 2008. Stay tuned for another of the major award winners!
Don’t forget about Large Print books. If you have low vision or when your eyes are tired after a long day at work, this is the way to go. One problem - some books in that format are so large that when you read in bed they’re called "chest crushers" for good reason! (I just finished reading the Large Print edition of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, 
by Amanda Foreman and it qualifies!!)
The 2008 Man Booker Prize Winner was announced on October 14. The winner is The White Tiger: A Novel , by Aravind Adiga and is his first novel.
For more about this Award plus others, check out the Award Winners booklist.
Do you enjoy reading award winners?? I just finished The Road Home: A Novel , by Rose Tremain, the winner of the 2008 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction. It was a great read!
For more about this Award plus others, check out the Award Winners booklist.
Michael Ondaatje is another very famous Canadian author. Has your group read The English Patient and seen the movie?
The second Monday in October (this year it's the 13th) is Canada's Thanksgiving Day. Why not have your book club recognize that event by reading a book by one of the great Canadian authors such as The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel , by Margaret Atwood, or The Stone Diaries: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)  , by Carol Shields?
Speaking of Books Into Film....."The Duchess", based on the biography , Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire (Modern Library Paperbacks), and starring Keira Knightley, is now showing in theatres across the country. I just picked up my copy of the book and will read it first!
Since October is National Reading Group Month sponsored by the Woman's National Book Association Inc. be sure to check out one of their features on this website; Great Group Reads. You'll find a great title for your group to read and discuss!
The movie adapted from that great book club favorite, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, opens in theatres nationwide on October 17. Fox Searchlight has lots of great information for those wanting to know more!
Hispanic Heritage Month continues until October 15th. Choose another good read from this booklist of Hispanic Authors & Stories such as award winner, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , by Junot Diaz.
There are lots of ways to celebrate bookwise in October: one is National Reading Group Month: Celebrating the Joy of Shared Reading sponsored by the Woman's National Book Association Inc. Get your book club together and read and discuss a good book!
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A great idea would be to have your book group read a book relating to this terrible disease.
Try this new title,Time Is a River , by Mary Alice Monroe. Or read any of the nonfiction books on this subject.
Looking for a change of pace and a chance to support young readers? Contact
your local high school English Department to see if there is an interest in a
community book club located at the high school. Students could get extra credit
at school for reading the book and you will get "extra credit" for helping our
young people gain confidence in reading and discussing good literature.
Why not have your book club read a book from the Jewish Authors & Fiction booklist this time of year? This list includes Jewish authors and their stories about people and events in the Jewish community from historical to contemporary times.
Oprah has chosen The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel , by David Wroblewski, the story of a deaf boy growing up in a dog-rearing family in rural Wisconsin, for her Book Club. This is Wroblewski's first novel and has been a favorite read with book clubs.
Sign up at your local bookstore for their card and you'll receive lots of good information, via e-mail if you'd like, and discounts on your purchases. You can't go wrong!
World Alzheimer’s Day is September 21 when chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. Why not have your book club read books with AD as a theme?
These two titles, one fiction and one non fiction, both deal with it: The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel , by Debra Dean and The Family on Beartown Road: A Memoir of Love and Courage , by Elizabeth Cohen work very well together. They could be read and discussed at the same meeting or one after the other.
Another book to read during Hispanic Heritage Month is one that is very popular with book groups: The Shadow of the Wind , by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. In Barcelona, a boys widowed father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona's guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, to choose a book. Daniel selects a novel by Julian Carax and begins a quest to find his other works only to find someone is destroying every copy of the other books written by this author.
In keeping with the Hispanic Heritage Month theme, why not begin your reading with a classic? A great choice would be Bless Me, Ultima , by Rudolfo Anaya.
This classic novel and winner of the Premio Quinto Sol national Chicano literary award is a coming of age story of a young boy in New Mexico in the 1940s who tries to bring together the beliefs of his parents two very different families, as well as Native American religion, with Roman Catholicism.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins today September 15th and continues until October 15th. Have your book club, or read on your own, one of the many great books written by Hispanic authors. This booklist will give you lots of good ideas.
September 11.....what a terrible tragedy for our nation! Let us remember those involved by reading one of the many books written about that day either with your book club or on your own. Here are a few good reads: Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 , by
Damon DiMarco and What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, in Words, Pictures, and Video , by Dan Rather.
Another choice might be a new graphic memoir, just reviewed in the NYT Book Review, American Widow , by Alissa Torres.
There are also fiction works relating to this event such as A Disorder Peculiar to the Country: A Novel , by Ken Kalfus.
