Laura Pedersen: Buffalo Gal

Today's guest blogger is Laura Pedersen, who shares some of her favorite book club stories. I've had the pleasure of knowing Laura for years, since the publication of her novel Beginner's Luck about teenage card sharp Hallie Palmer. Her stories and one-liners always leave me laughing. Now, with her funny, sassy memoir Buffalo Gal, readers can get to know her too. For the record, I learned a lot more about Laura reading this book --- and yes, I laughed a whole lot too.


I enjoy book clubs because they head in the opposite direction of technology, most being as old fashioned as a 1920s sewing circle or ice cream social. There's usually an in-person gathering with good talk and good refreshments. Members don't send an avatar instead of their actual person, or contribute their comments via MySpace or Facebook or Twitter. No one posts a video on YouTube of themselves reading the book while in the bathtub. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to be the guest at one of these events and other times I appear via speakerphone, a small Space Age technology that's allowed. (In person is better because there are usually delicious baked goods.)

While discussing Buffalo Gal with book groups in the Snow Belt we inevitably end up telling a few storm stories, about the time we were hopelessly lost and just before freezing to death found a clothesline leading to the house. In upstate New York we also talk about the history of the area. With its meteoric rise and unfortunate fall, all in the short space of a hundred years, Buffalo is a fascinating Rust Belt drama, probably better suited to a Puccini opera, but living there you tend not to notice since you're existing in the eye of the hurricane, or blizzard, such as the case may be.

Outside of Buffalo readers like to talk about how we lived during the 1970s --- canning fruits and vegetables and how in summertime kids left the house in the morning and weren't seen again until dinner. This was not only BC (before cable) but before video games. We laugh about the days when there weren't any cell phones, answering machines, call waiting or caller ID and you could say that you'd been trying to call someone for weeks, even though you hadn't. It seems like more people used to have vegetable gardens in the backyard, and all the tomatoes and zucchini arrived the third week in August. It was the only time of year people locked their doors in the suburbs, afraid that someone would dump a box of squash into the garage in the middle of the night.

Talk also turns to politics. When I started writing Buffalo Gal I thought it would be a nostalgic look back to a time when we were mired in recession, an energy crisis, and an unpopular war (Vietnam). But now we're back in a recession, an energy crisis, and an unpopular war (Iraq). I hope that I didn't jinx anything.

Best of all, folks in book clubs have their own terrific stories. Last week a woman told about a funeral where half the mourners got lost between the service and the graveyard, and had to be rescued by state troopers. Another woman had her grandfather's ashes temporarily impounded at the Canadian border. One member could actually sing the entire Dr. Pepper jingle --- very impressive because it's one those things like the national anthem and assorted holiday songs where you think you know the whole thing but after the first verse it turns out you don't. If I start writing all these down I'll soon have the makings of a brand new book.

---Laura Pedersen

An Economic Recovery Plan from An Independent Business --- and How Book Clubs Play a Part

Today, Outer Banks bookseller and RGG.com contributor Jamie Layton offers some food for thought: in this poor economy, consider keeping your dollars in the community by shopping local --- and how reading groups can make a difference. Independent bookstores have a lot to offer book clubs and vice-versa. Read on for some of Jamie's suggestions. If you'd like to find a bookstore near you, visit the IndieBound website.


I know you've been hearing plenty about the economy the last few weeks, and I won't beat a dead horse or get up on my soapbox, etc. I just want to remind everyone that despite all that's going on we the people still hold a tremendous amount of power in our hands. Especially during times like these, we have one tool we can choose to use that benefits not only our families and friends but the people we live with and work with and see every day. Something that makes an immediate difference and has instant impact in the place where we live...not on Wall Street or at corporate HQ but in the very town where we eat, sleep and breathe. Please try to remember every time you reach for your wallet that you have this awesome power and can wield it however and whenever you choose.

Of course, I'm talking about the choice to shop locally. What happens when you spend your dollars with a local and independent restaurant, coffee shop, hardware store, boutique, pizza place, gas station, grocery store, farmer's market or gee, even a bookstore? You invested in entrepreneurship. You helped the environment. You nurtured community. You conserved your tax dollars. You created more choice. You created local jobs. You embraced what makes these businesses unique. And you kept dollars in the local economy.

We can make this choice wherever we are --- at home, here on the Outer Banks...any locale we find ourselves in has locally owned businesses. With the holiday season approaching, I challenge you to ask yourself with each and every purchase --- could I buy this from a local independent business? If the answer is YES, then challenge yourself to do so. Now more than ever, you --- the consumer --- have great power. Use it wisely! Please! It might be the only bailout a lot of small businesses ever get.

Here are a few ways your book group can help your local economy: if there is an independent bookstore in your community PLEASE patronize it. Introduce yourself to the owner or manager, tell them about your book group and ask them if they can give your members a discount on the monthly selections. Our store gives 20 to 25% off on book club picks. Be sure you keep them updated with a list of current and upcoming selections so they can be sure to have them in stock.

Encourage your members to take advantage of these discounts and remind them of their personal contribution to local businesses when they visit them versus a big chain bookstore. Plus, small independently owned businesses often have more unique (often hand-picked) merchandise than the big boxes making them great sources of interesting and special holiday gifts. We all do gift cards or gift certificates, just like the big boys, and if you can't find what you’re looking for we're always glad to special order.

