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ReadingGroupGuides.com Newsletter |
December 2007
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Happy Holidaze...
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For some reason I am not swept up completely in holiday madness this year. To be honest, it may just be because I am not focusing on what needs to be accomplished. Thus, when I see holiday lights and falling snow this afternoon, I think the scene is lovely and I am not seeing signs that "gee, Carol, you should be attacking your holiday list."
One of the things I love about this season are holiday-themed books. I have two shelves of these titles that I pull out in December. There are books that make me laugh and others that make me cry. Over the next few weeks I will be picking them up to read while cookies are baking or while I am procrastinating on wrapping gifts. For our tip this month I suggest that you share your favorites of these titles with your group!
Giving to those less fortunate is often a focus this time of year, so we are happy to share former President Bill Clinton's book, Giving, which could inspire ideas for your book club to get involved in reaching out both as individuals and as a group. We also share a special message from Clinton.
This month we are offering THREE Special Contests...so give yourself a treat and enter your group for these offers. See details below.
As you may have read last month, early next year we want to add a blog to this site. Instead of having one writer for this blog making daily entries, we would like to have a number of people contributing to it. Right now my plan is that there is a new entry each weekday. We are looking for booksellers, librarians, book club facilitators and readers to each write ONE column a month. We've already heard from some of you with your information some terrific ideas for topics, but wanted to put this request out again as we are now formalizing our lineup. If you are interested, send [email protected] a note and let him know what you would like to write about, as well as a short bio on you that includes who you are, where you live and how you are affiliated with a book club, as well as some of your favorite titles. (Please be sure to give us ALL of this information when you write). If you have written us already, you will hear more on this in the next few weeks.
This weekend, Oprah Winfrey will present the movie of Mitch Albom's For One More Day on ABC on Sunday, December 9th at 9PM ET. Click here for more details. Many of you read this book with your groups. I know that I was very impressed with the movie adaptation of The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I hope this one is as well done.
As I mentioned last month, I got to see a preview of The Kite Runner. It will be in theaters on December 14th. It's just brilliant --- a wonderful adaptation of the book. You may want to schedule a trip to see it with your group. If you have not read and discussed it yet, you can find the guide here. Also, today is opening day for The Golden Compass. I saw a preview last week and truly enjoyed it.
I am really happy to share that Matrimony by Joshua Henkin has been selected as one of the New York Times Top 100 books of the year. We featured this title on ReadingGroupGuides.com in October and also ran a One to Watch feature with him on Bookreporter.com, which you can see here. News like this always makes us very happy! Joshua has been speaking to a number of book clubs. If your group is interested in talking to him, you can fill out the form here.
I'd like to thank Laura, one our readers, for suggesting the idea for this month's poll. We are asking you what you feel is the optimum size of a reading group as well as how large your reading group is. If you have an idea for a poll question, please send your suggestion to [email protected]. Click here to answer our poll.
Here's wishing you all a wonderful holiday season filled with time for making memories. We'll see you next year!
Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
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Special Contest: Win THE KEPT MAN by Jami Attenberg for Your Group
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One-hundred readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of The Kept Man by Jami Attenberg, which will be in stores on December 27th, for their group. Enter between now and Friday, December 14th by filling out the form found here.
More About The Kept Man:
Six years ago, Jarvis Miller's husband, an artist whose career was just starting to gain momentum, fell into a coma. And ever since, Jarvis has been waiting. At first, she was waiting for him to wake up so that their happy marriage could be continued. But she's spent too many years of dwindling hope, living as a half-widow, and selling off more and more pieces of his artwork to power the machines that keep him alive. Now, Jarvis has come to admit that she's waiting for her husband to die.
Then one day, while sorting through a hidden box of photographs, she uncovers evidence of a shocking betrayal that calls into question her idealized vision of the past.
-Click here to read the guide for The Kept Man.
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Click here to read all the contest details.
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Special Contest: Win BLEEDING KANSAS by Sara Paretsky for Your Group
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One-hundred readers will have the opportunity to each win one copy of Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky, which will be in stores on January 1st, for their group. Enter between now and Friday, December 14th by filling out the form found here.
More About Bleeding Kansas:
Set in the Kaw River Valley where Sara Paretsky grew up, Bleeding Kansas is the story of the Schapens and the Grelliers, two farm families whose histories have been entwined since the 1850s, when their ancestors settled the valley as antislavery emigrants. Today, familial and social tensions bring about momentous changes in the lives of not only both the Schapens and the Grelliers but of all the families in the valley.
-Click here to read the guide for Bleeding Kansas.
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Click here to read all the contest details.
