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ReadingGroupGuides.com Newsletter |
August 2004 |
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Books From Your Past |
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My older son inspired our September Tip of the Month. As I looked at his summer reading list I remembered many of the titles on it and reflected on when I had read in high school. I thought how interesting it would be to read those books now with my peers and talk about them. So for September, why not revisit a title from your school days with your group?
He also reminded me of something else. He was reading DAVID COPPERFIELD and I could tell he was not particularly enjoying it. Since he is a very good reader and had enjoyed EAST OF EDEN a couple of weeks ago, I suggested that he just pick another book. I told him there was no reason to mire his reading time down with a book that he just was not enjoying. He liked this idea and instead is going to read DEATH BE NOT PROUD. I remember that being a favorite of mine. THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY also is on his list. I have not read Alexander McCall Smith, but he definitely is on my reading pile seeing how many of you enjoy his titles. Hearing Greg tell me what he likes about the book has been very rewarding. Don't forget to see what the younger generation is reading if your group needs ideas!
I am VERY pleased to tell you that more than 814 groups have registered with ReadingGroupGuides.com. My goal is to have 1,000 groups registered by August 31st and 2,500 by December 31st. You can help us by sharing info about registering groups with your friends who are in book clubs, your local bookseller and your local library. We appreciate your help. For those of you who would like more details see the link below.
Special note to the registered groups who had signed up by June 30th and were eligible to get a copy of Pages magazine for doing so --- the magazines have been sent and should be arriving shortly. Your terrific response to this offer definitely made fulfillment a tad more involved than they planned, but the magazines all have been shipped.
We are adding two new recipes this month -- one is for crab spread and one is for chicken kebabs. If your group has a recipe to share, please send it to [email protected]. I want to thank Sara Shapiro who has been interning with us this summer. She has been working on ReadingGroupGuides.com and registering book clubs. It's a pleasure to have her on our team.
Just heard about a new list that we wanted to share with you --- a list from Library Journal of the most borrowed books at libraries. Click on the link above to see the most recent list. We will update this every two weeks.
Also, this month we add a guide for LEAP OF FAITH by Queen Noor. This has been one of our most-requested guides and we are happy to share it with you.
Have a great August. If your group is taking a summer break this month, we hope you can find a book to read for pleasure reading on these pages.
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected]) |
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LEAP OF FAITH by Queen Noor |
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Born into a distinguished Arab-American family, Lisa Halaby joined the first freshman class at Princeton to accept women, graduating in 1974 with a degree in architecture and urban planning. Two years later, while visiting her father in Jordan, she was casually introduced to King Hussein; the next time they met, Hussein fell in love with her. After a whirlwind, secret courtship, Lisa Halaby became Noor Al Hussein, Queen of Jordan. In this eloquent and honest account of her experiences, Queen Noor talks about the various obstacles she faced as the wife of an Arab monarch, including the difficulties involved in balancing the demands of motherhood with the commitments of her position in the royal court. |
Read more about LEAP OF FAITH here.
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CLOUD OF SPARROWS and AUTUMN by Takashi Matsuoka |
Transporting readers to the beauty and intrigue of nineteenth-century Japan, Takashi Matsuoka has crafted a dazzling epic in two parts, Cloud of Sparrows and its sequel, Autumn Bridge.
The journey begins in 1861, when a beautiful American missionary arrives on the shores of Edo Bay and enters an exotic world of noblemen and geishas, samurai and Zen masters. In Cloud of Sparrows, Emily Gibson and Genji, Lord of Akaoka, begin a nimble test of wills in the midst of an invasion that threatens their most cherished beliefs.
Autumn Bridge presents an overwhelming revelation that links prophesies of the past to Lord Genji's improbable alliance with Emily. Revealing historical details about the pivotal figures introduced in Cloud of Sparrows, Matsuoka presents a stunning finale that encompasses not only their origins but the empire's fate --- and beyond. |
Click here to read the guides for CLOUD OF SPARROWS and AUTUMN BRIDGE.
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DISSOLUTION by C.J. Sansom |
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Exciting and elegantly written, Dissolution is an utterly compelling first novel and a riveting portrayal of Tudor England. The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protégé uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, and when two other murders are revealed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again. |
Read the guide for DISSOLUTION here.
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THE DOCTOR'S WIFE by Elizabeth Brundage |
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From the outside, the Knowles family appeared to have it all --a loving marriage, two beautiful children, a home in an idyllic part of the countryside in upstate New York. Michael is a rising OB/GYN at a prominent private practice, his wife, Annie, teaches at a local college. But Annie's role as "the doctor's wife" has worn thin, and Michael has answered the call of an old flame to moonlight at the local women's health center, the city's only provider of abortions. These subtle cracks in their life widen when anonymous threats arrive at their home. Who are they meant for? Michael or Annie? |
Read a guide for THE DOCTOR'S WIFE by Elizabeth Brundage here.
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THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri |
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From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri's critically acclaimed first novel is a finely wrought, deeply moving family drama that illuminates her signature themes: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the tangled ties between generations. The Namesake takes the Ganguli family from their tradition-bound life in Calcutta through their fraught transformation into Americans. |
Read the guide for THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri here.
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Book Club Interviews |
This month we bring you the following book club interviews:
Deane Johnson of Beagle Books Men's Book Club
Ginny Meerman of South River Colony Book Club |
Read our Book Club interviews here.
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Newest Guides |
Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
Ardor by Lily Prior
Autumn Bridge by Takashi Matsuoka
Beaches by Iris R. Dart
Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah
Kate-Lynch
The Book of Dead Birds by Gayle Brandeis
Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka
Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage
Leap of Faith by Queen Noor
Look for Me by Edeet Ravel
Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Professor and the Madman by Simon
Winchester
The Rebel by Jack Dann
Seductress by Betsy Prioleau
Seriously by Lucia Nevai
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri
The Speckled People by Hugo Hamilton
Strange but True by John Searles
The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri
Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
The Water Dancers by Terry Gamble |
See the Newest Guides here.
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This Month's Contest: Win THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri |
A subscription to our newsletter is all you need to be entered in our monthly contest. This month, one lucky reader will win enough copies of THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri for his or her entire reading group.
Here is a description of the book:
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri's critically acclaimed first novel is a finely wrought, deeply moving family drama that illuminates her signature themes: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the tangled ties between generations. The Namesake takes the Ganguli family from their tradition-bound life in Calcutta through their fraught transformation into Americans.
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Read contest details here.
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Do you like what you see here, and want to forward it to a friend? Then click our link on the bottom of the page to do just that!
Happy reading. We'll see you next month.
Don't forget to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: Bookreporter.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, FaithfulReader.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
The Book Report Network
250 W. 57th Street - Suite 1228
New York, New York 10107 |
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