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Let’s continue looking at the top vote-getters in the 2011 ABBC, today examining the speculative fiction category. I’ll focus on the top four, perhaps returning to this category at a later date, as it seems to be receiving more attention than ever in this year’s best-of-the-year lists and awards. As usual, the latest full ABBC [...]

The Downtowners book group at Kansas City Public Library is the fastest growing book group at Central. The group members do a great job of talking up the group among coworkers and friends, and they are very welcoming to new readers. They are an eclectic group of readers and have always been open to anything [...]

Has your book group discussed Abraham Verghese’s big, drama-stuffed novel, Cutting for Stone, yet?  From what I’ve been hearing, it’s currently a very popular choice with book clubs, even though it weighs in at well over 600 pages.  Because of the book’s length, I assigned it to my group in November for our January selection [...]

John Lithgow’s memoir, Drama: an Actor’s Education, is a refreshingly frank and focused take on the familiar actor biography. While there are a few tidbits here about the many famous people he’s shared a stage or screen with, and a little bit of backstage gossip, the bulk of Lithgow’s book is not about name dropping [...]

The Women Who Dare book group at Kansas City Public Library likes to discuss books that are written by women and that focus on women’s relationships, concerns and issues. This is a group that reads women’s fiction with depth and literary quality. Here’s the list for the coming year. January: When She Woke by Hillary [...]

Facilitators looking to add some international flavor to their reading groups should have a look at the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. This prestigious award will be presented at the annual Jaipur Literature Festival. The award’s short list was announced last October and on January 21, the second annual prize will be given in [...]

I don’t think I understood how much work goes into selecting discussion group titles until this year. I had to put together lists for three different book groups and do my best not to duplicate titles since some of the book group members like to drop in on all the book groups. However, I do [...]

I just discovered a Canadian book award that I think I’ll be following closely from now on. The ReLit Award recognizes the best new work in three categories, Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story, released by independent publishers. The award was founded by Kenneth J. Harvey, a biblio-Renaissance man, and the prize is given at the [...]

While trolling around for older books I could suggest to community book groups I recalled a book blog I enjoyed very much. The Neglected Books Page. A recent visit reminded me of a classic author I’ll be sure to dust off and start promoting to library patrons. This blog has been in operation since 2006 [...]

Usually it’s the other way around. Readers will ask for nonfiction that reads like fiction. True stories that are dubbed narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, journalistic nonfiction, faction, etc. But a reader of nonfiction recently wrote to Dear Book Lover at The Wall Street Journal asking for fiction that reads like nonfiction. What does this type [...]

On the first day of a fresh year, I’m offering up three debut novels that have book group appeal. Compelling stories, discussable points, and realistic characters make these books fine choices for a reading group. Gardens of Water by Alan Drew—Two families of differing faiths and cultures come together in Turkey in the aftermath of [...]

If there’s still room on your 2012 reading group lists, give some consideration to these outstanding titles on audio. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson and narrated by Graeme Malcolm. A layered literary mystery full of dark charm and dry wit. Malcolm’s voicing of an aging actress on the verge of dementia is [...]

The majority of my reading during a year is for book groups. I manage three regularly scheduled groups and guest facilitate for community groups, local businesses and area libraries whenever asked. As Mary K. Chelton likes to say, “Have mouth, will speak.” I’ll add this addendum, “Have eyes, will read.” At the end of each [...]

When Yeine Darr is summoned from the far north to the city of Sky, she learns she is heir to the throne of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Every young girl’s dream, yes? Well, not so much… Yeine quickly learns that only the truly ruthless survive the political infighting in Sky, and to win the battle [...]

The recently revived Kansas City Star FYI book club met to discuss Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. This fascinating slice of little known American presidential history will enthrall any book club. Put it on the list for next year’s potential reads. At the recent discussion readers were impressed with Millard’s ability to weave [...]

I love Ian Rankin’s John Rebus mystery series. Rebus is a  curmudgeonly soul, and sometimes bends the rules of policing or conventional morality to get to the villains he’s chasing. He’s terrible at maintaining his own personal relationships, mostly because he’s married to his job. But deep down, he maintains a strong ethical code and is capable of [...]

I doubt that many book groups have tried a volume like the Eric Lane and Nina Shengold edited Shorter, Faster, Funnier: Comic Plays and Monologues. After all, the authors collected within are not terribly well known outside certain circles (with perhaps the exceptions of Christopher Durang, Warren Leight, and Mary Louise Wilson). The works within [...]

Like many readers, I encountered Shirley Jackson’s story “The Lottery” in high school and loved it. Sadly, like most of those other students, and I’m betting many of you, I didn’t follow up and never read anything else by Jackson. She’s one of those authors I always knew I’d like, but somehow she never made [...]

While casting about for topics for Book Group Buzz today, it occurred to me that I’ve never written here about the author who is perhaps my favorite contemporary American writer, Richard Russo. Now seven novels and one book of stories into his career, Russo has yet to produce a book that isn’t worthy of book [...]

The October selection for my library book group was Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann.  This 2009 novel has won a number of prizes, including the National Book Award.  Set in New York City, it takes as its central motif the famous 1974 tightrope walk of Philippe Petit between the World Trade Center [...]