I was unable to get the book I was going to read, so I am going to read the first book of the Twilight Saga. Hope it's good.
Sarah
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Ideas seen on KSL TV in Salt Lake
Amy, I don't have your email, so I'm posting this here. Feel free to delete it, it's not exactly about books... I just thought some of it sounded like fun!
• Where to Meet. Homes, libraries, churches, restaurants all make good meeting places. How often? Usually once a month, but maybe every other month will work for very busy people.
• Food! Yes, of course have food. Some clubs have members take turns providing food. Others hold their meetings at a restaurant.
• Assign Leadership Roles. It is important to have someone in charge. You can have a president who rotates yearly or elections, and have a secretary who keeps tracks of books read. If you have been going for awhile you may forget what you have read.
• Communicate. Establish a communications system that works for you and stick to it. Set meeting days and times well in advance.
• Agree on a Reading List. Some groups assign each member to take a turn recommending a book. Others select from a third-party list. However, it seems to work best if all members agree on the final choices.
• Leading the Discussion. If you are a new group you might want to include ice breakers or get to know you activities. Also decide who will lead the discussion and allow time for general conversation.
• Club Personality. Decide if you want to be a casual fun reading group with a variety of interests and areas to read or whether you would rather be more specialized. Some groups focus on just children's books, or the classics, while others take a more academic approach. Keep in mind every book group has its own personality and there is no set way or right or wrong way to do a book group.
• Getting Enough Copies. It is expensive to ask everyone to buy the book. Salt Lake County Libraries offer a service of bringing in multiple copies of books for groups. Check with your local library to see if they do the same. Many groups share copies among members.
How to Jazz Up Your Book Group
• Change the nature of books you have been reading. Suggest a theme or look for areas you have not read yet. Ask a librarian for book suggestions.
• Pick a field trip for your next activity- Read the paper or visit a bookstore and see if there are any author signings coming up. Maybe an author will be discussing a book at a local library (Salt Lake City downtown library has a lot of these) or bookstore. A museum may have a display of books. Go to a large or new library for a tour. Ask a librarian for a tour and to talk about different genres of books. (you can call me at the Magna library for suggestions)
• Change up and include art or music for a change of pace. The library has books about artists that include pictures of their works, cds for composers, as well as books about their lives. Also you could then go to a fine arts museum (Most colleges have one) or concert.
• Incorporate a craft or activity into your group. If you are reading a book about a woman who makes hats, decorate a hat for fun. Or dress up in the time period you are discussing.
• Start an online bookclub if you are having trouble physically getting together. This is a good way to link with family and friends to discuss books.
• Fix lagging membership by asking everyone to invite a friend. Consider advertising your club at your local library.
• Look online for authors who will "virtually visit" your bookclub or provide times when you can chat with them. This is becoming a pretty popular author opportunity. Publishers websites may tell about these as well.
• If you aren't having fun, ask the members why. If it is something they don't want to discuss in public maybe send an email questionnaire to everyone and then think of ways to diplomatically address the issue.
Trish Hull from Salt Lake County Library Services tells:• Who to invite? Friends, families, members of an organization you participate in (ie scouts, pta, exercise group, family, church, neighbors, play group, co-workers, similar hobbies)
How To Start A Bookclub
• Where to Meet. Homes, libraries, churches, restaurants all make good meeting places. How often? Usually once a month, but maybe every other month will work for very busy people.
• Food! Yes, of course have food. Some clubs have members take turns providing food. Others hold their meetings at a restaurant.
• Assign Leadership Roles. It is important to have someone in charge. You can have a president who rotates yearly or elections, and have a secretary who keeps tracks of books read. If you have been going for awhile you may forget what you have read.
• Communicate. Establish a communications system that works for you and stick to it. Set meeting days and times well in advance.
• Agree on a Reading List. Some groups assign each member to take a turn recommending a book. Others select from a third-party list. However, it seems to work best if all members agree on the final choices.
• Leading the Discussion. If you are a new group you might want to include ice breakers or get to know you activities. Also decide who will lead the discussion and allow time for general conversation.
• Club Personality. Decide if you want to be a casual fun reading group with a variety of interests and areas to read or whether you would rather be more specialized. Some groups focus on just children's books, or the classics, while others take a more academic approach. Keep in mind every book group has its own personality and there is no set way or right or wrong way to do a book group.
• Getting Enough Copies. It is expensive to ask everyone to buy the book. Salt Lake County Libraries offer a service of bringing in multiple copies of books for groups. Check with your local library to see if they do the same. Many groups share copies among members.
How to Jazz Up Your Book Group
• Change the nature of books you have been reading. Suggest a theme or look for areas you have not read yet. Ask a librarian for book suggestions.
