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

One of the great things about independent bookstores is that you will usually find bookstore employees who care about books and know their stuff. Not that these book people can’t also sometimes be found in big box or mall bookstores, but book knowledge isn’t the premium there (in my experience–but I will fully admit to [...]

The Friends of the Invercargill Public Library have discovered an artistic way of dealing with all the donated chick lit novels as well as advertising the latest book sale.

As a librarian, I’m in regular contact with the working poor. They are rarely ragged or smelly. Unless one has an extremely keen eye, they look just like other Americans. My town is relatively well-to-do, so poor people are less common than in other parts of America, but there is still no shortage of people who struggle [...]

Whenever book discussion leaders get together to exchange war stories, which they frequently do at meetings of the Adult Reading Round Table, the conversation turns to the topic of which titles have been good choices for recent discussions and which ones haven’t worked as well.  What I have to share is a little unusual, since [...]

Earlier this month Neil provided ten themes for August book groups and one of those themes was dog books. He mentioned one of my favorites, The Art of Racing in the Rain and I have more titles to add for those groups full of animal lovers. It seems a man and his dog have been [...]

Plays are quick to read, can be read aloud by your group at the meeting, and are fascinating to discuss. More groups should put them on the agenda. Sir Alan Ayckbourn is a hugely successful English playwright, some say the most frequently performed since Shakespeare (although this is difficult to prove or disprove). Still, I’m [...]

In Nagykovacsi, Hungary the denizens of Gyopar, a Communist-era watering hole, don’t cry in their beer, they read over it. Over at NPR, someone noticed. They debate, compare, analyze, fact-check, and explicate using the many books on the shelves of the Gyopar. Owner Peter Maurer had a lot of books sitting around and decided his [...]

Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline is the story of two couples, friends since college, who find their marriages crumbling.  Allison and Charlie have been struggling to keep up appearances  in their marriage, but when Allison is involved in a car crash that kills a young child, she discovers she cannot count on her [...]

The Tonbridge Wells Metropolitan Ladies’ Reading and Expoxy Society honors the best in discussable books since the society’s formation in 1897. The sculpture sits in the lobby of Digby’s Laser Tag Showdown.

In this cyber age, we often forget how much more centered we can feel if we develop a sense of place. When you ground your group in its local setting, then participants will develop that strong sense of community. What may have been mere meetings have a better chance of becoming life events. In that spirit, here [...]

Here’s the kind of problem that I like to have… One of my book groups, a monthly science fiction and fantasy gathering, is just too successful. This summer, we’ve averaged  over twenty readers per meeting, with 26 showing up last night to talk about a subject that had me worried, nonfiction related to speculative fiction. [...]

Does your group take a break in the summer months?  If not, do you try and choose “lighter” fare?  Or if you’re a library group, do you try to tie your books into your summer reading theme? Many of the groups I’ve worked with have taken the summer months off (or sometimes just July and [...]

Every year the Mystery Writers of America announce their nominees for the Best Novel of the Year in the spring.  Every spring I gather the nominees together and pledge to read them all. This year I have read:  two.  And that is because I had read one nominee before it ascended to that status. The [...]

I was talking with my colleague, David Wright, the other day about a trend I have been noticing in some books I’ve read recently. I told him about how I was planning on writing a blog post about these books that feature men who laugh in the face of tragedy. And David said, “You mean [...]

Here are ten ideas for themes for an upcoming August meeting. 1. SISTERS Sisters Day is August 1, and there are many great books with relationships between sisters at their center. In nonfiction, try The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Girls. In fiction, consider books by the Brontes; Allegra Goodman’s most recent title, The [...]

A friend’s book group has been recruiting new members, and one such member arrived at a recent meeting. For most of the meeting her behavior was exemplary: she was polite, attentive to what others said, and had interesting things to say about the book. The situation turned awkward, however, as the meeting neared its finish. The first [...]

Did anyone miss me?  I was away for a few weeks in Alaska where a man like me–who carries no cell phone, no lap top, no things that beep, boop or buzz–can really get away from it all.  Before you get to romantic about my adventure, I was on a cruise ship for half the [...]

Are any of you Book Group Buzz readers fans of Louise Erdrich?  I hope so!  I have to admit that I am — most definitely.  I have just finished reading her latest novel, Shadow Tag, and I think it would be an excellent choice for a book discussion. The author of 12 other novels, including [...]

A couple of months ago I promised you a list of teen books suitable for adult discussions. Sorry to be late. But here it is. These are quick reads, with discussable content, realistic characters, and compelling stories. All the qualities of a good, fun book, and necessary for a lively discussion. Consider inviting teens to [...]

After ruminating on last week’s post, where no one liked the book I chose, I started thinking about how book groups choose their titles. The group I’m in currently rotates – anyone who has a suggestion makes it at the end of the meeting.  It doesn’t give us much time to get in gear, but [...]