Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers - from the trusted experts at the American Library Association

I wanted to drop out of my graduate English program after only three weeks into my first class, Development of the Novel. I was the only one in the class pursuing the double master’s track and I gave that decision serious reconsideration because I was the only one in the class who didn’t know how [...]

I’m just returned from the biannual PLA conference, held in Portland. There were dozens of great sessions on every reading topic imaginable. It was the rare chance to mix with the other Book Group Buzz bloggers–Kaite, Gary, Rebecca, and Mary Ellen were all there–as were Booklist’s other regulars. If you’re a librarian and don’t go to PLA, [...]

The inevitable has happened.  I’ve been asked to start and run a neighborhood book club for some local moms. Some are friends of mine, which makes me interested, but. Here’s my problem.  I’ll confess, book discussion groups seem like work to me.  (Eek!  Can I admit that here?  Well, since they are part of my [...]

Every time I canvas my book groups for suggested reading, at least half say they want to read more biographies or memoirs. Memoir is a nonfiction genre that is perennially popular with readers and one that BGBloggers enjoy writing about. Biographies, on the other hand, while just as popular with readers, are a little trickier [...]

Although I’ve read most of the rest of his work, Neil Gaiman’s 2001 masterwork American Gods eluded me until now. When my library picked up the audiobook, with the excellent George Guidall providing narration, I figured it was time to give it a try. I’ve not been disappointed. Gaiman is a great choice for readers [...]

Gary was right, Mystic River by Dennis Lehane is probably the best crime novel out there for discussion groups. My lunchtime group recently discussed this title and all of them laughed when they realized they were going to be late getting back to work as we were completely caught up in the conversation. When asked [...]

I recently read the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.  This book is not only a literary masterpiece for its deft handling of the plot but if there is a better book to reveal the emotional impact of September 11th, I would like to know about it. Foer manages to use multiple viewpoints [...]

For the librarians who read Book Group Buzz, I’d like to publicize two programs at the Public Libraries Association conference coming up next week in Portland, Oregon. On Thursday, March 25th, at 10:30 a.m. in Room A108-109 of the Convention Center, I’ll be leading  a discussion on “Building a Reader’s Advisory Team” with my excellent [...]

My book group came late to Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Susan Vreeland’s luminous novel about a Vermeer painting and its various owners from the time of its creation to the present day. It was a giant bestseller when it was originally published back in 1999,  but we don’t usually discuss books when they first appear, instead waiting [...]

After months of compiling, I’m ready to call the aggregated Megalist of the best books of 2009 complete. It takes time for many important sources to weigh in, and sometimes these later sources provide a better perspective than the December lists, so I don’t finish the compilation until mid-March. For book groups, which often prefer [...]

 One of my goals in life is to make book discussion leaders comfortable with the idea of using crime and mystery fiction titles in their book discussions.  I have traveled far and wide to promote this idea but I have never been to England. That is OK because they have P. D. James.  Now in [...]

I have an issue with recommending series novels for a crime or mystery book discussion because I have issues dropping readers unfamiliar with the series character into the middle of the saga.  On the other hand, some readers do not like it when their favorite series author drops out of the series to write a [...]

It takes me more than a month to unpack all the goodies I get at ALA from the exhibitors. I ship it all and about three weeks later am pleasantly surprised again at all the galleys, notes, and tchotchkes I’ve collected. One brochure I picked up that I won’t be letting go anytime soon is [...]

I am returning to work in two weeks time after having spent the past 5 1/2 months caring for a newborn and my 3-year-old son. While it has been blissful, and I found myself reading far more than I would have thought possible, I have been missing my book group. I know they are in [...]

If I were to tell you that the book The Listener by Shira Nayman was about the chief psychiatrist at an institution called Shadowbrook, you might jump to the conclusion that he will be the control agent in the story. Not here.  Dr. Harry Harrison is one of my favorite characters types when preparing for [...]

I just posted March themes a couple of days ago, but themes are more useful for book groups if you have a chance to plan ahead, so let’s launch right into April, with a list of themes your group might try next month. 1. APRIL FOOLS DAY You can find fools in fiction in works [...]

I will come out and admit it – I tend to choose books for my groups by using titles that have reading guides available.  Even though 9 times out of 10, the discussion just flows and we don’t even use the questions!  I think it’s that I feel the need for a safety net. If [...]

Here are ten great themes for a March book group meeting: 1. ST. PATRICK’S DAY Celebrate St. Patty’s with green food and your choice of books set in Ireland or written by Irish authors. 2. READ A PLAY March is the birthday month for Henrik Ibsen, Edward Albee, and Tennessee Williams, and plays make great book group choices. [...]

When I asked my book group what they “loved” about Loving Frank, Nancy Horan’s enthralling novel about the love affair between famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the wife of one of his Oak Park clients, Mamah Borthwick Cheney, not everyone expressed positive feelings for the book.  Many group members did say that even though the relationship [...]

The Academy Awards are coming this weekend. If your group is interested in movies or cultural history, I can’t think of a finer title than Mark Harris’s Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood. In 1967, the films released and ultimately nominated for best picture reflected not only sea changes [...]