Congratulations to Glenda and The Porch Page Turners from Jamestown Kentucky and Nancy and The Cedar Park Public Library Book Discussion Group in Cedar Park, Texas, for winning the random drawing of the Discussible Book Choices Contest!

We enjoy getting emails from book club members and sharing their choices with everyone. Please email us with your group's discussible choices, and you may win a book-related prize for every member of your reading group. Please remember to include your group name, number of people in your group, and a mailing address to send the prizes.

 “Greetings from The Porch Page Turners.  We are a group of 8 or 9 women who meet at a local restaurant called "The Porch".  We read mostly fiction with the occasional non-fiction title thrown in when something catches our interest.  Each of the women in the group suggests a title that they will in turn lead the discussion on so that each of us feels that the group represents what we want to read.  We usually fill the remaining openings on our list by general consensus.  Since we meet at a local restaurant, food is a part of the social fabric of the club...though we aren't able to do specific tie-ins with dishes that match the theme of the book because of the fixed menu, but we might be able to incorporate a dessert that one of us could bring.

"To make our selections I read Book Magazine, peruse various Book related websites, read your Reading Group Choices Booklet, and depend upon word of mouth from other book clubs, etc.  I'm a librarian by profession so I make a real effort to keep abreast of current reading trends and authors and I am a voracious reader usually juggling 3-4 books at a time (between work, book club, and personal interests).

"We also rely heavily upon Large Print Kits available from the state for Book Clubs.  They have 15 copies of the book, a CD of the Book, and a folder included with Discussion Questions...all in a rolling travel bag.  We have found these to be a marvelous.  They currently have 122 selections available, but are adding more all the time, and they have become quite popular.  In fact, one of the titles we wanted to book for this year was The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards and that book is booked solid into 2008!

"For 2007 we have lined up Bait by Karen Robards, Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, One for the Money by Janet Evanovich, Second Glance by Jodi Picoult, and Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  Last year's selections included Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik, Coal Tattoo by Silas House, Manhunt: the 12-day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson, Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg, and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon."

Glenda, The Porch Page Turners, Jamestown, KY

 

"The Cedar Park Public Library Book Discussion Group has selected One Last Dance: It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love by Mardo Williams for our February discussion. We decided this would be a good choice for a day before Valentine's Day book discussion. Even the men members of the group didn't protest too much."

Nancy, The Cedar Park Public Library Book Discussion Group, Cedar Park, TX

 

More Discussible Book Choices

"The CHATTER (Chicks Having A Time Talking, Eating & Reading) Book Group is currently reading March by Geraldine Brooks.  Our favorite books and discussions in recent months have been Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See and The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory.  We have 14 members and meet every month throughout the year, reading various genres of books." 

Pam, The CHATTER Book Group, Clifton, VA

 

"Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell: Our book this month sparked a fine discussion of the Great Depression, Southern life and culture, poverty, religion, dark humor, etc. An easy read. Contemporary of John Steinbeck, William Faulker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe."

Janice, Colorado Springs Reading Group, Colorado Springs, CO

 

"The Westport Library Book Club started about 1 year ago with 5 people. We now have about 22 people on our list, although many are snow birds who fly south from October to May.  Our January book was The Book Thief by Markus  Zusak.  February was The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls; March - The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant;  April - St Dale by Sharyn McCrum."

Michele, The Westport Library Book Club, Westport, MA

 

"Our group is a library sponsored book club & has been meeting for several years.  I am the group's moderator. In February we will discuss Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen; in March, March by Geraldine Brooks; and in April, The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.  We like to read a variety of books, mostly fiction."

Barbara, The Groton Public Library Book Club, Groton, CT

 

"The Books and BS Group in Cleveland, Ohio is reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.   After that is The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd."

Gina, Books and BS Group, Cleveland, OH

 

"I really enjoy your newsletter. Here are the 11 books we have chosen to read this year. We have 7 members in our Thurby Night Book Club (you have to read Ella Minnow Pea - a favorite book of ours, to figure out our title. We don't read a book in December. We gather, eat a selection of tasty foods (as we do when we meet every month), and choose our books for the upcoming year through nomination, discussion, and consensus. Here are our books for the next year: 1968 by Mark Kurlansky; The History of Love by Nicole Krauss; The City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt; The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion; Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race, and Themselves compiled by Kate Moses and Camille Peri; March by Geraldine Brooks; Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe; Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak plus a Nancy Drew book of choice; Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire; Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick."

Julie, Thurby Night Book Club, Lawrence, KS

 

"I belong to two book clubs - one, the Ready Readers (9 members) is reading The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards; the second, the Interesting Women's Book Group (13 members) is reading The Alchemist by Paolo Coelo."

Anita, Ready Readers and Interesting Women's Book Group, Memphis, TN

 

"The Hershey Public Library-sponsored Contemporary Book Group has 35 members. We are currently reading The Grace That Keeps this World by Tom Bailey. Our next few books include Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, March by Geraldine Brooks, Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee, and Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian."

Melissa, Hershey Public Library-sponsored Contemporary Book Group, Hershey, PA

 

"We're discussing Wuthering Heights in honor of February being the "love" month.  None of us had ever read it.  We've been surprised that there are tons of commentaries and books written about this book.  We're really looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about.  In fact, we've decided to dedicate this year to the classics."

Gayle, Twoghies, Richmond, VA

 

"We are reading and will discuss Eventide by Kent Haruf.  We previously read Plainsong and since we enjoyed it, we are reading the sequel.  Thanks."

Chris, Innuendo Book Club, New Stanton, PA

 

"My Dinner By The Book Club in Buffalo, New York is reading The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates, The Trouble with Islam by Irshad Manji, and The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. We have a vibrant, fun group of 15-20 women who meet once a month for dinner followed by a scheduled review and discussion of one book from our year's schedule. We have been doing this since 1992!"

Marilyn, Dinner By The Book Club, Buffalo, NY