More Help for Memoir Hungry Groups
Posted by: Kaite Stover
If I appear to write on this topic with some frequency it’s because I always need help selecting good memoirs and biographies for my book groups. I don’t naturally gravitate towards that genre and rely heavily on suggestions from fellow facilitators, book group members, and reading pals.
Rich Roche’s book couldn’t come at a better time while I turn an eye towards selecting some of next year’s reading for three of the book groups I facilitate and now I have another source I’m gratefully consulting, Read On…Life Stories by Rosalind Reisner.
Like all the other titles in the Read On series, this one is organized into five sections, Character, Story, Setting, Language, and Mood. Each section offers multiple themed lists. Any book group with a penchant for foodie memoirs will have plenty to choose from off the Dishing: Stories from the Kitchen list. The list that caught my attention first is Crooked Lives: People Behaving Badly. The Short and Sweet: Under 200 Pages list will be the one I turn to when selecting a book for August or December.
Choosing the right titles for book groups isn’t as easy as it looks. These tools make the job a little easier.
April 15th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Hi Kaite! Thanks for the ‘Read On’ link. The titles for the lists are just priceless! It also seems very concise. I have a feeling I will use it often.
I was perusing a book recently that you may find of interest to your groups. It’s called Dear Bob, Dear Betty by Elizabeth Catherine Wright and it chronicles the correspondence between Robert Llewellyn Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright’s son) and Elizabeth Kehler in their courtship during the Great Depression. What really drew me in was the extensive back history of the family and the fact that Elizabeth Catherine Wright is the daughter of the letters’ authors. It’s fascinating. It also includes a multitude of photographs and images of the actual correspondences. It’s just a lovely book, plain and simple. =)
Take care and I wish you continued success with your clubs!! =)