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Special Contest: Win THE TEA ROSE and THE WINTER ROSE by Jennifer Donnelly for Your Group
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Twenty readers will have the opportunity to receive a finished copy of the new paperback edition of The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly, which is in stores on December 10th, as well as a finished copy of the second book in the Tea Rose trilogy, The Winter Rose, which releases on January 8th, for their group. Enter between now and Thursday, January 3rd by filling out the form found here.
More About The Tea Rose:
East London, 1888 --- Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.
When Fiona's life is shattered by the actions of a brutal man, however, she is forced to flee London for New York where she rises to the top of Manhattan's tea trade. But Fiona's old ghosts do not rest quietly, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.
-Click here to read the guide for The Tea Rose.
More About The Winter Rose:
The second book in The Tea Rose trilogy reunites readers with the much-loved Finnegan family. Beginning where The Tea Rose ended, on the river Thames, the novel follows the story of Charlie Finnegan --- now Sid Malone --- and an intriguing new female character, India Selwyn Jones.
In these grim streets of London, India meets --- and saves the life of --- London’s most notorious gangster, Sid Malone. A hard, wounded man, Malone is the opposite of India’s aristocratic fiancé, Freddie Lytton, a rising star in the House of Commons. Though Malone represents all she despises, India finds herself unwillingly drawn ever closer to him, intrigued by his hidden, mysterious past.
-Click here to read the guide for The Winter Rose.
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Click here to read all the contest details.
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Special Feature: GIVING: How Each of Us Can Change the World, by Bill Clinton
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Looking for an inspirational book to discuss with your group this holiday season? Here, from Bill Clinton, is a call to action. Giving is an inspiring look at how each of us can change the world. First, it reveals the extraordinary and innovative efforts now being made by companies and organizations --- and by individuals --- to solve problems and save lives both "down the street and around the world." Then it urges us to seek out what each of us, "regardless of income, available time, age, and skills," can do to help, to give people a chance to live out their dreams. |
Click here to read the guide for Giving and a special message from Bill Clinton.
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WHEN THE MORNING COMES by Cindy Woodsmall
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Cindy Woodsmall continues the story of Hannah Lapp in Book Two of the Sisters of the Quilt trilogy, her follow-up to When the Heart Cries. Rejected by her family and doubted by her fiancé, a young woman flees the seclusion of her Old Order Amish community to find a new beginning. |
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Click here to read the guide for When the Morning Comes.
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Interested in Participating in the New ReadingGroupGuides.com Blog?
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With 2008 right around the corner, we are busy brainstorming on how to make ReadingGroupGuides.com more exciting for you and your book clubs.
Early next year we want to add a blog to this site. Instead of having one writer for this blog making daily entries, we would like to have a number of people contributing to it. Right now my plan is that there is a new entry each weekday. We are looking for booksellers, librarians, book club facilitators and readers to each write ONE column a month.
If you are interested, send [email protected] a note and let him know what you would like to write about, as well as a short bio on you that includes who you are, where you live and how you are affiliated with a book club, as well as some of your favorite titles. (Please be sure to give us ALL of this information when you write). We will spend the next month or so developing this idea further, based upon the feedback we hear from you.
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This Month's Book Club Interviews
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In this interview, Linda Friedman of Always Change the Date in Monroe Township, NJ, explains the meaning of her group's unique name and the method by which they select books. Linda talks about their demeanor during meetings and how the richness of the literature and the resulting discussions is of the utmost importance to her and her fellow members. She also mentions the special excursion they are planning for the release of the film The Kite Runner.
Andrew McCullough is a member of Man Book Club in San Rafael, CA. In this interview, Andrew explains that he and his group seek out authors who have won or have been shortlisted for a major literary award while trying to avoid titles that are too "mainstream," such as those in Oprah’s Book Club. He amusingly discusses the group’s perception of itself, describing it as a "counterweight" to the book clubs their spouses belong to, how the all-male composition affects the way their club is facilitated and the process by which books are selected.
Three years ago, Heather Reason and her sister Jami decided to start a book club as a way of meeting new friends. Today, Novels and Nibbles in Dixon, IL, is comprised of 8-10 women who love to read and discuss. In this interview, Heather describes how a group of strangers became a strong group of friends that support each other during the good times as well as the bad.
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Click here to see all our interviews with book clubs.
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Book Groups, Librarians and Booksellers --- We Want to Hear from YOU!
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Each month we feature interviews with book clubs from around the country on ReadingGroupGuides.com. Interested in having your group spotlighted? Click here to read what to do.
We also like to feature interviews with librarians and booksellers from across the country in much the same way that we interview book groups each month. If you'd like to share your knowledge and opinions about book clubs with our readers, a link to the list of questions we'd like answered is available from the links below.