Another idea is to ask your independent bookstore, coffee shop or a local restaurant if they would be willing to host your next book club meeting. I am willing to bet they would be more than happy to accommodate your group by providing a pleasant place to meet. Take advantage of this break! There's a more relaxed atmosphere when no one particular member has to clean house, provide refreshments, make kids and hubbie disappear and play hostess all night. Even if your group's sales are just a few cups of coffee, it may be the first time some of your members have ever visited that coffee shop so now you've introduced them to a local business!

All these different ideas have one result --- the win-win combination of local book groups and local businesses. Please remember this post the next time you reach for a book with a big "% OFF!"sticker on it at Wal-Mart, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Sam's Club or any place where you know walking in the door that most of your dollar will leave your community and ask yourself: Is that 20 or 30% off really worth it?

---Jamie Layton

New Yorkers Celebrate National Reading Group Month

Book club members and other bibliophiles were beckoned to a gathering in New York City on Monday night to celebrate National Reading Group Month. Five fiction writers entertained the audience during the event, which was moderated by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, authors of The Book Club Cookbook.

The authors and their books:

Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn by Alice Mattison
In her new novel, Alice Mattison --- who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where the story is set --- unfolds two weeks in the life of Constance Tepper, one in 1989 and the other in 2003. In the fall of 2003, Con finally receives some answers about a mysterious incident that took place fourteen years earlier and the answers to a few family secrets.


Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout's latest work is a series of 13 stories linked by the main character, New Englander Olive Kitteridge. Presenting Olive in stories rather than as a novel "wasn't a conscious choice," said Strout, who "perceived the character is an episodic manner rather than a novel." Added Strout, "If you have six people in a room you have six different rooms in a way," and the book's structure allowed her to present Olive from the varying perspectives of the people in her life. Click here for a recipe for Olive Kitteridge's Grandmother's Doughnuts.

Petropolis by Anya Ulinich
Like Sasha, her novel's main character, Anya Ulinich was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States. She described Petropolis as a satire about "seeing American society through the eyes of an outsider and a misfit." Trained as an artist, Ulinich made the transition from painting to writing after she found herself trying to tell stories in her artwork --- even adding text in them. "The stories had to go somewhere," she said...and the result is Petropolis.

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani
"If you've ever wondered what's happening in Upper East Side private schools, this is it," Anisha Lakhani told the audience. Like her main character, Anna Taggert, Lakhani spent ten years working at an elite middle school. All of the events in the book, Lakhani revealed, are true and happened either to her or to a colleague. In Schooled, Taggert starts out as an underpaid, idealistic young teacher who ultimately moonlights as a high-priced tutor doing her students homework --- a practice that Lakhani revealed is rampant in private schools. "There is seriousness beneath the clowning around," said Lakhani of Schooled.

The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
Like Ulinich and Lakhani, Dalia Sofer drew on elements of her own experiences for her debut novel --- living through the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the subsequent imprisonment of her father in Tehran, as well as some of the psychological aspects of what the characters endure. Sofer shared that the scenes set in prison were the hardest ones for her to write, and she isolated herself while writing them.


Hearing each author not only describe her book but share insights into the story really made a difference for me. I left the event wanting to read all of the books, and I heard several other people say something similar. There was one, though, that especially piqued my interest: Petropolis, much of which had to do with Ulinich's descriptions of her main character and the story and the ways in which it mirrors her own life --- and also with her sense of humor, which I hope translates to the page.

Mark your calendars for next year's National Reading Group Month festivities, which are organized by the Women's National Book Association and take place in cities across the country. It would be a fun event to attend with your book club. I went with a fellow member from my group, and afterwards we had a great discussion about how the authors presented their books and which ones we'll soon be reading.

---Shannon McKenna Schmidt

Boston Celebrates National Reading Group Month

This past Saturday in Boston, bibliophiles gathered to celebrate National Reading Group Month, an initiative of the Women's National Book Association. One of the featured authors, Deborah Noyes, shares with us what happened at the event. Deborah is the author of the novel Angel and Apostle, which imagines the life of Hester Prynne's daughter, Pearl, from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

Tomorrow Shannon McKenna Schmidt will report on a National Reading Group Month event that took place on Monday evening in New York City.


To celebrate National Reading Group Month (NRGM) in October, the Women's National Book Association (WNBA) again this year sponsored nationwide events from Seattle to Nashville to Boston.

Authors originally scheduled for the Boston chapter event last weekend were Joan Anderson (The Second Journey); Ann Harleman (The Year She Disappeared); Jennifer Haigh (The Condition); Judith Nies (The Girl I Left Behind); Dr. Gina Ogden (The Return of Desire), and me, Deborah Noyes (Angel and Apostle). ReadingGroupGuides.com invited a recap of the event --- held Saturday at Hotel 140 in Copley Square --- from an author's perspective, so here goes:

Though the line-up was originally six, in the end we were three: myself, Judith Nies, and Dr. Gina Ogden. First, authors mingled for snacks and informal round-table conversation with about twenty attendees --- many both WNBA and book-group members (some belonged to multiple reading groups: one I chatted with cited membership in three, including a Jane Austen group and a "recent reads" variety where the goal is to showcase an array of independent choices --- a new trend? --- rather than a single majority choice).

