Book Club Girl - Book Group Recommendations, Reading Group Guides, Audio Book Club Podcasts

Share Your Thoughts on Book Club Favorite We Need to Talk About Kevin

Today on Everyday I Write the Book, readers are discussing Lionel Shriver's reading group staple, We Need To Talk About Kevin. I know many of you have read this one, so if you have thoughts to share, head on over there to join the conversation. If your group hasn't read the book yet, check out the discussion and you'll see that this could be a great selection for your 2009 list! For more background on Shriver and the book, check out the PS section in the back.

ADVANCE For Nurses Launches an Online Book Club!

Calling all nurses (and I'd say, other healthcare professionals)! ADVANCE, the national publication for nurses is launching an online book club. Books will be announced two months in advance (with the exception of the initial book) and chosen based on suggestions sent in by their readers. To start the online discussion, ADVANCE will interview the author or the nurse who recommended the book and post a podcast (scroll down at the link) of the interview that can be listened to in its entirety or in 5 minute segments. Readers are then invited to chat about the book on their blog. The first selection is Julia Garrison's heartfelt and hilarious memoir of her recovery from a stroke she suffered at the age of 37 entitled Don't Leave Me This Way, which you can browse inside here. Check out the podcast and the blog discussion going on now.

The September selection is Reaching Past the Wire: A Nurse at Abu Ghraib and November's is A Healing Touch: True Stories of Life, Death and Hospice.

Reminder! Our Book Club Chat with Victoria Lustbader, author of Stone Creek is this Wednesday, July 23rd at 7 PM EST

Those of you who signed on to participate will have already received an email reminder about our book club conversation this Wednesday night with Victoria, but the call is open to anyone who has read Stone Creek or is interested in discussing this compelling novel!

Set your reminder for the show here and return to that same link to listen to the show live on Wed at 7 pm EST. You can call in to the show to ask ask a question at this number: (347) 835-6149. As people call in, I'll identify them by the last four digits of your phone number. If I say your phone number, remember to turn down the volume on your computer when you ask your question. If you can't call in, but have questions for Victoria, please put them in the comments to this post, or you can send in questions while you're listening to the show via the Chat function on the show's page. But if you plan to do this, I recommend you register on the site beforehand. Make sure you enter your questions via "Chat" and not "Comments" so that I'll see them during the live show.

If you're not sure what to ask, but want to participate, check out the reading group guide to the book as well as a Q&A with Victoria from the back of the book, for inspiration. Hope to hear from some of you on Wednesday night!

Listen to the Book Club Chat with Laurie Viera Rigler Now!

Listen here to tonight's wonderful book club chat with Laurie Viera Rigler, author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. Thank you Laurie for talking to us and thank you so much to everyone who called in and sent questions in to the show! Do check out Laurie's site, where you can not only see her dancing at a ball, but you can also watch a great campaign ad for Jane Austen running for president!

The next Book Club Girl On Air show is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23rd, with Victoria Lustbader, author of Stone Creek. Set your reminder here. The first 25 people to comment on today's show with Laurie will receive a copy of Stone Creek to read before the show!

New Book Club Pick at Everyday I Write the Book

The new book club pick over at Everyday I Write the Book has been announced and it's Dalia Sofer's acclaimed novel about growing up in Iran during the revolution, The Septembers of Shiraz. Head on over to the site to sign up for the conversation to be held online in about a month's time and to get a copy of the book!

DailyLit Launches a Reading Group with Twitter

DailyLit, the website that offers online serialization of books and sends out portions of them daily, has launched a reading group on the social networking site Twitter. I confess I don't twitter (but look for me on Facebook!), but it sounds like a pretty cool venture if you want a daily dose of a book (sent to your cell phone or via instant messenger) and the ability to talk about it with others reading right along with you on Twitter forums.

The first three titles are Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Tom Peters' 100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money. The free snippets start going out on Monday, June 16th. For more information about how to sign up, go here.

If any of you already get DailyLit, I'd love to hear about your experience, and if you participate in one of the reading groups, please let us know!

Book Club Call with Thrity Umrigar is Tonight!

Those of you who signed up for the talk will have just received an email reminder from me that tonight is our book club call with Thrity Umrigar, author of The Space Between Us. But anyone who has read the book is welcome to join the conversation! Go here to set yourself a reminder and you can listen to the show on your computer at that same link. If you have question for Thrity, call into the show at this number: (347) 945-6149. Not sure what to ask? Check out the reading group guide. Another reason to tune in? I'll be announcing which author we'll be talking with next month!

Book Club Call in Show with Thrity Umrigar is This Thursday!

Reminder, my Blog Talk Radio show with Thrity Umrigar is scheduled for this Thursday, May 22nd at 7 pm EST. Those of you who read the book have received a reminder, but the show is open to anyone who's interested in listening to a great discussion of The Space Between Us. Set a reminder for yourself here, tune in to listen at the same link. Not sure what to ask? Prepare with the reading group guide. And you can listen to last month's show with Katrina Kittle, by clicking on the widget on the right.

New Book Club Discussion Announced at Everyday I Write the Book

Everyday I Write the Book, the blog that ran the online book group discussion of Lionel Shriver's Post-Birthday World last month, has announced their newest discussion, of Joshua Henkin's Matrimony. Here is Gayle's (of EDIWTB) initial review of the book from last year. Head on over to her blog if you'd like to participate in the discussion and to request a book -- and please only request the book if you plan to read it and comment during the book club as quantities are limited.

