Book Group Resources
Books
Gardner, Sarah. Read It and Eat: A Month-by-Month Guide to Scintillating Book Club Selections and Mouthwatering Menus. Hudson Street Press, 2005.
This guide to creating a book group that feeds both the mind and the body provides discussion questions and recipes for titles, including Emma by Jane Austen.
Gelman, Judy and Vicki Levy Krupp. The Book Club Cookbook. Penguin, 2004.
This guide provides discussion questions and recipes for one hundred popular book club selections.
Jacobsohn, Rachel W. The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Own Book Club. Hyperion, 1998.
The author has led reading groups for twenty years, and her discussion of group dynamics is especially helpful.
Moore, Ellen and Kira Stevens. Good Books Lately: The One-Step Resource for Book Groups and other Greedy Readers. St. Martin's, 2004.
The authors have helped book groups nationwide with their advice, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and the best and worst in book group reading lists.
Pearl, Nancy. Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Reason. Sasquatch Books, 2003.
These book lists were compiled by the dynamic librarian who created the library program "If All Seattle Read the Same Book," which served as an inspiration for similar programs around the country.
Slezak, Ellen, ed. The Book Group Book: A Thoughtful Guide to Forming and Enjoying a Stimulating Book Discussion Group. Chicago Review Press, 1995.
This collection of essays was written by book group participants and leaders from the United States and Canada.
Web Sites
Book Spot
www.bookspot.com
This site offers useful links for book reviews, author interviews, reading lists, and publishing lists.
The Great Books Foundation
www.greatbooks.org
This site offers programs for all ages and provides probing questions about literature.
The Nuts and Bolts of Book Groups
www.noblenet.org/wakefield/
The Web site of the Lucius Beebe Memorial (Public) Library contains resources and suggestions for creating a successful book group.
Overbooked (formerly Book Links)
www.overbooked.org
This comprehensive resource for readers, created by a librarian,includes book lists, links to readers' guides, author background, and discussion questions.
Readerville
www.readerville.com
This site contains all kinds of literary news, tips on books of interest, as well as lively, in-depth discussions of numerous titles.
Reader's Circle
www.readerscircle.org
This site provides local listings for book clubs and author events in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Reading Group Guides
www.readinggroupguides.com
This site offers advice and tips for running a book club, plus discussion questions and recipes for hundreds of books.
Salon.com
www.salon.com
Select "Books" on this site to find up-to-the minute information about writers, books, and provocative contemporary topics. Also includes online discussion groups.
SparkNotes
www.sparknotes.com
These literary guides provide background information, character analysis, recurring themes, and discussion questions about many classic texts.