Laurie Beckelman of WNBA Boston began with a heartfelt plea to support indie booksellers and applaud the unique role of reading groups in the culture. At a time when fewer people are reading for pleasure, thousands of groups gather nationwide to discuss current and classic books. She cited some startling statistics: an estimated 20-25% of some bestselling titles are bought by reading group members; the average book group member reads eleven books a year for discussion and another 39 for pleasure; the average member also gives a dozen books annually as gifts. All of which, she said, is good news for independent booksellers. One of the last remaining indies in Boston-proper (another startling statistic, to my [local] mind), Village Books in Roslindale, was on hand for this event.

After Laurie introduced the three of us, I summarized and read a passage from Angel and Apostle; Judith discussed her political history and memoir The Girl I Left Behind: A Narrative History of the 1960's and How Women Transformed America, recounting her adventures as a speechwriter on Capitol Hill during the Vietnam War; Gina, whose most recent book is The Return of Desire, drew on three decades as a sex therapist to argue passionately for women transforming their sexuality at any age (her work-in-progress, by the way, is The Best is Yet to Come: Women Talk about Love, Sex, and Aging). She also spoke eloquently on the topic of sex and spirituality.

All three of us have visited book groups and at least touched on this experience (in my case, more in the prediscussion....I know I shared this favorite anecdote: I was invited last year to a wonderful book group discussion of Angel and Apostle in Cambridge where the hosts offered up homemade vegetable soup; nice enough in itself, but they'd also, spectacularly and laboriously, removed from the pot every pasta letter but "A"!) Judith noted how much she's valued feedback and postings on --- as well as made key contacts via --- community sites like Goodreads.com. Gina likewise benefits from hearing real women at reading groups respond to the experiences of the real women (and men) in her books.

Our presentations ranged quite a bit but converged in the open question-and-discussion portion. Here the larger group touched on everything from how do you inhabit the narrative voice of a 17th-century woman --- the re-imagined daughter of the fictional Hester Prynne, that iconoclastic "fallen woman" --- to gender equality in the workplace to the evolution of Women's Rights (are young women today as politicized as they should be? how are the challenges different than when Judith came of age professionally in Washington?) to why, with all the other advances, women still aren't free to "own" their own sexuality (that stubborn taboo) without having any number of words that, in Gina's words, "can't be spoken aloud on public radio" attributed to them.

So... a relatively small and intimate group... but our discussion was wide-ranging, congenial, and provocative --- what any good "reading group" hopes for.

Thanks to the WNBA and Laurie Beckelman for organizing.

---Deborah Noyes

DeborahNoyes.com
HauntedPlaylist.blogspot.com

Garth Stein on Racing in the Rain and Other Topics

Last night while attending Book Group Expo in San Jose, California, I had the chance to interview Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, for Book Club Girl on Air. Click here to listen to the show.

Topics Garth talks about include racing in the rain as a metaphor for life, how readers in the U.S. and other countries have reacted to the novel, and why he enjoys hearing what book groups have to say about The Art of Racing in the Rain --- and the pointers he has for a productive discussion. If you'd like to invite Garth to speak with your book club, you can contact him through his website. I can assure you it would be a fun discussion.

Garth was recently a guest blogger on ReadingGroupGuides.com, and you can read his post here. Contributor and bookseller Debra Linn also shared her thoughts on The Art of Racing in the Rain in a post.

And yes, this is one of my favorite books of 2008.

Margaret Cezair-Thompson: Discussing The Pirate's Daughter

Today's guest blogger, Margaret Cezair-Thompson, shares some insights about her novel The Pirate's Daughter. Set on a small island off the coast of Jamaica, it's the story of two women --- Ida, a local girl who has an affair with swashbuckling movie star Errol Flynn, and their daughter, May, who meets her father only once.

Margaret is one of the featured authors at this weekend's book group expo, which is taking place in San Jose, California, on Saturday and Sunday. She'll be participating in the panel discussion "Managing Your Mother" about characters who are burdened by the choices their mothers have made. Click here for more information about book group expo, including a schedule of events.


Talking with readers, I've come to appreciate the continuing relationship one can have with a book. There are questions that linger not just for the reader but for me, the writer. I'm given the opportunity, for example, to reflect more on a certain character. Or a reader will share some memory of Jamaica and I'll be able to revisit a special place in the book --- Oracabessa, where Nigel Fletcher lives (yes, Fletcher is based on Ian Fleming) or the bar where Errol Flynn and Mr. Joseph have that first drink together. A reader told me the other day, he was sure he'd been to that very bar.

I've been asked is if the novel is in any way autobiographical. I'm not the daughter of a pirate or swashbuckling movie star; however, like May Flynn I grew up with a charismatic father, a man who led a well-publicized career as a lawyer-statesman. I recall times during my childhood when I'd look in the newspaper to find out where my father was --- Zimbabwe? London? I empathized with May's feelings about her father --- the fascination with his life, and yet the need to be recognized as a person in her own right. Another thing: like May, I belong to that generation of Jamaicans who came of age when our country was coming of age, emerging from colony to nation. It was an exciting yet troubling time to grow up. Our music evolved from salty Calypsos to strident Bob Marley reggae; at the age of five, I watched as the national flag was raised for the first time; but at nineteen, I saw soldiers and army tanks roam suburban avenues during a State of Emergency.

The thing I share most with May Flynn is a passion for literature. I was wary at first, about creating a character who was so like me in her literary inclinations. But while working on the novel I'd often read adventure stories like Treasure Island to my son at bedtime, and this reminded of that time in my own life when I fell deeply in love with books. I wanted to put some of that into the novel --- a young girl's escape into the great adventure narratives of another era --- how literature can rescue and define us when we're young.