The shortlist of six novels for The Man Booker Prize was announced today. The winner of this award will be announced on October 14.
The Booker prize is awarded to the best full length novel written the current year in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.
A reader suggests book groups might want to read a book about hurricanes since that season is upon us! You might try Lost in Katrina , by Mikel Schaefer or one about the Galveston, Texas hurricane of September 8, 1900, Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History , by Erik Larson. Both very timely reads!
John Mark Eberhart of the Kansas City Star says The Glass Castle: A Memoir , by Jeanette Walls is "one of the best memoirs I've ever read" and I agree! It is both sad and funny. Check out the Biography & Memoirs booklist for other good reads.
Have you ever wondered why you enjoy reading some books more than others? Well, it's all about the appeal characteristics in every book as defined by Joyce Saricks, Reader's Advisory guru. Click on Fiction Appeal in the left column to read more about these characteristics.
Quotation sent to me from an avid reader in Texas!
"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you."
Mortimer Adler, American Aristotelian philosopher and author.
Just read of another book made into film this year! The film is Elegy and stars Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, and Dennis Hopper. It was adapted from Philip Roth's 2001 novel, The Dying Animal and is getting good reviews.
Still thinking political conventions?? One down and one more to go, then Election Day! Here are two timely suggestions for your reading groups or for you just to read on your own: Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, by Barack Obama, and Faith of My Fathers, by John McCain.
This afternoon I finished reading Katie Fforde's latest book, Wedding Season, and it was great! I love reading books that take place in England and love the vocabulary and customs and this book did not disappoint me!
Now that the political conventions are taking place, how about reading some political fiction with your book group? Just for fun, you can start with something light such as Kissing Babies at the Piggly Wiggly ,
by Robert Dalby and then progress to a little more serious work!
One of my favorite websites is Trashionista.com. You can find reviews and other information on all types of female fiction from chick lit, beach reads, bestsellers, new releases and old favorites. It's included on my list of Favorite Links. Take a look!
Another popular books was made into film and is playing in my area right now! It's Tell No One , by Harlen Coben and is a real thriller!
Your book group may like to read the book and then see the film as it's getting great reviews as well.
There are lots of books being made into movies these days. Three of the more popular book club reads will be coming to theatres this Fall: Nights in Rodanthe , by Nicholas Sparks, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, and Boy in the Striped Pajamas , by John Boyne. Read the book and then go to the movies!
What Was Lost: A Novel , by Catherine O’Flynn was the winner of the 2007 Costa First Novel Award. It was also short listed for The Guardian First Book Award, and long listed for the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. The first chapters are told from the point of view of a young girl, Kate Meany, who believes she is an amateur detective and stakes out perceived criminals, especially at the large shopping mall. Readers are lulled into thinking "what a nice pleasant read!" when Kate disappears, This was a great read!
Following suggestions by readers, two booklists have been updated: Hispanic Authors and Stories and NonFiction Stories. Take a look. You just might find a "good read."
With the Olympics this year, what fun it would be to read a book about a great Olympic athlete such as: Jim Thorpe, Original All-American , Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive , Mark Spitz: The Extraordinary Life of an Olympic Champion , or
Mary Lou Retton: Gold Medal Gymnast (Sports Stars) . Many of the great Olympic athletes wrote autobiographies and they have inspiring life stories. Or, you could choose a book that has to do with important events surrounding the Olympics: 1936 in Nazi Germany, 1972 murders of Israeli athletes, the 1980 boycott of the Moscow games, etc.
The winner of the 2008 Hugo Awards was announced August 9, 2008. The World Science Fiction Society gives this award annually and it is considered the most prestigious of the Science Fiction awards.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel (P.S.) , by Michael Chabon
Have you read the national bestseller, The Last Lecture , by Randy Pausch? This little book adds background to the lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon, Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, when he announced he was dying of cancer. It's a great read for book groups, too.
Since the 2008 Olympics are in full swing, why not read a book that takes place in Beijing, China for a "sense of place". Two suggestions are Beijing Coma: A Novel , by Ma Jian and The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel , by Nicole Mones.
Did you know...... Jean Plaidy, Philippa Carr, Victoria Holt plus more are pseudonyms of Eleanor Hibbert? She was a very prolific author!! (If you enjoy reading historical novels, check the Historical Fiction booklist for some other good suggestions.)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is a new movie! Ann Brashares' books were written for young adults but women everywhere have fallen in love with them. Book clubs are discussing the books as they are so much fun!
Nobel Prize winning Russian author, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, died Sunday in Moscow. He was the author of the classic novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: A Novel .
