Book group shoe-ins
Posted by: Kaite Stover
The National Book Award winners were announced last night and facilitators and book group suppliers can expect high demand for these titles. I’ve been reserving a space in three different book groups for the winner and other finalists and I think I’m going with these three.
Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon for Downtowners, my lunchtime group. As a group they read for story and prefer plots that are thought-provoking and brought to life by flawed characters.
So Much for That by Lionel Shriver is a great match for my Saturday morning group, Common Grounds. They like edgy and topical reads that reflect the concerns in their lives and this novel that brings the troubles with the health care system into the lives of ordinary people will appeal to them.
Great House by Nicole Krauss is a perfect match for Women Who Dare. This group gravitates towards titles that focus on people who take risks. They like to focus on women as primary characters, but not necessarily women’s issues or concerns. Krauss’s connected stories should appeal to this very diverse group who always have completely different opinions on whatever we are reading.
The National Book Awards are always a great resource for facilitators and selectors who want complex characters, compelling stories, thoughtful writing, and engaging settings and descriptions. Now, how do you narrow down the choices?
