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We had our first crime fiction book discussion at the library on our new 2010-2011 theme:  Youth is Wasted on the Young.  I chose this theme this year despite the fact that I know that the number one rule when writing a crime novel is never kill any animal that can be remotely kept as [...]

This could be an interesting little thing to do with your book discussion books:  The Page 99 Test. You can see what others are reading under this test here, at the Page 99 Test.  (An entirely different and separate website is launching in October, designed to act as PR for authors).  Fiction is featured at [...]

A new book prize has joined the lists, the Medici Book Club Prize, which will go to a “distinguished work of fiction that has inspired thoughtful conversation and contributed to a deeper undestanding of the human experience.” A $5,000 dollar prize goes with the award. The first winner is Colum McCann’s Let the Great World [...]

Lawrence (KS) Public Library has found an excellent way to draw attention to one of literature’s most challenged books; invite the ACLU to talk about one of the city”s favorite literary sons and his most famous book, Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Tonight at the library, James Grauerholz, executor of Burrough” literary estate, Burrough’s [...]

When I first heard about Room, I wasn’t sure if I had the stomach for it. It called to mind too many awful news stories that I mistakenly came across and stupidly read in the past few years–those true crime stories that you want to turn away from but simultaneously want to know about just [...]

Recently the joint book group of the Kansas City Star and the Kansas City Public Library met to discuss the latest selection, Netherland by Joseph O’Neill. There are occasions when readers feel they are putting as much effort into reading a novel as an author did in writing it. Such was the case with this [...]

Just in time for making reading selections for the new year comes another resource facilitators will find useful, Integrated Advisory Service: Breaking Through the Book Boundary to Better Serve Library Users. Full disclosure now: Rebecca, Gary, and I all contributed to this book. Editor Jessica Moyer pulled together a crew of experts in specific genres [...]

Is a blog post by a man in his 40s about Little Women a bit weird, perhaps even a little creepy? Well, maybe so, but I’m reading about Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy, and I’ve got to confess, I like them, I like ‘em a lot. This all got started a few months ago, when [...]

While reading the NYT article The Plot Escapes Me by James Collins, I was in total agreement – most of the time, I can barely remember what I’ve read.  Either the characters escape me, or I can’t remember key plot details.  Collins says, “Anecdotal evidence suggests that most people cannot recall the title or author [...]

I assume you all read Neil’s post about the “Franzen-Oprah soap opera” last week.  I for one am disappointed with Oprah’s choice of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom for her fall book discussion.  The reason?  Well, there are several.  First of all, let me say that I have nothing against Franzen’s book, which I have not read [...]

David Peace has lived and taught in Japan since 1994 and his understanding of Japanese society is on review in the 2007 book, Tokyo Year Zero.  The novel takes place one year after the Japanese surrender to the Americans and all Japanese are asking themselves what is the point of society when you have “nothing [...]

This is the last of a four-part series of posts I began (here) at the start of the month. I’ve been looking at qualities in books that may cause book groups to stay away, and here are the last three on my list, some of the trickiest to manage: 9. POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVE SUBJECT MATTER Each book group [...]

Just out of curiosity – do you give your group members time to chat about what else they might be reading?  This article from NPR on “The Joys of Reading Many Books at Once” got me thinking about it – I would suspect that most book club participants are big readers, so they are likely [...]

This is Book Club Week on My Chic Life, a food, drink, and party blog. Today the blog features a  Book Club playlist. On Tuesday it’s appetizers, Wednesday it’s desserts, Thursday it’s more book club food, and Friday it’s cocktails inspired by famous book club books. So far I don’t see too much about actual books, but maybe, [...]

My hold on Elizabeth Jenkins’ The Tortoise and the Hare (Virago) came in just as I read that Jenkins had just died at the age of 104. I am often in the mood for quiet, British novels by women and publishers like Persephone and Virago keep me in steady supply of new old authors to [...]

“Come Sony.  Come Kindle.  Come Nook.  Come all.” So announces the flyer from the Des Plaines (IL) Public Library, promoting their new book group.  The title to be discussed is The Help and the discussion will be followed by an exchange of views on ebook readers.  The library has a limited amount of Sony eReaders [...]

OK, by now you’ve probably heard that Oprah is burying the hatchet and selecting Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom as what will most likely be the last official book group selection for her current show. The Huffington Post broke the story yesterday, and all of the signs seem to be that their report  is correct. It’s a story [...]

October is National Reading Group Month. This program of the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) was launched in 2007 “to promote reading groups and to celebrate the joy of shared reading.” Once again, Book Group Buzz  is thrilled to be chosen by the WNBA as a National Reading Group Month partner. Here’s the 2010 list of Great Group [...]

This is the third in a series of posts discussing aspects of books that may make book groups stay away. Today, I want to look at three qualities that are often viewed as deal breakers, but perhaps should not be. 6. GENRE FICTION Genre fiction–mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, romance, horror, graphic novels, and historical fiction–should [...]

Ever wonder what to do with all those books in book group kits that no longer circulate? Turn it into a Readers’ Services desk where you suggest titles that might spend more time off the shelf than on it. Or under it as the case may be.