April 2008

Last night I attended an author event at the Clinton Book Shop, which is located near my home in New Jersey, where Elizabeth Noble was reading from and talking about her new book, Things I Want My Daughters to Know. Many of you know Elizabeth from her previous books The Reading Group, The Friendship Test and Alphabet Weekends. One of my favorite moments of the evening came when a woman in the audience mentioned that she and her husband were going to be empty nesters in the near future, and they were embarking on their own version of the adventures based on the alphabet adventures in Alphabet Weekends.
 
Another fun moment came when Elizabeth shared that she belongs to two book groups, one of which is in England. As she now lives here in the States, she connects to them via Skype. One of her book groups read the graphic novel Persepolis for their most recent discussion. If any others of you have read graphic novels with your book clubs, I would love to hear what you read. Drop me a note at [email protected].

We added a new feature this month called Themed Reads. As I travel and speak, I have found myself getting more and more excited about the idea of pulling together book club titles by theme. So this month we added a feature where we break out titles in the following categories: Stories About Women and Women's Friendships, Books Set in Foreign Locales, Memoirs, and Books and Movies. Take a look and consider having your group read titles in one particular genre each month for a set period of time. It will give you a chance to compare and contrast different works.

Our ReadingGroupGuides.com Blog continues to be such fun to read. Our Contributing Editor, Shannon McKenna, has been working with me on this, and I am happy to share that we have had three authors contribute posts: Amanda Eyre Ward (Forgive Me), Jon Clinch (Finn) and Debra Dean (The Madonnas of Leningrad), as well as other guests and our returning contributors.

In another post, Jane Schreier Jones made me smile as she shared her perspective about her club with the following story that made me chuckle. "Okay, I admit, we are mighty proud of our little book club. The same six women --- Barb, Joan, Ann, Joanne, Kate and myself --- have gotten together once a month in Springboro, Ohio, since 1991, way before Oprah launched her book club. When I would mention I was in a book club, people didn't know what it was. One lady asked me, 'What? You shop together for books?' What an odd concept it was back then."

To celebrate Library Week, which begins on April 13th and lasts through the 19th, we are asking librarians to contribute posts with us. And keeping with this theme we ask to you to tell us about your library's book club resources in our monthly poll, while our monthly tip encourages you to visit your local library and ask what resources they have available for book clubs.

For April we have THREE very special opportunities for Registered Book Groups. Our featured titles this month are Petropolis by Anya Ulinich, Bound by Sally Gunning and He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Trish Ryan. Groups who have registered with us by Monday, April 14th have the chance to win author chats and free books. If your group is not registered, and you are interested in future monthly contests, click here to register. To read more about the contest details and these titles, click here.

Our contest book this month is Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland. For your group to win 20 free copies of this book, all you have to do is sign up for the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter by May 1, 2008. If you are receiving this newsletter in your mailbox, you already are signed up! You can find more information about this contest here. Read on to find out more about Luncheon of the Boating Party.

We are pleased to share interviews with four book clubs: Books, Brunch and Friends, Ladies of Pleasure, Reading, The Literary League of Extraordinary Women and The Wateredge Book Club.

There are moments when I smack my head and think...why did we not do this sooner? That was what happened when I realized that the movie adaptations of Atonement, The Kite Runner and Love in the Time of Cholera are now on DVD. While we have a great Books Into Movies section on Bookreporter.com, we failed to note when these same titles moved onto DVD. We have amended our feature to add these releases --- Books into Movies NEW on DVD. I know how much I love arranging my queue on Netflix and wanted to be sure that any of you who want a Books Into Movies experience can do the same.

The Lenox, MA estate where Edith Wharton wrote The House of Mirth is faced with imminent foreclosure due to financial difficulties. Trustees of the house have launched a fundraising campaign to save this National Historic Landmark where $3 million needs to be raised before April 24th. Pledges can be made at www.EdithWharton.org and won't be called in unless the monetary goal is reached. Wharton designed the house and gardens, and in addition to its literary significance, the Mount is notable for being one of only 5% of National Historic Landmarks dedicated to women. For more information visit EdithWharton.org.

I am off on a crossing on the QE2 next week from New York to Southampton. The ship has a very large library on board, and I have heard rumors that there is a book discussion group. I was thinking how lovely it would have been if a book list suggestion arrived with our tickets and we could select the title we wanted to discuss on board. Wouldn't that be fun? For a very very humorous look at WHY we are "crossing the Pond" in April, see my blog post here. My son came bursting in the room tonight telling me he was excited that there were supposed to be storms while we were at sea. Happy happy joy joy. Couple this news with the revelation that we will be sailing the Titanic course and be on the water in that spot the same day as the anniversary of the sinking, and you can see why I am just smiling my way through this "adventure."

And on that note, I sincerely hope I will see you next month. Here's to a great month of reading for you and your group. Our list of new titles this month is our most robust ever, so I KNOW that you will find something wonderful to discuss with your group.

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
 

Now Available in Paperback: FOR ONE MORE DAY by Mitch Albom

From the bestselling author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie comes a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss. For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?
 

CHANGE OF HEART by Jodi Picoult

SEARCHING FOR PARADISE IN PARKER, PA by Kris Radish

Click here to read the guide for Searching for Paradise in Parker, PA

Now Available in Paperback: LUNCHEON OF THE BOATING PARTY by Susan Vreeland

Now Available in Paperback: ALL SAINTS by Liam Callanan

Click here to read the guide for All Saints.

Click here to read the guide for Ask Again Later.

Now Available in Paperback: THE NEXT THING ON MY LIST by Jill Smolinski

MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL by Dorothy Koomson

Now Available in Paperback: THE LIZARD CAGE by Karen Connelly

Click here to read the guide for The Lizard Cage.

Now Available in Paperback: FOUR QUEENS: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe, by Nancy Goldstone

Now Available in Paperback: SLIVER OF TRUTH by Lisa Unger

KNOCK YOURSELF UP: No Man? No Problem!: A Tell-All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom, by Louise Sloan

WE PLAN, GOD LAUGHS: 10 Steps to Finding Your Divine Path When Life is Not Turning Out Like You Wanted, by Sherre Hirsch

Sherre Hirsch argues that too often our plans are limited to ones we think up at bedtime, or are devised by our parents, or by what looks good on a résumé. Addressing serious spiritual issues, Hirsch takes readers through 10 basics steps for formulating a plan that reflects who we are now and who we want to be --- a plan that is alive, organic and in sync with God.
 

Click here to read the guide for We Plan, God Laughs.

New Guides Now Available