• Pick a field trip for your next activity- Read the paper or visit a bookstore and see if there are any author signings coming up. Maybe an author will be discussing a book at a local library (Salt Lake City downtown library has a lot of these) or bookstore. A museum may have a display of books. Go to a large or new library for a tour. Ask a librarian for a tour and to talk about different genres of books. (you can call me at the Magna library for suggestions)
• Change up and include art or music for a change of pace. The library has books about artists that include pictures of their works, cds for composers, as well as books about their lives. Also you could then go to a fine arts museum (Most colleges have one) or concert.
• Incorporate a craft or activity into your group. If you are reading a book about a woman who makes hats, decorate a hat for fun. Or dress up in the time period you are discussing.
• Start an online bookclub if you are having trouble physically getting together. This is a good way to link with family and friends to discuss books.
• Fix lagging membership by asking everyone to invite a friend. Consider advertising your club at your local library.
• Look online for authors who will "virtually visit" your bookclub or provide times when you can chat with them. This is becoming a pretty popular author opportunity. Publishers websites may tell about these as well.
• If you aren't having fun, ask the members why. If it is something they don't want to discuss in public maybe send an email questionnaire to everyone and then think of ways to diplomatically address the issue.
Studio 5 viewers responded with their best titles to share with a book club.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom*
These Is My Words, Nancy Turner
The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls*
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer
Alas Babylon, Pat Frank
A Painted House, John Grisham
The Leopard Hunts in Darkness, Wilbur Smith
Peace Like a River, Leif Enger*
Good Hope Road, Lisa Wingate
Three Weeks with my brother, Nicholas Sparks
16 Lighthouse Road (Cedar Cove series), Debbie Macomber*
Push Not the River, James Conroyd Martin
Leota's Garden, Francine Rivers
All Together in One Place, Jane Kirkpatrick.
Left to Tell, Immaculee Ilibagiza*
Tending Roses, Lisa Wingate
Small Change: The Secret Life of Penny Burford, J. Belinda Yandell
Saturday, July 25, 2009
More books
I am Janet and I would love to be a participant in a book club, but Saturdays are almost always out for me. :-( But I can participate on the blog. I have some favorite books! Some of the recent ones that I loved have been Alexander McCall's #1 Ladies Detective Agency - all ten I think there were. Those were a lot of fun! Beverly Lewis has some light reads about life among the Amish and of course Lauraine Snelling has her Red River of the North Series - that everyone who lives up here should read. Along with that, Laura Ingalls books are a good very easy read you can share with your children about pioneer life in the northern prairie, especially The Long Winter LOL. Pepin WI, Walnut Grove MN, and Desmet SD are all within a days drive from here and are fun places to visit. I have also recently read Three Cups of Tea, The Glass Castle: A Memoir, The Secret Life of Bees,
Three Weeks With my Brother, The Soft Spoken parent and What's a Parent to Do? (The last two are church books, which I reread periodically!) Another one that I recently read is which is about a young mom (which I am not) caring for her young children at the same time her mom is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and how she manages to deal with being "in the middle." My mom does have Alzheimer's and I do still have kids at home, so I am in the middle on this one, and it's a very good book for a very hard situation. (Note: Some language in the book.)
Janet
Three Weeks With my Brother, The Soft Spoken parent and What's a Parent to Do? (The last two are church books, which I reread periodically!) Another one that I recently read is
Mother in the Middle: A Biologist's Story of Caring for Parent and Child by Sybil Lockhart
Janet
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thanks for joining!
As you can see, I have gotten the blog started. It's not very pretty so if you like decorating I would love some help...
I was thinking we could each post about our favorite author or book(s). Here goes...
My favorite author, since I was young, is Roald Dahl. He lived in England and was a pilot during WW1. A few of his children's books have been made into movies, including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. Needless to say, the books are better than the movies and he has many more books. My favorite are his autobiographies which are very interesting. He has also written some short stories for adults that are not quite as entertaining, but very thought-provoking. I would recommend any of his books (except some of the adult stories), but my favorites are The BFG, George's Marvelous Medicine, Matilda, and Boy (his childhood autobiography).
I was thinking we could each post about our favorite author or book(s). Here goes...
My favorite author, since I was young, is Roald Dahl. He lived in England and was a pilot during WW1. A few of his children's books have been made into movies, including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. Needless to say, the books are better than the movies and he has many more books. My favorite are his autobiographies which are very interesting. He has also written some short stories for adults that are not quite as entertaining, but very thought-provoking. I would recommend any of his books (except some of the adult stories), but my favorites are The BFG, George's Marvelous Medicine, Matilda, and Boy (his childhood autobiography).
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