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Here’s the third entry in my series on ways to create some needed variety in a stagnant book group. 8. THE PAGES OF MY LIFE Sometimes the best solution is to dig a little deeper. Presumably, you’ve all joined a book group because at some point books made a difference for you. Spend an evening [...]

Hopefully by now, you’ve all had a chance to view/listen to the Book Group Buzzing webinar from last week.  As I went through it, I realized one of the questions at the end was specifically asking for websites with advice for starting a book discussion group. Here are some that I think will be helpful: [...]

This is the second post in what will be a long weekly series about ways to shake up your book group with variations that keep that not-so-fresh feeling at bay. 4. IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR Take a time machine to the year or decade of your choice for one meeting. Select books that [...]

Every book group in which I’ve ever been involved has gone through cycles. In the boom times, every discussion is fascinating, every book choice clicks, and the readers turn out in droves and get along swimmingly. But then perhaps a couple of books in a row will prove to be unhappy choices, a couple of [...]

Is your book group looking for something new and different and, well, cheap? Why not try selecting and discussing some short stories online? My colleague Jared Mills started a book group called The Seattle Futurians Book Club and for their first meeting they discussed three short stories available online. Kij Johnson’s “Ponies,” “The Other Amazon” [...]

I have no doubt that many authors have horror stories similar to Nancy Lauzon‘s experience as a visiting author to a book group. However, I do hope that subsequent book group visits were more pleasant and the conversation more stimulating for both Nancy and any other author who suffered a less-than-stellar discussion. Nancy, author of [...]

Has anyone ever thought of “twinning” your book discussion group? According to  Opening the Book, a library consultant group in the UK, twinning is when you “twin with a local group and exchange opinions on books by email/post/library courier; twin with a national or international reading group and talk about reading habits and preferences by email [...]

Whenever book group leaders get together to chat, eventually the same perplexing question arises, “What can be done to get men (or more men) to join our groups?”  After over 30 years of leading book groups, I can state with great conviction that there are no new answers.  Here are the time-honored techniques that seem [...]

Michael Dirda, former editor of the Washington Post’s Book World, has a nice piece in the most recent Bookforum about the shortcomings of the bestseller list. It’s food for thought for book groups. Most groups aren’t reading James Patterson, Tom Clancy, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham, or the other name-recognition über-sellers, but book groups do seem [...]

Just as with an exercise routine, it’s a good idea to build a warm-up exercise into the start of each book group meeting. Why you’re not at risk of pulling a muscle while sitting in your chair in the circle, you will get a better conversation if you can 1) get everyone focused on books; [...]

In preparing for an upcoming book group that will look at the theme of travel, I decided it was time to get acquainted with Bruce Chatwin. I’m glad I did. He’s a fascinating subject. An English writer and adventurer, Chatwin got his start as an art expert at Sotheby’s, but work-related eye problems sent him on [...]

I recently read Tina Fey’s memoir, Bossypants, and I found it a fantastically funny, entertaining read. Told in episodic essays, Fey relays her unexpected rise in the ranks of theater to improv to “Saturday Night Live” to her show “30 Rock.” But what has stayed with me the most, and what has been much discussed [...]

I always wanted Sherlock Holmes for a hero, but frankly he annoys me. As a kid, I was rather proud of my brain, and I badly wanted to join in the celebration of the detective who champions the power of the mind. Then and now, something always gets in the way: I don’t really like the stories. My gripes [...]

Here’s a scenario I’ve seen in two book groups in which I’ve participated: Most of the members are dedicated fiction readers, but a few nonfiction fanatics have slipped into the mix, perhaps starting to attend with a spouse or joining the group because they couldn’t find the kind of group that they really wanted. In my [...]

It’s my ongoing quest to convince more book groups to take on plays as part of their reading schedule. Plays are a quick read for months when your readers don’t have lots of reading time. Reading part or all of the play aloud at the meeting can be a rewarding and entertaining experience, certainly a [...]

The Goodreads website has launched a site-sponsored online book group. While many libraries and other websites have attempted to sponsor such groups, most of the attempts I’ve heard of have been ineffective because the groups have not had a wide enough audience to get off the ground. But Goodreads has attracted plenty of devoted readers, [...]

Recently I’ve become aware of a couple of discussion groups that are slightly different from the norm, and I thought I’d share information about them with Book Group Buzz readers.  Who knows — you may like these ideas and decide to adapt them into similar groups at your library, or just among your friends. “Novel [...]

Having grown up in a family of teachers, summertime always gets me in a travelling mood. I’m staying put this year, but here’s a nice list from the Telegraph of 24 books that will send readers on a trip around the world. I like the idea of travel-themed book group meetings. Instead of fighting with [...]

When you are preparing to lead a book discussion, do you ever think about which members of your group will probably respond very positively to the book?  Which ones will be more critical?  Which ones may have a lukewarm reaction?  I do. Sometimes I’m quite accurate with my predictions, but other times I miss the [...]

I wrote last week about three new chef memoirs that have caught my attention. Today, I stumbled into this article at the San Jose Mercury News about a new development: culinary book groups. Often sponsored by food boutiques or chef’s kitchens, these groups read and discuss culinary books, but also add demonstrations, potlucks from a particular cook [...]