Please feel free to go beyond these questions and share with us anything about books clubs --- ones that meet in your library, your store, of which you're a member or ones that you've heard about --- that you think might interest our readers. When answering these questions, please keep in mind that our readers love to know what other groups are reading, so the more titles you include, the better!
-Librarians: Click here to see our interview instructions and questions for Librarians.
-Booksellers: Click here to see our interview instructions and questions for Booksellers.
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This Month's Contest Book: SACRED GAMES by Vikram Chandra
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Win a copy of Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra for your reading group!
To be a group to win 20 free copies of this book, all you have to do is sign up for the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter by January 1, 2008. If you are receiving this newsletter in your mailbox, you already are signed up!
More About Sacred Games:
Seven years in the making, Sacred Games is an epic of exceptional richness and power. Vikram Chandra's novel draws the reader deep into the life of Inspector Sartaj Singh --- and into the criminal underworld of Ganesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India.
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Click here to read contest details and rules.
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Bookreporter.com's Holiday Basket of Cheer Contest and What to Give/What to Get Gift Guide
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The holiday season is upon us! At Bookreporter.com this means it's time for us to share the spirit of the season with you with our Holiday Basket of Cheer Contest.
Each week from November 2nd through December 14th we are spotlighting a different title that is perfect for holiday gift giving, and five readers have the chance to win a holiday basket filled with winter-themed items as well as two copies of the featured book. Why two? One is to keep, of course, and one is for someone on your holiday gift list. We also include festive wrapping paper and a ribbon to make the gift-giving hassle-free.
Our six featured titles are:
Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber
The Christmas Promise by Donna VanLiere
Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier
An Irish Christmas by Melody Carlson
A Christmas Beginning by Anne Perry
The Dangerous Book for Dogs: A Parody by Rex & Sparky by Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, Chris Pauls and Anita Serwacki
Also, don't miss our What to Give/What to Get Holiday Gift Guide! Stumped on what to get for all the people on your holiday list? Get a jump on holiday shopping with our What to Give/What to Get Holiday Gift Guide, which spotlights books in a host of popular categories such as cookbooks, humor, sports, games, stocking stuffers, fiction, mysteries and more. It also includes holiday gift ideas for kids and teens!
-Click here to see our Holiday Basket of Cheer feature.
-Click here to see our What to Give/What to Get Holiday Gift Guide.
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Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
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The Amazon Kindle is a revolutionary portable reader that wirelessly downloads books, newspapers, magazines and blogs to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight.
Kindle customers, no matter where they are in the U.S., can wirelessly shop the Kindle Store and download new content --- all without a PC or a WiFi hot spot. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so there are no monthly wireless bills and no service commitments for customers. The Kindle Store contains over 90,000 books that can be purchased and delivered wirelessly to Kindle, each in less than a minute. Customers can choose from hundreds of top newspapers, magazines and blogs and have their subscriptions auto-delivered wirelessly. All New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases are $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
At 10.3 ounces, Kindle is lighter and thinner than a paperback book, carries two hundred books, and includes built-in access to The New Oxford American Dictionary and wireless access to the Earth’s biggest encyclopedia, Wikipedia.org.
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Click here to learn more about the Amazon Kindle.
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This Month's Poll and Tip
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Poll:
In your opinion, what is the optimum size of a book club?
2 or 3 people
4-6 people
7-9 people
10-12 people
More than 12 people
How many people are in your book club?
2 or 3
4-6
7-9
10-12
More than 12
I am not sure.
I am not in a book club.
Tip for December:
Go around the group and discuss your favorite holiday title and why it has meaning for you. If possible, bring a copy of the book to share with your fellow group members.
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Click here to answer the poll.
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Contests for Registered and Non-registered Readers --- Here's What You Need to Know
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Please Note: We have gotten a number of notes from readers asking exactly what contests they need to sign up for each month. Here's what you need to know:
1) Register your book group with ReadingGroupGuides.com. There are many great opportunities to chat with your favorite authors and win free books. You can register your group here. If you are registered and your information changes, please send [email protected] an email with ALL of the following info: Name of your group, your address and the old and new email contact names. If Alex needs more information to make this change, he will contact you.
2) Once you are signed up for the regular ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter (please note that there is also a second newsletter, which is only available to registered book clubs), there is no need to sign up again each month. This subscription also automatically gets you entered in our monthly contest to win books for your group. Sacred Games is the prize book being offered this month. Not signed up? Then click here.
3) For monthly Registered Book Club offerings or Special Contests, you must enter each contest to be eligible. There are three Special Contests this month. There are no registered book club contests for December. Note that we do our contest signups like this so you can select the offers that would be of most interest to your group.
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Click here to register your group.
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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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