Book Group Helpers
Posted by: Mary Ellen
Barbara Mead, president of Reading Group Choices, got in touch with us this week to tell us how much she likes Book Group Buzz. If you don’t know Reading Group Choices it’s an organization that develops “resources that enhance the reading group experience.” Their Web site is a great source for recommendations of discussable books and discussion topics. For featured titles, you can find bibliographic data, a summary, an author bio, and helpful “conversation starters.” There are author interviews as well.
Reading Group Choices has been at it since 1994, so there are lots of books on the site, which can be seached by author, title, publisher, genre, and more. In addition to the Web site, they publish a print guide, now in its 14th edition, and will provide one complimentary copy to libraries. You can order a copy of the guide by going to the Web site and registering using the code RGC in the code box. Additional copies can be ordered for a special library price.
If tasks like maintaining membership lists and sending meeting reminders are threatening to derail your group, try GenerousBooks, a community that provides free services for book clubs.
February 5th, 2008 at 1:36 am
I LOVE Reading Group Guides! I’ve been a fan of their work for years and still use the little booklets in workshops I give on book groups. What I like best is the mix of fiction and nonfiction and RGG’s ability to mine the gems from the mid-list publishing pile. Just because a book didn’t get onto the NYTBR doesn’t mean it’s not worth discussing. RGG knows this.