Booklist Online: Book Reviews from the American Library Association

Those of us who can’t get enough Jane Austen in whatever form can look forward to a new production of Emma on Masterpiece Theatre. The three-part adaptation starts on January 24.

Even if you haven’t read books by Cory Doctorow, you probably know the name. His blogs, essays, and opinions seem to be everywhere, particularly in regards to digital culture, intellectual property, or technology. Doctorow almost always has an opinion, and whether or not one agrees with him, (like me, you’ll probably find yourself siding with him on [...]

My wife and I have been reading Shadowlands aloud the last few nights. Many of you know this work from the film featuring Anthony Hopkins and Deborah Winger, but William Nicholson’s play is about events late in the life of C. S. Lewis.
Lewis never liked “Clive Staples.” When he lost a beloved dog as a boy, he declared [...]

A few days ago, I put forth my miserly opinion that Christmas literature, for the most part, is ho, ho, horrible. I even asked you to convince me otherwise, and in response, fair readers, not one of you was stirring, not even a mouse.
But I know book groups, and you will not yield to my [...]

I know I’ve been on a kick lately pairing books for discussions. I  like having all the related reading in one place. Also, I want to give readers a choice in titles if the topic is going to be difficult for some to handle.
Possibly no subject is more harrowing than the tragedy at Columbine High [...]

If asked to name authors who more people should be reading, Adam Langer would be one of the first names from my mouth. He’s a Chicago-born author and playwright, now living in New York City, a marvelous choice for book groups.
Books with interesting characters in varied relationships are the easiest for groups to discuss, [...]

Dreamers of the Day, by Mary Doria Russell, was chosen as the book to be explored at the most recent meeting of the Adult Reading Round Table Quarterly Literary Fiction Book Discussion Group.  I didn’t lead the discussion this time, but enjoyed sitting on the other side of the table as a participant.
Russell’s novel is [...]

Why offer a short story reading/discussion group?  A number of reasons come to mind
There have been great short story collections published recently: Dangerous Laughter by Steven Millhauser, Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Boat by Nam Le, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower, Fine Just The Way It Is, by Annie Proulx, All Aunt [...]

It didn’t even occur to me that these two books I’m about to mention are very well suited for the month of October. I was only thinking about what a great duo they’d make for a discussion.
I just finished Audrey Niffenegger’s sophomore effort, Her Fearful Symmetry and thought what a great pairing it would be [...]

It’s not easy to find the “perfect” book for a book discussion group, but Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout may be the gold standard. It’s short, only 270 pages. It’s written in a style that makes it easy to pick up and put down. It has enough characters to keep readers interested and plenty of [...]

Recently I was asked to guest facilitate at a workplace book group. Now, these book groups are not unusual in and of themselves. There are many coworkers who like to gather over lunch and discuss books. Sometimes they even all discuss the same book.
But the folks in the Social Workers Department of a local hospital [...]

Book groups take note: Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall has won the Booker Prize for 2009.
Due out in the United States on October 13th, this is probably the most accessible novel to win the award in many years. Mantel is an experienced English writer whose work has received many awards and covered many subjects. In her early career, [...]

The Millions website asked a panel of 56 authors and critics to name the best fiction published since the year 2000. The compiled results should be interesting fodder for book groups. How many have you read? How many has your book group discussed?
Here’s their list of the top twenty. The top five were Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections, Edward [...]

When I was young, my favorite book was The Guinness Book of World Records. I looked forward to the new edition every year, but my favorite entries were those that never changed. A look at literature suggests that I’m not the only one whose imagination was captured. We’ve already seen siamese twins Chang and Eng turned into [...]

It’s hard to say goodbye to a book group, even for a short time. But this month I was reminded that it’s harder to go out discussing a book that you feel a little too close to.
I knew that September would be my last book group discussion before my maternity leave began, and was disappointed [...]

When I chose Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes for a recent book discussion, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the discussion itself.  As I read the book, I sensed there would be a strong reaction to it — it was so different from any of the other books we”ve discussed in the group.  But [...]

Why is Loving Frank by Nancy Horan such a good book for discussion? My book group met to discuss Loving Frank earlier this month and the room was packed. As soon as we got started, as the conversation progressed, as new voices entered the fray, I had a feeling that we had a really good [...]

I have to admit that I was skeptical. Could a white woman in a debut novel write from the perspective of black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s?
Kathryn Stockett’s The Help begins with the voice of Aibileen in 1962. Aibileen has been a domestic worker most of her life. When we meet her she [...]

My colleague, Linda, who also writes children’s books, is convinced that Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me will be a Newbery contender, and with good reason.
When You Reach Me is the kind of children’s book that sneaks up on you. Set in New York City circa 1979, it tells the story of Miranda, a sixth-grader [...]

Lately I seem to be on an Edith Wharton kick.  The film made in 2000 from her early novel, The House of Mirth, is one of my very favorites.  It stars Gillian Anderson (yes, she of The X-Files, and she’s sensational!) and Eric Stoltz, and it features a wonderful supporting cast, including Dan Aykroyd, Anthony [...]