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July 7, 2008

What Works/What Doesn't Work

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Last week Pam Cox shared selections read by her nonfiction book club and talked about how she formed a spin-off group for fiction titles. Today she has a tip for making sure your book club stays up to par --- by regularly having members offer their thoughts on what works and what doesn't. Here is how the members of the "Ladies of Pleasure, Reading" book club do it.
Today guest blogger Elizabeth Brundage, author of the novels The Doctor's Wife and Somebody Else's Daughter (which is on sale today), shares some observations about book groups --- the different perspectives members bring to a conversation, what she finds most satisfying as a writer and why it's i
July 2, 2008

Am I a Bad Mother?

Posted by carol
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I got a note from a loyal reader a few weeks ago asking this question that really made me laugh."Do you think God forgives reader-mothers who give their kids a quick and easy pasta or sandwich because we MUST FINISH a book and don't want to cook?"For all of you looking for absolution from overlooking dinner for your reading addiction, I hereby do absolve you. I know there are many time that I not only have rushed dinner, but also have slept through the morning alarm after staying up way way too late at night reading a book.
July 1, 2008

Too Many Great Books to Read?

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If your book club has too many great page-turners to read, Pam Cox has an idea. When her nonfiction book club in Harrisonburg, Virginia, wanted to start reading fiction, she solved the issue by creating a spin-off book club. Several ambitious members even belong to both. Here Pam shares some of their nonfiction reading selections.
June 30, 2008

Men and Books: Quieting the Alpha Male

Posted by carol
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If there are one or two members of your reading group who tend to dominate discussions, contributor Andrew McCullough has a solution...
June 27, 2008

Book to Discuss: The Geography of Love

Posted by carol
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From time to time I am going to use this space to write about books I have read that I think would make for great discussions. Some of them may not be published yet since I read advance copies of many titles; but because my best thoughts often come as soon as I close a book, I will write as I finish them and if they are not published yet I will include a notation of when the book will be in stores. Thus keep your "Books to Be Read" list handy so you can make notes.
June 26, 2008

Chris Bohjalian: Role Reversal

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Novelist Chris Bohjalian reminisces about how roles were reversed when he spoke with a book club recently about his new novel, Skeletons at the Feast, which was published in May. Chris is the author of 11 novels, including such book group favorites as Midwives and The Double Bind.
June 25, 2008

When Not to Keep Reading

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Contributor Esther Bushell offers some food for thought in this post about whether or not you should keep reading a book if it just isn't grabbing you, along with some of the titles on her summer reading list.
June 24, 2008

Catherine O'Flynn: Reading Groups I Have Known

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Today's guest blogger is Catherine O'Flynn, the author of What Was Lost, the story of a young girl's disappearance in Birmingham, England, and how the unsolved mystery still reverberates two decades later. Catherine talks about how she was almost a member of a reading group and reveals the 10 things she has learned from speaking with book clubs about her debut novel.
June 23, 2008

The Art of Racing in the Rain

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I picked up The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein back in March. I read it quickly, and I've been savoring it since then. When I closed it I immediately thought --- this is the perfect book club discussion book. Here, in her own inimitable style, blog contributor Debra Linn shares why this book will work for groups. Reader response to it has been amazing.