Another question that comes up is: why Errol Flynn? I can think of several answers, but the main reason is that he was actually there in Jamaica. This makes all the difference for Ida Joseph. Fiction is often based on the question "what if?" It's not unusual for girls to become infatuated with movie-stars. But what if the irresistibly handsome movie-star actually lived close by, was a friend of the family, and seemed to take a sincere interest?

Like Ida, my first impressions of Flynn were from movie posters and films like The Sea Hawk. I also heard about him through the stories circulating about his life in Port Antonio (my mother told me how women fainted in Jamaica upon seeing him in person; someone else told me about Flynn's driving his car into a swimming pool). As I researched and wrote, I began to see him up close. And I took the time, like Ida, to wonder about him. That he's undeserving of her attention becomes clear even to Ida herself, and yet she goes on loving him. As a writer, I was similarly unconcerned with making a moral judgment about him. I was interested in what was less known: that he grew up in Tasmania, was passionate about the sea, and dreamed of being a writer. An exhibitionist and an outrageous prankster, he nevertheless lacked self-esteem. He was forever seeking the approval of his parents, especially his brilliant father. His longing to perpetuate his youth turned into a misguided attraction to very young women. There was much that he was ashamed of.

For all his faults, what I found endearing about him was his sincere love for my homeland. I was able to imagine my own country again through his eyes, just as Ida does. All in all, it was a pleasant experience, getting to "know" Errol. And I like to think he appreciates the chance to live again in my book, to enjoy the Jamaica that he knew.

It's inspiring to me as a writer, to hear from readers about any personal connection they might have to the book, whether it's a memory of Jamaica, a fondness for Caribbean music or food (you'll have noticed a lot of food in this book!) an interest in the country's history or ongoing concern for one of the characters. What will happen to May, to Navy Island, Ida, Oni, Derek? That's the beauty of these discussions. The books you love don't have to end.

---Margaret Cezair-Thompson

Can Scary Reading Lead to Great Discussing?

Halloween is around the corner, and if you're looking for a scary read Shannon McKenna Schmidt has a suggestion.


My group's most recent discussion book was Come Closer by Sara Gran, an eerie and thought-provoking horror novel.

Come Closer is a quick read, and Gran packs a lot into about 200 pages. The story is narrated by Amanda, a thirty-something architect who lives a quiet life with her husband, Ed, in a New York City borough...until things start going awry. Amanda begins hearing a tapping noise in her apartment but can't locate the source, experiences blackouts, and deliberately burns her husband with a cigarette, among other things. Gradually, as she puts the pieces together, she comes to believe that she's possessed.

My group has read plenty of leave-the-lights-on books through the years, including the excellent and atmospheric Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Frightening in other ways were the true crime narratives In Cold Blood, Truman Capote's account of the murder of a family in Kansas, and Helter Skelter about the killing of actress Sharon Tate and others by the Manson family.

For a truly scary read, though, Come Closer trumped all of those books. I couldn't put it down. Novelist George Pelecanos summed it up perfectly when he said about Gran's tale, "Days after finishing it, it has not left my mind." What makes Come Closer so frightening are the psychological issues Gran delves into. The central question in the story is whether or not Amanda is possessed by a demon or experiencing a slow slide into insanity, and Gran vividly depicts her transformation from a relatively normal existence to someone who is volatile and self-destructive. Amanda begins to see demons on the bus, at her office, and among her acquaintances. People she just meets know things about her they should not.

There are no clear-cut answers to some of the questions the novel raises, and it's up to reader to determine the meaning of certain plot points --- making Come Closer a perfect discussion book. As one member of my group commented, "It's whatever you think it is."

---Shannon McKenna Schmidt

Same Topic, Different Books

This month, Heather Johnson's book club took a different approach to their discussion --- with great success...


My book club tried something new this month --- reading different books on the same topic. One member wanted to read a biography of Jackie Kennedy Onassis but couldn't decide which one to choose, so we decided to leave the choice up to each member. In the end our group read a total of nine different books...everything from traditional (like Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life by Donald Spoto) to photo (like Jackie: Her Life in Pictures by James Spada) to fashion (Jackie, The Clothes of Camelot by Dominick Dunne). Click here for the full list of titles.

Because we all read different books, we couldn't run our meeting the same old way. Instead we structured our discussion around the various segments of Jackie's life. We took turns sharing and comparing what we learned about that time period then moved on to the next one. We also spent a great deal of time discussing whether each author had a bias or a purpose in writing the book as he/she did. It was very interesting to see how each author treated the same subject. Most of our books agreed with each other on the main points, but there was one (Janet & Jackie by Jan Potter) that had an entirely different perspective on just about everything.

I've often heard the complaint that non-fiction books aren't good choices for book clubs because there is not much to discuss. I couldn't disagree more! Every historical event, famous person, or time period can be viewed a variety of different ways. A book club is the perfect place to discuss those varying perspectives. Why not choose a topic/person/time that interests your group and allow your members to pick a book on that subject? I guarantee that the discussion will be unlike any you've had before.