Heading off to the beach and need a good book to read while relaxing in the sun? I just suggested Lauren Weisberger's Chasing Harry Winston: A Novel to my granddaughter who is traveling to to Florida for a little R & R and needs some Beach Reads. It's on the New York Times Best Sellers List, too.
If you love to visit foreign lands but find you're not able to go anywhere this year, read about it instead! The Traveler's Tales booklist has lots of good suggestions for good reads taking place in foreign countries so you can travel that way!
Your group can select a book based on the release of a motion picture film. Read the book in your book club, then go see the film. FYI - Harlan Coben's book titled, Tell No One, has just been released on film. It's a great suspense story if your group likes that genre.
The shortlist of books nominated for the 2008 Man Booker Prize for Fiction was announced recently. The winner will be announced on October 14. The prize rewards the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.
Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, into
another's skin, another's voice, another's soul. - Joyce Carol Oates
I've gathered a few of my favorite web site links in one spot for all to see. They range from sites where you can locate discussion questions for your favorite titles, to a site to list titles you've read, to a book forum and more. All very interesting sites, I think! You can locate this list under Favorite Links on the left side of each page of the web site.
Randy Pausch, the author of the best selling book, The Last Lecture, died on July 26, 2008 at age 47. He was a college professor at Carnegie Mellon University whose "last lecture" was published and became very successful.
Evelyn Waugh's classic work, Brideshead Revisited , is making the news these days as it's been made into a movie and will be in theatres July 25. If your group decides to read the book as well as see the movie, search the Internet for available discussion questions.
Luncheon of the Boating Party , by Susan Vreeland is a
a popular book club read this season. It is based on Renior's famous painting and deals with the lives of the thirteen people featured in it during the late 1800s in Paris. I'm reading it now and find it a little bit slow paced but it's very interesting to learn about the different Impressionists and their techniques. A great book for those who love art and history, too!
After you've chosen the book your group will read and discuss, compile a list of "related reads" for your members which will broaden their understanding and/or interest in the theme. For example, if you read The Friday Night Knitting Club , by Kate Jacobs, you can list other books with knitting as a main theme. Titles can be novels, biographies, or even non fiction reads that will appeal to your members.
I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. Charles de Secondat
From David Baldacci's website: On July 12, 2008, during ThrillerFest 2008, the International Thriller Writers celebrated and announced the winners for its literary awards in a gala celebration at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. The Silver Bullet Award for contributions to the advancement of literacy was presented to both Macy's and to David Baldacci.
Readers across the world voted for the Best of the Booker prize and the winner was Salman Rushdie’s Midnight's Children: A Novel . The original Man Booker prize goes to any full-length novel, written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and published during the current year.
I'm reading an Australian fiction story since one of my granddaughters is in that country for World Youth Day. I chose Miles Franklin's My Brilliant Career;  It is really good reading and the "sense of place" is wonderful! It's also available on DVD as My Brilliant Career starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill.
Chris Bohjalian, author of Skeletons at the Feast and The Double Bind  , is one of those authors who will have a phone chat with your book group. Visit Chris' website and arrange your chat.
This time of year, Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic, would be a good book to read and discuss with your group. You can even watch the film, Born on the Fourth of July  , starring Tom Cruise.
Don't forget....children enjoy reading too! Many bookstores and libraries have summer reading programs for kids (and teens). The kids read a certain number of books and fill out a reading log to turn in for free books and other gifts/prizes. Try Barnes and Noble and Half Price Books to see what they offer.
Take a look at the Booklists section on this web page. They are divided into popular categories and titles that lend themselves to good discussions for your book group. I read many of these books and many have been suggested by my friends as good books to read. (Of course there’s no guarantee as sometimes it happens that the title one group may love the next group will dislike!)
Since one of my granddaughters is heading for World Youth Day in Australia in July I’ve been interested in Australian fiction. On a weblog, Mathilda, I read that Steven Carroll recently won the Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia’s most significant literary prize, for The Time We Have Taken. I can’t locate it in our library and it is "currently unavailable" from Amazon.com. Guess I'll have to try Interlibrary Loan or order a copy from Australia!
As of 8:57 pm. on June 23, 2008 there have been 3000 hits to the Book Club Du Jour web site! How exciting! And thank you to all who visit this site. I hope you find lots of good information there!
I am so excited to read that Kate Atkinson, author of recent novels, Case Histories: A Novel and One Good Turn: A Novel , featuring the former private detective Jackson Brodie, has written a new book with Brodie as a main character - When Will There Be Good News?: A Novel.