Listen to the Book Club Conversation with Katrina Kittle, author of The Kindness of Strangers

What a great conversation we had tonight with Katrina Kittle, author of The Kindness of Strangers. We learned about her inspiration for the book as well as how it evolved while she was writing it. It was such an enlightening discussion and she answered many of the questions you all sent in. You can listen to the show here.

You can also find out more about organizations who help children who are victims of abuse at www.darkness2light.org

Thank you so much to Katrina Kittle and everyone who called in!

Katrina's two previous books, Traveling Light and Two Truths and a Lie will be reissued in June.

Are You Ready for My Radio Show with Katrina Kittle, Author of The Kindness of Strangers?

Don't forget, tomorrow night at 8pm EST is my book group call in radio show with Katrina Kittle, author of The Kindness of Strangers. I hope you've all been enjoying the book -- I found it such a page-turner, I nearly missed a couple of subway stops finishing it.

While I hope you'll all be able to call in and ask her your questions directly (and that I can figure out how to patch you in....), if there is a question that you want to ask, and fear the call-in format, or won't be able to listen to the show live, please post it in the comments. I'll gather up any questions at the end of the day tomorrow and do my best to get them answered on air, or at the very least, on the blog. Can't wait to hear from you tomorrow night! Set a reminder for the show, and share it with your friends here (see options in upper-right-hand corner when you click through).

Lionel Shriver Answers Questions about her Novel The Post-Birthday World

Over at EverydayIWritetheBook, in the conclusion of the book group discussion held on the blog, author Lionel Shriver answers readers questions! Find out about her original inspiration for the novel as well as whether or not she has a favorite Irina....

My Book Group Met Tonight to Discuss Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters

My book group met tonight to discuss Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters. The group was fairly divided about the book. Some of us had a difficult time with the family dynamics Mistry portrays, especially the cruelty we felt the father had to endure in his old age from his stepchildren. It made us all think about our own parents and of course, our children, and how they will (or may not?) care for us when we are older. Some loved learning more about India and mentioned how they liked his other novel, A Fine Balance, in which he presented a wider swath of Indian life.

We voted for our next book and our choices were:
Jodi Picoult's Plain Truth
Katrina Kittle's The Kindness of Strangers (yes, I know, a bit self serving on my part)
Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World
Geraldine Brooks' March (as some of you know, we previously read and loved Year of Wonders
Debbie Galant's Fear and Yoga in New Jersey (this author is somewhat local for us, and this book looks like a lot of fun, I think I'll be reading it)

The top two picks from the first round were The Kindness of Strangers and The Post-Birthday World and Lionel Shriver won out -- I think mostly due to our anticipation of discussing the book's enticing premise -- how one woman's life will change, or not, based on whether or not she kisses a man who is not her husband. I'm very much looking forward to next month's (potentially very revealing) discussion!

You can browse inside The Post-Birthday World here, and check out the online discussion of the book on the blog EverydayIWritetheBook here.

Read My Guest Post at Reading Group Guides.com

Check out my guest post on ReadingGroupGuides.com on the influence of the internet on book groups, both in terms of how we choose our books, and how we discuss them.

The Online Book Club Discussion of Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World is Happening Now!

Click on over to Everyday I Write the Book to participate in today's online discussion of Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World. You can read Gayle's review of the book as well as view and send in your own comments. You also have an opportunity to send a question to the author, the answers to which will be posted later!

Talk with Paulo Coelho on GoodReads and Read His New Book Online for Free!

Check out GoodReads for an exclusive interview with Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist and the new The Witch of Portobello, about his life, his writing and his new avant garde filmmaking contest, The Experimental Witch.

In addition to the interview, you can ask Coelho questions directly in the Q&A Group with Paulo Coelho from now until this Friday, February 29th.

And, for a limited time, you can read The Witch of Portobello online for free!

Barnes & Noble Reveals New Online Book Club Features

Check out Barnes & Noble's all-new Book Club section online. They've introduced a feature they're calling "Center Stage," where one author is featured a week with whom you can chat online. This week's author is Luanne Rice, and upcoming authors include Dennis Lehane, Jim Cramer and Deanna Raybourn. They also have a First Look Book Club in which registered readers can read a book before its release. The current selection is Kate Morton's The House at Riverton. 

Share Good Reads with Your Friends

Have you ever wanted a better way to see what your friends are reading, keep track of what you've read and would like to read, and get great book recommendations from people you know? If so, check out Good Reads, a site dedicated to helping you do all these things. I'm just finding my way around now, you can see my (very short at this point) profile here. It's very easy to add books, post your reviews, list what you're planning to read, etc. If you join, let me know so we can link up.

Book Club Girl Joins Facebook!

I've made the dive into the social networking world and have joined Facebook where I've created the Book Club Girl's Book Club. If you're on Facebook, come and find us and if you're not a member, consider becoming one. I've already reconnected with 3 friends from college by joining!

Sign Up for a Live Web Event with Philippa Gregory!

Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 16th, at 2 pm EDT. Philippa Gregory, author of book club staple The Other Boleyn Girl (also soon to be a major motion picture), will speak to a live audience in England, and her talk will be simultaneously broadcast online. Web "attendees" will be able to submit questions and interact with other fans and book clubs during the live event.  Register to participate here.

To tide you over until then, watch this video of Gregory talking about the inspiration for her writing. Her The Boleyn Inheritance, which recounts the lives of Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Jane Rochford, is just out in paperback.

Reading Group Guide and Author Q&A for The Other Boleyn Girl.
Reading Group Guide  and Author Q&A for The Boleyn Inheritance.