---Heather Johnson

The Secret Life of Bees: Now Playing at Your Local Theater

I had the pleasure of going to an advance screening of The Secret Life of Bees movie on Wednesday night. What a lovely, beautifully shot and well-cast film. I really enjoyed it. There's not a dull spot (no looking at my watch here, which is my typical reaction at the movies when the action gets slow) and there are many wonderful moments of both acting and the creation of mood and setting. It also has a wonderful soundtrack, which definitely punctuates the story well. And yes, I know that having both Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson in the film MAY have helped with that. Dakota Fanning plays Lily with complete spunk and charm. (By the way, I was amused to look at Wikipedia today and see that Fanning is now a sophomore in high school and on the varsity cheering squad.)

The theater was filled with people from the Penguin Group, Sue Monk Kidd's publisher. Seated in front of me was Pam Dorman, the editor who discovered Kidd with this debut novel. Throughout the evening I was wondering what was racing through her head as she watched the movie. What fun it must be to have found a manuscript you loved, published it, had it become a huge success with millions of copies in print and then see the book adapted into film. Throughout the theater were other people I recognized from the marketing and publicity teams who had worked on the book, some of whom are now alumni of the house and working other places. Looking around the audience and recognizing these faces reminded me of just how many people it takes for a book to find its way into readers' hands.

I read The Secret Life of Bees years ago and enjoyed it, although I cannot recall scene by scene how the book is different from the film version. I do know the book "worked" for me --- meaning I found it something to hold my interest and it definitely struck a chord where I recommended it to others, many times over --- and so does the movie.

Going to this film with your book club after reading the book would be fun. As always, I suggest you read the book first. This time if you are a fan of the book and have time you may want to re-read it before you go, or when you get home, to see how the two compare. If you do go see the film with your club, or on your own, we'd love to hear what you think about it. Please comment below. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.

By the way, in response to your requests, our Books Into Movies section on Bookreporter.com now looks ahead two months to November and December releases. We also have added a Books Into Movies Now on DVD section, recognizing that many of you, like me, typically watch DVDs instead of heading to the theater.

Book Clubs in the News

Occasionally we highlight news articles featuring book clubs across the country. This month's round-up ranges from young readers in California to a Pennsylvania reading group that has been meeting for 40 years.


Contra Costa Times: The Real Breakfast of Champions --- Books!
Early risers meet for the Breakfast Book Club, a discussion group started by a California elementary school "to encourage life-long readers."

Independent Mail: Book Club Goes on a Journey with "Two Helens"
Kathryn Smith recalls how her South Carolina book club journeyed into the past with a visiting author.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: A Passion for Literature Keeps Book Club Going
Four decades after the members of the Neighborhood Book Club in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, first got together, they're still reading, meeting, and discussing.

Wisconsin State Journal: A Local Book Club's Pick
A Wisconsin book club member reveals her group's latest pick (The Fugitive Wife by Peter C. Brown) and how she makes book selections.

The Power of Book Club Buzz

ReadingGroupGuides.com contributor Heather Johnson's latest book club selection was an unknown title --- or so she thought. Read on to find out what novel is garnering some serious book club buzz...


It seems to me that many book clubs are reading the same books, and my club is no exception. Over the past few years we've read The Kite Runner, Eat Pray Love, Life of Pi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and The Secret Life of Bees among others. So I was pretty excited when the book chosen for our September meeting was one most of us had never heard of...Redeeming Love.

Imagine my surprise when, all of a sudden, I was seeing this title everywhere! There was an eight-person waiting list for it at the library. Book bloggers were posting reviews of it. Other book clubs said they had read or planned to read it this year. And then recently on this very site a guest blogger wrote about her club's experience with it.

Why the sudden interest in this book? Most of the popular book club titles are new books, but Redeeming Love was first published in the 1990s (although it was re-released in hardcover last year). And it's technically Christian Fiction; that's not a genre most book clubs usually go for. I can't figure it out...

Regardless of what started it, there's no denying that this is a hot book in book club circles right now. It just goes to show the power of book clubs --- the power of word-of-mouth --- to bring attention to an otherwise overlooked book.
FYI, our meeting was last Thursday, and most of the girls in my club loved this book. Of the 11 who read it, 7 gave it an 8 or higher (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best). The remaining 4 members just thought it was "meh".

Now I want to hear from you! Have you heard of Redeeming Love? Where did you hear about it? Has your book club read it? Do you have any ideas about what started its recent popularity? Please share your thoughts...this inquiring mind wants to know.

---Heather Johnson

Baltimore Book Festival

Last weekend Heather Johnson attended the Baltimore Book Festival and reports on her experiences there. To read more of Heather's commentary and to view video and pictures of the events, visit her blog, Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books.

'Tis the season for literary festivals, which would make a fun outing to attend with your reading group. Click here for a list of book festivals across the country, and check with your state arts and humanities council to find out about others in your area.


Fall seems to be the season for book festivals across the country. I'm lucky enough to live just 20 minutes from Baltimore, a city that dedicates an entire weekend to its book festival. Last year we had beautiful weather all weekend...this year, not so much. But despite the rain, people still turned out to meet the 200+ authors who were scheduled to appear.

The festival began on Friday evening with Ladies Night Out and Guys Night at the Grill. A gal from my book club came with me to the ladies event and we had a blast. Free wine and hors d'oeuvres were served while we heard from two consecutive author panels. Plus, the event was held inside an art museum so we felt quite ritzy.