Have you heard BookSense.com changed to IndieBound.org on July 1, 2008? You will still be able to access the same information as before plus more. You can browse the indie bestsellers lists, check out the latest bookseller recommendations, and search for indie booksellers in your area!
I happened upon the Trashionista.com web site recently and shared the link with my granddaughters who love "chick lit" so they can find more fun books to read. There is much more on this site as well; author blogs included. It's fun!
Author Cecilia Sanmartin's first novel won the prestigious Mariposa Award for best first book (English) by a Latina or Latino, given by the International Latino Book Awards, for her debut novel of 2007, Broken Paradise: A Novel .
This book about Cuban best friends separated by politics has also been published in many European countries.
Chasing Harry Winston: A Novel, Lauren Weisberger's new book, debuted at #6 on the New York Times Best Sellers List last Sunday. Lauren is best known as the author of The Devil Wears Prada .
I just finished reading David Baldacci’s new thriller titled, The Whole Truth , another nail biter! But what impressed me most is something I read as part of his biography on the book jacket. Mr. Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, are founders of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports literary efforts across America. A part of that Foundation is a program called Feeding Body and Mind which helps to spread books to those in need across America as well. What great projects from a great author!!
David Baldacci's book, Wish You Well , is a great book club read and there is a reading guide available as well.
There are many reasons people join book clubs: to share what they’re reading with others,
to find out what others are reading, to read books they might not choose to read on their own, to meet new friends, and
for a fun social activity!!
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb
Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, into
another's skin, another's voice, another's soul. - Joyce Carol Oates
Today while running errands, I listened to NPR to hear noted author Ursula Le Guin saying Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak was a book she considered a "must read." Check NPR Summer Books 2008 for more great reading suggestions.
The Tender Bar , by J. R. Moehringer is a great Father’s Day read! With an absent father and needing a male influence in his life, J. R. turned to the flamboyant patrons of a grand old New York saloon as surrogates. For more on this book, click on the following link to Reading Group Choices.com.
Book club packages, created by authors Laurel Osterkamp and Lynn Osterkamp for their books, include discount pricing, discussion guides, and a game based on their book characters to play at a meeting. They are available through PMI Books. Other authors may use the same concept to make it easier for book clubs. Search their web pages for information.
I'm reading Chris Bohjalian's new historical fiction novel titled, Skeletons at the Feast and it is really interesting. I enjoyed his previous novel, The Double Bind (Vintage Contemporaries), so much I knew I would like this one too!
When traveling, check if your destination has a paperback exchange. Many resort hotels or cruise ships have books for you to borrow while traveling rather than packing a stack of books for reading. Bring paperback books on your travel for lighter weight and so you can leave them behind for other readers. By the way, have you heard of BookCrossing.com? Just register for free on their web site and then leave the books you've read wherever you go!
According to a poll conducted by ReadingGroupGuides.com, the Top Ten Discussible Books of 2007 are:
1: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
3: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
4: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
5: The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
6: TIE: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
6: TIE: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
7: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
8: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
9: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
10: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
"Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are."- Mason Cooley
Another tip for when you travel or if you plan to just lie around while on vacation......order a Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device from Amazon.com and read, read, read!
Another popular idea is to choose two books with the same theme. These two titles, one fiction and one non fiction, both deal with Alzheimer's Disease: The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel , by Debra Dean and The Family on Beartown Road: A Memoir of Love and Courage, by Elizabeth Cohen work very well together. They could be read and discussed at the same meeting or one after the other.
If you love to travel take a look at a new booklist titled "Traveler’s Tales". There are listings for those who are thinking of visiting a different country or perhaps even moving there. These books are great for those who love reading for a sense of place! See how many spots you recognize on http://www.guessthespot.com/!
If you like to read books in series and don’t know what title was first or in what order they should be read, here’s a great web site where you can find all that information. Just go to What’s Next? on the Kent District Library in Michigan web page.
You might be interested in starting a book group that reads only novels from the list Modern Library: 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century. Lots of discussion has been ongoing about the novels that were chosen since this list was announced in The New York Times on Monday, July 20, 1998.
Try going international! The BBC has a World Book Club.
Tune into World Book Club on the internet to hear world famous authors talk to Harriett Gilbert about their key works. Listen to the latest edition with Edna O'Brien discussing The Country Girls. Forthcoming listens include Patricia Cornwell on Post-Mortem. You can even take part by submitting questions via the BBC webpage.
Go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/
In the Search box type in World Book Club.
Click on BBC Best Link - World Book Club.
