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Today, the official start of the holiday shopping season, North Carolina bookseller Jamie Layton talks about books as gifts, supporting local businesses, and a new book club --- with a twist --- she's launching in January 2009. Read on, because no matter where you live you can be a part of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!I am jotting this blog post before I race off to make Thanksgiving dinner. Since cooking Thanksgiving dinner is all about chopping and I am not good at brandishing a knife, I should add band aids to the list of ingredients to have on hand. I also just remembered I am going to need to make gravy tomorrow, and I confess that never is my favorite thing. However, making pecan pie, stuffing and cranberry sauce should make up for that. Those I do enjoy.

Novelist Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader, is getting us into the holiday spirit with this story of how her family's Christmas gift-giving tradition turned into a book club.

There's something magical about giving and getting books during the holiday season. A favorite of mine has had a place on my bookshelf for many years: a well-worn copy of The Night Before Christmas given to me in 1961 and inscribed with a message from my aunt and uncle.

Heather Johnson's book club recently discussed Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle. Read on to find out what she and the other members of her group thought of the journalist's memoir. Click here to watch a video of Walls discussing The Glass Castle.

Occasionally we highlight news articles featuring book clubs across the country. This month's round-up spans two continents and offers a look at just how diverse --- and long lasting --- book clubs can be. Daily Camera: Author to Visit Jail for Inmate Book ClubA book club at the Boulder County Jail in Boulder, Colorado, is inspired to discuss Plainsong with its author, Kent Haruf.

Today's guest blogger is C.W. Gortner, author of the historical novels The Secret Lion and The Last Queen. Here he talks about the insights he's gained from talking to reading group members about The Last Queen, in which he imagines the life of Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country's throne.

Yesterday we shared Camilla Morton's advice on how to start a book club. Today the author of A Year in High Heels: The Girl's Guide to Everything from Jane Austen to the A-list talks about getting prepared, including making the all-important first book selection and having a fun inaugural gathering.

British fashion journalist and author Camilla Morton's latest book is A Year in High Heels: The Girl's Guide to Everything from Jane Austen to the A-list, which is on sale tomorrow. Below is an excerpt from A Year in High Heels in which Camilla shares her advice and ideas on how to start a book club, including when to be strict and the most important membership card you can have in your wallet.

I recently attended the third annual Book Group Expo in San Jose, California, a gathering for reading group members and other book lovers. I had the opportunity to meet some of our readers, as well as authors and bloggers. Our contributor Esther Bushell also made it to the West coast for the event, and she shares some of the weekend's highlights.