The first panel included three authors: Kathleen McCleary (House and Home), Megan McCafferty (the Jessica Darling series) and Norma Jarrett (The Sunday Brunch books). I read and reviewed Kathleen's book on my blog, Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books, so I was really there to meet her. After the panel I had a chance to speak with her, and she even signed my book for me. The second panel featured Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler, co-authors of Friend or Frenemy?: A Guide to the Friends You Need and the Ones You Don't. That was an entertaining talk to say the least! The guys event was outside and involved a grill and a cookbook author; that's all I know about that.

Saturday's events began at 11 a.m. and didn't end until late in the evening, in spite of the drenching rain. There were author talks, panels on how to get your book published, and a wide variety of other bookish topics. My husband, Chris, and I attended cooking demonstrations by chefs and cookbook authors such as Martin Yan (his new cookbook is Martin Yan's China) and the Hearty Boys (their new cookbook is Talk with Your Mouth Full). Chris loves to cook and always buys cookbooks at the book festival because the authors are right there to sign them.

In between cooking demos I caught part of a talk by Susan Fraser King in which she read from her new book, Lady MacBeth. The most interesting part to me was when she explained the research she did, as I'm a stickler for facts in historical novels.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny --- a huge change from the rest of the weekend. Good for me, since my panel was set for 11 a.m.! I spoke along with two editors from The Baltimore Sun newspaper on the decline of book reviews in printed media and the rise of book blogs. There were lots of other events on Sunday, but by this time my crazy weekend was catching up with me and I was ready to head home.

Do you know the one thing missing from this wonderful weekend? Book clubs! There were no panels on how to start or improve a book club --- can you believe that? I'll have to talk to someone about that for next year's festival.

Are you planning to attend a book festival in your neck of the woods this year? Or maybe you have already? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

---Heather Johnson

Looking Ahead...

ReadingGroupGuides.com contributor and book club facilitator Esther Bushell shares some upcoming publications reading groups might want to keep an eye out for...


Recently, Carol Fitzgerald and I had lunch at The Spotted Pig in New York City, courtesy of Random House; this was a way of introducing us to four young writers, all of whom have their books scheduled for publication in 2009, and the energy at the event was absolutely palpable.

Caitlin Macy's first book, the novel The Fundamentals of Play, takes place in Manhattan, where Caitlin lives. Her wonderful new book, a collection of stories connected by theme and gender, is Spoiled, and it'll be published on March 3rd. Of particular interest to me was the story "Carrie," about a young woman from Greenwich, Connecticut --- a product of the public schools --- and her young married life in NYC. I asked Caitlin the question that's always in the forefront of my consciousness, "Why Greenwich?" and being a resident of the town I loved her answer: "Greenwich is iconic; you don't have to explain too much." I hope that my book groups will see this as a perfect board from which to dive headlong into a multilayered discussion.

Sandra Novack lives near Atlanta with her husband, a paleontologist, and Precious, her first novel, will be published on February 17th. This novel is about a fractured family and the dynamics during the summer when a young girl goes missing. Sandy knows what she's writing about, and in talking with her, I was fascinated at how much autobiography is included. We all know that happens in novels, but when you know the specifics, the whole novel explodes for the reader, or at least for me.

Lewis Robinson won huge recognition for his collection of stories, Officer Friendly and Other Stories. Due out on January 13th, Water Dogs takes place on Meadow Island, Maine, and focuses on the trust and loyalty between two brothers. Robinson's descriptions are so evocative that the setting is as much a character as the people.

Deirdre Shaw flew out for this event from Santa Monica; though only thirty-six, Deirdre has been a prolific writer of short stories, so her debut novel, Love or Something Like It (don't you love the title?) has been long awaited. Its publication date is April 14th. This is a story of brave Lacey Brennan, a woman of great universality, for all of us have had to evaluate our lives and the paths we've taken --- or not taken.

Lots of press was at this event, so I'm sure you'll be hearing and reading about these significant 2009 publications. They'll garner raves --- and deservedly so!

I'm planning to be at BookGroupExpo in San Jose (yes, I know the way --- why does everyone feel compelled to ask that?) from the 24th through the 26th of October. I've never been to Expo, so you can just imagine how excited I am about an entire weekend of book talk! Heavenly! I've been in touch with Ann Kent, the mastermind behind this event, and I'm so pleased that Carol Fitzgerald will be there, too.

Right this very minute I'm reading The Good Thief, a captivating novel by Hannah Tinti. I'll report back when I return from San Jose.

---Esther Bushell

National Reading Group Month

October is National Reading Group Month! At your next book club gathering, take a few minutes to talk about why you enjoy and appreciate your literary get-togethers...and one another's company. Reminisce about the books you've read. Make plans for the coming months.

National Reading Group Month is an annual extravaganza sponsored by the Women's National Book Association. The organization is hosting events across the country, so gather your group together and head out on the town. Live in Seattle? Mark your calendar for October 20th. The University Book Store's National Reading Group Month event features Nancy Pearl, the author of Book Lust, and Nancy Horan, the author of Loving Frank. Other festivities will take place in Boston, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Whether or not you live in one of these cities, you can take part in Random House's month-long Book Club Fest. It's a virtual way to join in and celebrate National Reading Group Month. Read on for details...


For more than ten years Random House Reader's Circle has had so much to celebrate: compelling stories, talented authors, and dedicated readers. We're always trying to reward our readers. This month we've found a special opportunity to offer even more during National Reading Group Month by hosting a special month-long event: Book Club Fest, where you'll find special podcasts, sweepstakes and much more.