If you're planning a trip or just staying home this summer, listening to books on audiotape or CD and downloadable books count as "reading" a book. You can listen in your car, on an airplane, while cleaning house, shopping, walking the mall, or just relaxing in your lounge chair on the patio. An interesting way to "read" a book is to listen to it on audiotape, CD, or downloaded. There are many excellent book choices available through your local library, bookstore, or on Amazon.com for those who may be visually impaired. This format is also a really great way to "read" a book!
A favorite book club is one where everyone reads a different book then meets to discuss them. Members could take turns writing down the list, perhaps adding a brief annotation, and sharing it with the others. Think of all the great reads you’ll find!
Besides reading and talking about your book club selection, another area to explore would be about the author of the book. Who wrote the book? What other books has the author written? What awards and recognition has the author received? Is the author still living? If so, maybe e-mail the author to share that you picked his or her book for your book club selection. The author will surely be honored, and you might even strike up a correspondence and conversation about the very book you selected for your book club.
Q: What is the longest word in the English language?
A: SMILES - there is a mile between the 1st and last letters.
Q: What is the tallest building in the world?
A: The library, because it has the most stories.
Did you know that many libraries now have Book Club kits they check out for book clubs to use? These kits make it much easier for your members as they don’t have to locate a copy of the title on their own. If you’re in charge of choosing the next selection, just bring a kit to your meeting and pass out the books!
How wreid is tihs? Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it dseo'nt mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig!
Paperbacks are great because you can take them with you wherever you go, and even leave them for another person to pick up and read! But have you ever wondered about the difference in paperback editions? Mass market paperbacks are smaller and are mostly printed on inexpensive paper and the more expensive trade paperbacks are larger and printed on a better quality paper.
Do you know where to get a book that might be out of print and your library doesn’t own a copy? Ask the Interlibrary Loan Department of your local library to order it from another library system for you. They most likely will be able locate a copy for you!
Narrative Nonfiction books are a popular choice for those who love a good story but don’t care for Fiction. You can find them in every subject imaginable: adventure, biographies, cooking, sports, travel and more. Some reading group web sites even include discussion questions for nonfiction titles.
You see the ISBN on books you read but do you know what it means? The International Standard Book Number is a unique 10 digit number assigned to each published book denoting the title of the book and the publisher and is used mainly for ordering purposes.
For a change of pace, ask your book club members to read and discuss a good romance novel. Nora Roberts and Sandra Brown are prolific authors who write books you will enjoy. (BTW, I met Nora Roberts at a library convention which was a big, big thrill for me!)
Many book clubs seek out the most recently published books to be read and discussed. But some clubs prefer the classics, books that were first read in high school in an English Literature course. Oftentimes reading a book again after many years, especially when discussed in a book club setting, can make the old book become new for us again. (Think about rereading Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics) !!)
Take advantage of the knowledge of bookstore and library staff to find what titles are the newest "hand sellers". They can clue you in on what's hot and really popular with book groups. By word of mouth, these books fly off the shelves. (Remember The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold plus others from a few years ago?)
Pay attention to your group dynamics. Everyone has their own personality, some are more extroverted while others are by nature very shy and introverted. To increase the chances that every member of the book club will enjoy the experience, it is often helpful to have a written format on how to review and discuss the book. Think about how much time people are allowed to speak. Is everyone given the chance to say something, even if they decline at a certain point? Go over these expectations in detail at the first meeting and maybe review them again at the beginning of each session.
Multi-generational Book Club - Reading books is a lifetime hobby for many of us. We can pass on the joy of reading to our grandchildren by forming a special book club consisting of grandparents and grandchildren. The grandchildren should be in the same grade level (6th or 7th grade) so the book is appropriate to their grade/age level. Then the book can be shared and enjoyed by grandparent and grandchild. What a great way to pass on the joy of reading to our grandchildren!
If someone in your book club is planning a big trip, why not make the next selection revolve around the place that will be visited: Historical or modern, fiction or non-fiction, the book will get everyone excited about the upcoming trip. The book will make the trip that much richer for the traveler. And for those who can't go on the trip, reading all about it is often the next best thing.
Before selecting a book that has been translated into English, be sure to research on the particular translation you are using. Not all translations are good. A bit of research by respected book reviewers, consulting with your local librarian, or even an e-mail to the local community college foreign language professor, can help confirm your decision to go with one translation over another. The result will be a better read for your group.
Many readers love books that have a real "sense of place." Why not read authors who write stories that take place in your city or state? A good one for Kansas readers would be The Virgin of Small Plains: A Novel , by Nancy Pickard or Too Near The Edge , by Lynn Osterkamp which is a book that takes place in Boulder CO. There are many, many more choices for every area in the US or world!
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