Courtney Miller Santo, author of THE ROOTS OF THE OLIVE TREE, on Advice for Book Clubs

Editor — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:42:51 +0000

Courtney Miller Santo is the author of The Roots of the Olive Tree, which is the story of the five generations of Keller women who live in the same house in the same secluded olive grove. This novel captures the joys and sorrows of a family and the love, secrets, disappointments, jealousies and forgiveness that tie generations to one other. In this blog, Courtney talks about her experiences meeting with book clubs since publication --- and the tips she has for having an amazing visit with an author.

What Book Clubs Do for the Holidays

Editor — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:16:47 +0000

The holidays are all about sharing, so we asked book clubs across the country what they do to celebrate this magical time! Here we share some of the imaginative --- and festive --- responses that we received.

Facebook Book Club Event with Jamie Ford

Editor — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:28:11 +0000

Facebook Book Club Event with Jamie Ford

In November, ReadingGroupGuides.com launched our first Facebook Book Club Event. We'll feature a book and post book discussion questions so that you and you book club can discuss the book with other clubs around the country. Along with questions, we are going to post extra materials about the book such as interviews with the author or YouTube clips pertaining to the book.

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford was our first discussion book. The book had been adapted to a play that was staged in Seattle giving us as “news angle” to re-visit this book club favorite. As we know that all of our readers do not have Facebook accounts, we have compiled this blog so you can see how the discussion unfolded, as well as the exclusive Q & A Jamie answered for us!

PS. This opportunity to participate is open to everyone on Facebook. If you have not yet "liked" us on Facebook, you can do so to join in or you can read our recaps here on the blog and comment.

Book Clubs Are Not for Sissies

Editor — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:48:14 +0000

Susan Henderson is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the founder of the literary blog LitPark.

National Reading Group Month: Great Group Reads 2012

admin — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:03:35 +0000

National Reading Group Month, sponsored by the Women's National Book Association, is already underway. Click here for a listing of events taking place across the country in conjunction with the association's chapters.

Musings from Hachette Book Group’s First Book Group Day

Editor — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:07:55 +0000

Hachette Book Group’s first Book Group Day on Saturday, September 29th was a huge success. Eleven authors shared stories about their books, their characters and their writing process in a five-hour event that was a celebration of reading.

I Love Book Expo America!

Editor — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 20:31:51 +0000

Marsha Toy Engstrom, known as The Book Club Cheerleader, enthusiastically attended the Book Group Speed Dating event at Book Expo America (BEA) in June. Each year Marsha takes the message from this book group focused event back home and with her colleague Kay Hodges, they share these titles with their local book clubs. Her piece about some interesting trends, as well as a curated list of the books they chose to spotlight is below. Wonderful to see how this experience impacted a lot more folks than those in the room in New York, thanks to Marsha’s pom pom shaking enthusiasm for books!

Book Clubs Meet Bestselling Author Robert Goolrick, Author of A Reliable Wife and Heading Out to Wonderful

Editor — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Back in June we invited ReadingGroupGuides.com readers to attend special receptions in select locations held in conjunction with Robert Goolrick’s book tour for his latest book Heading Out to Wonderful, a title that I selected as a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection.

Brian Freeman Shares His Experience Speaking to a Book Group at a Prison

Editor — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago on Facebook, I saw author Brian Freeman mention that he was doing a book group event at a women’s prison, something he had done in the past. He noted that these readers asked some of the best questions that he has been asked when speaking with book groups. Intrigued I asked this author of seven thrillers, the most recent of which is SPILLED BLOOD, to share his thoughts on this experience with us.

Carol Fitzgerald's Mom on THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE

Editor — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:43:27 +0000

Sylvia Cicetti is the mom of Bookreporter.com’s Carol Fitzgerald. An ardent Adriana Trigiani fan, she attended her event Monday night at Spring Lake Public Library in Spring Lake, N.J., which was part of Adriana’s tour for THE SHOEMAKER’S WIFE, her latest New York Times bestseller. Carol asked her mom to share her thoughts on this event in the following Q&A.