In the past year we've hosted a series of podcasts with our Random House Reader's Circle authors --- and it has been a great success. During the month of October celebrate with us as select authors talk about their books --- and their experiences with book clubs --- in exclusive audio interviews. A new interview will go live each week so don't forget to keep checking back. Elizabeth Strout's podcast is up now --- she discusses her latest book, Olive Kitteridge. Mark your calendars for Therese Fowler (Souvenir) on 10/8, Louise Shaffer (Serendipity) on 10/15 and Stefan Merrill Block (The Story of Forgetting) on 10/22.

For book clubs who love to snack while they chat, we've included a special Recipe section. We'll also be giving away a Celestial Seasonings Tea Basket and one copy of The Book Club Cookbook each week. There will be 5 winners total so be sure to enter here.

These are just a few highlights of our online Book Club Fest --- come visit and see what else we have in store. This site will only be available for a limited time so stop by BookClubFest.com today and celebrate National Reading Group Month with us!

Elizabeth Strout: All About OLIVE KITTERIDGE

Today, guest blogger Elizabeth Strout offers insight on her latest book, Olive Kitteridge, which last week Nancy Pearl listed as one of her top five picks for book clubs this fall. Elizabeth is also the author of Abide with Me and Amy and Isabelle.


I grew up along the coast of Maine, and I have lived in New York City for many years. I love New York, but I think I am always living with a low-grade fever of homesickness, and that's why so much of my work goes back to New England. Writing Olive Kitteridge was a real trip home, in the sense that I went to places in my mind that I hadn't been for years. It's a kind of love song, in a way, because the more I wrote about this woman the more I understood her; that happens with writing. I understood that she is a person of the land, a barnacle in a sea that is now really changing, as all things eventually change.

Olive is fierce in her passions, unkind in her needs, large-hearted at the most unexpected times, and intuitive while being blind to her own actions. Writing about her was freeing --- I thought, I will not protect this character, I will let her be herself on the page, and she was. There is sometimes an unconscious tendency to be careful, and as the person writing her I realized that she is not careful, and so I could not be either.

Some of the stories had been written earlier, but all of the new ones were written one summer in a cottage on the beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The little bedroom of the cottage was facing the beach and the ocean, and lobster traps, and every morning there was a lobster fisherman who came to work on his traps and he brought his German shepherd with him. It was stunningly similar to the scenes of my childhood --- every morning I thought that. I think it was very good for my work, as though I had slipped through time and was inside that coastal world again.

There was no television or radio in this cottage, and each day I wrote intently for as long as I could. Then I would ride my bike like mad, all around the trails and through the woods. I would swim in the ocean, then get back on my bike and pedal like crazy again, as I had when I was a child. I returned to New York a few weeks earlier than I had planned because I was so strung out from the intensity of working like that. But it was great.

---Elizabeth Strout

Book Club Makeover: Our First Group of Winners

Last month we asked readers to let us know if they wanted a Book Club Makeover, a chance to have their group get advice from experts on various issues and problems that they were having. To date we have received almost 100 requests, which tells us that this idea really struck a chord with readers.

These past few days I have read through each of the submissions to select our first group of makeover candidates with an eye on selecting groups with different issues so we could touch on more than one topic. We will reach out to each of these groups by email and phone over the next couple of weeks to learn more about them so we can work on addressing their issues and bring them each an individual solution in the month of October.

Here are the three selected groups and their problems:

Group #1:
Problem: In a Reading Rut and Need to Liven Up Meetings

Susan of Stages and Pages from Portland Maine has a group that meets monthly, usually on the last Thursday of the month. They usually have a core group of 8 who show up regularly and have welcomed as many as 17 in the group over the years. Right now they have a temporary moratorium on new members. Their group adheres to a social time between 7:00-7:30 and then it's all discussion til 9:00. They are looking for serious topics that are uplifting and hopeful. Their favorite books have included The Power of One, The Virgin Suicides and Money: A Memoir.

Group #2:
Problem: Need to Get A Spark Back Into Our Discussions

Anita of The Bookies from Fort Morgan, Colorado has a group of a nine college-educated women from their 30s-70s that meet monthly on Thursday evenings. They have been together for ten years, with five women who are among the original members. According to Anita, "To quote Debra Linn (one of our regular bloggers) more and more 'our discussions feel like deja vu.' We read fiction, nonfiction, short stories and a play or two. We take turns choosing selections and facilitating discussion. We need help getting a spark back into our reading experiences and discussions."

Group #3:
Problem: Keeping Members and Keeping Discussions On Track

Christie of Changing Chapters from Wisconsin Rapids, WI has a group of twelve members, which has been together for ten years. They meet on the third Wednesday of each month. They have social time from 6:30-7:00 and then start their discussions, which last til 8:30. Each discussion usually has about 6 members who come on a regular basis. Each member picks a book, hosts at her home with refreshments and leads the discussion including research on the author and history of the book. They read both fiction and nonfiction. They have a problem with attrition as new members often join and then just stick around for a few months. Picks are often not read by all members. Discussions veer off topic and if the book is a real dud not much discussion takes place.

Feel free to share your ideas on how your group may have overcome these same issues with your comments on this blog. We look forward to bringing them our own ideas and suggestions in the weeks to come!

Please note that you still can enter to be selected for a makeover for November here if you have not shared your information with us. Those already entered still may be considered so there is no need to re-apply.

