Selecting Discussable Books

The following materials are available at the Berwyn Public Library or on the Web:

• Barnes and Noble Online Book Clubs [2].   Check out the list of books they are discussing online; it is a great place to get ideas.
• Coady, Roxanne J and Joy Johannessen, eds.  The Book That Changed My Life:  71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books that Matter Most to Them.  New York:  Gotham Books, 2006.  Available at the RA Desk.
• Gardner, Sarah.  Read It and Eat:  A Month-by-Month Guide to Scintillating Book Club Selections and Mouthwatering Reads.  New York:  Hudson Street Press, 2005.  Available at the RA Desk.
• McMains, Victoria Golden.  The Readers’ Choice:  200 Book Club Favorites.  New York:  Quill, 2000.  Available at the RA Desk.
• Niebuhr, Gary Warren.  Read ‘Em Their Writes:  A Handbook for Mystery and Crime Fiction Book Discussions.  Westport, CT:  Libraries Unlimited, 2006.  Available at the RA Desk.
• NoveList:  Your Guide to Fiction [3].  Enter your Berwyn Public Library card barcode to access.  Choose the “For Readers” tab for a list of Adult Book Discussion titles with reading guides.
• Pearl, Nancy.  More Book Lust:  Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason.  Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books, 2005.  j011.73 PEA.
• Reading Group Choices [4].  Nashville, TN:  Paz and Associates.  Various years available from the RA desk.

Planning and Preparing for Your Discussion

Once you have some books, you will need some advice on how to actually have the discussion.  The following materials are available at the Berwyn Public Library or on the Web.

• Book Browse:  Your Guide to Exceptional Books [5].  A book discussion planning page.
• LitLovers:  A Well-Read Online Community [6].  This site has information for book selection, discussion questions and other fun book club ideas.
• ReadingGroupGuides.Com [7]:  The Online Community for Reading Groups.  This site has discussion questions, plot summaries, and author biographies and interviews.
• Saal, Rollene.  The New York Public Library:  Guide to Reading Groups.  New York:  Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1995.  Available at the RA Desk.
• Seattle Public Library.  “Starting a Book Club [8].”
• Slezak, Ellen.  The Book Group Book:  A Thoughtful Guide to Forming and Enjoying a Stimulating Book Discussion Group.  Chicago:  Chicago Review Press, 1995, 2^nd edition.  Available at the RA Desk.

Resources Provided by Major Publishing Houses

Many publishers provide reading guides, questions and author information for several of their popular titles.  Follow the links to find the reading guide pages for those houses.

There are many outside links within this page.  If any of them do not work, we would appreciate it if you could let us know, either by phone 708-795-8000 x3005 or by e-mail ra@berwynlibrary.org [17].