Nancy Pearl On Book Clubs

Nancy Pearl knows books. The former librarian and bookseller is the author of Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason; More Book Lust; and Book Crush, with reading suggestions for kids and teens. She is a regular commentator about books on National Public Radio and has a monthly television program, "Book Lust with Nancy Pearl," on the Seattle Channel. There is even a Librarian Action Figure modeled in her likeness.

Today Nancy weighs in on some topics pertaining to reading groups --- including how they've changed over the years --- and offers her top Fall book club discussion titles.



ReadingGroupGuides.com: How have you seen book clubs change over the years?

Nancy Pearl: Obviously, the biggest change is their huge proliferation. I know many people who belong to more than one. Also, I'm hearing more and more that people don't want to spend book club sessions talking about their children, vacations, jobs, and gossip, but rather that they want to really discuss the book.


RGG: Is there a book you think universally works for groups?

NP: There are three: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien, and The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks.


RGG: What suggestions do you have for livening up discussions?

NP: Don't be afraid to pick books that some people won't enjoy --- discussions are always better when some participants like the book and others don't. Don't start the discussion with a question about who liked the book and who didn't. Make that the last question instead. Have everyone come to the meeting with one question they want answered --- that's a good way to broaden the discussion and ensure participation. Choose a "mini-series" of three books over a three-month period on a similar topic (perhaps two fictional and one non-fiction) --- like The Poisonwood Bible, Heart of Darkness, and King Leopold's Ghost. Don't weigh down the discussion with a long bio of the author and a recap of reviews.


RGG: Have you heard of any imaginative ways that book clubs utilize their local libraries?

NP: These aren't particularly imaginative, but lots of book groups use the expertise of the librarians to help them choose books and find background information about the author. Also, if food is involved in the meeting, the library is a great resource for recipes and dishes that relate to the book in question.


RGG: What are your top picks for book clubs this Fall?

NP: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (fiction)
The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham (nonfiction)
Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson (fiction)
The Book of Dahlia by Elisa Albert (fiction)
Song Yet Sung by James McBride (fiction)

Great Group Reads for Fall

What are some of the publishers' top book club picks for Fall? Read on for discussion-worthy suggestions from Library Marketing experts.

The Abstinence Teacher
by Tom Perrotta
Griffin

Characterized by Perrotta's distinctive mix of satire and compassion, The Abstinence Teacher exposes the powerful emotions that run beneath the surface of modern American family life and explores the complex spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people. Plenty of topics to discuss! ---Talia Ross, Director of Library Marketing, Adult Trade, Macmillan


The Given Day
by Dennis Lehane
William Morrow

The Given Day is a multi-layered, sweeping historic novel set in Boston at the end of the Great War. This is an unflinching, utterly spectacular family epic that captures the political unrest of a nation dangling between a well-patterned past and an unpredictable future. This is perfect for book clubs because it appeals to both sexes and all ages from 18 to 118. ---Virginia Stanley, Director of Library Marketing, HarperCollins


The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Dial Press

"A warm, funny, tender, and thoroughly entertaining celebration of the power of the written word. This marvelous debut novel, sure to have book club appeal, is highly recommended for all collections" (Library Journal, starred review). ---Jennifer Childs, Director, Library Marketing, Random House

Read Annie Barrows' guest blog post here.


The Heretic's Daughter
by Kathleen Kent
Little, Brown

This luminous first novel is set during the Salem Witch Trials --- and while it explores the anticipated themes of religion, education, and community outrage, at its core it is a powerful mother-daughter story about love and sacrifice. This book is already being considered for mother-daughter, adult, and teen book clubs at libraries across the United States. ---Heather M. Scott, Marketing Manager, Hachette Book Group


Last Night at the Lobster
by Stewart O'Nan
Viking

This is a beautifully written story about a day in the life of "everyman" Manny DeLeon, who is managing a Red Lobster in a rundown New England mall on its closing day. It's a short, simple, character-driven novel about real working people with ordinary lives that would inspire discussion among reading groups; and it is that rare kind of book that is both literary and accessible. (Available in paperback October 28) ---Alan Walker, Senior Director, Academic and Library Sales & Marketing, Penguin Group (USA), Inc.


Sweetsmoke
by David Fuller
Hyperion Books

Sweetsmoke is a great pick for reading groups because it has a rich, layered plot, plenty of fascinating characters, and it takes place during the Civil War, a particularly interesting time in American history. This novel delves deep into the pathos of slave and master alike, and examines perhaps the most turbulent time in our country's history. All in all, it's a fantastic read! ---Betsy Spigelman, Senior Marketing Manager, Hyperion Books


Tomato Girl
by Jayne Pupek
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

This is exactly the kind of book with which Algonquin made its reputation...finely wrought, emotionally enthralling, southern fiction. Dealing, as it does, with an eleven-year-old girl who is desperately clinging to anything that provides her an anchor, while her world slowly comes undone, it acts as a marvelous trigger for group discussion. ---Michael Rockliff, Director, Library Sales and Marketing, Workman Publishing Company


The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
Free Press

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The White Tiger tells the story of Balram Halwai --- servant, philosopher, entrepreneur and murderer. It's a gripping narrative that provides a brilliant cross-section of modern India. (Available in paperback October 14) ---Dennis Tyrrell, Marketing Manager, Simon & Schuster