Booklist Online: Book Reviews from the American Library Association

In January, AMC aired (or should I say “cabled”?) a short segment on Freebird Books‘ post-apocalyptic book club. And, no, that doesn’t mean the book club itself takes place after the apocalypse, merely that they’re discussing–wait, you’re way ahead of me, aren’t you? Anyway: great idea! Our own Ben Segedin is sort of a one-man post-apocalyptic [...]

Usually I leave the book-group beat to Book Group Buzz, but since I also patrol the feudin’ and fussin’ beat, I’m going to poach this story. Sorry, I mean, share this story–I’d love to read some of their front-line observations on the topic. But Joanne Kaufman’s New York Times article, “Fought Over Any Good Books [...]

Book Group Buzz, Likely Stories’ sibling blog, is the official partner blog of the WNBA’s NRGM. That would be National Reading Group Month. And that’s the Women’s National Book Association, not the Women’s National Basketball Association. (And just when I finally got the whole WWF/WWE thing figured out, too.) Writes Mary Ellen Quinn:
Book Group Buzz [...]

In a scenario that will sound familiar to U.S. readers, Scottish novelist Andrew O’Hagan has said that popular English TV hosts Richard and Judy treat their book club followers as if they were “stupid” (”Richard and Judy ‘treat their readers as stupid,’” by Senay Boztas, The Observer):
‘We have an industry where we have a Richard and [...]

I received this link from a number of sources–Book Club Girl’s Bastille Day pairing of books and French wine–but I kept deleting it. The commercial tie-in turned me off, for starters, and the list just didn’t seem that great, either. The Count of Monte Cristo? Mon dieux!
Then the ever-watchful George Eberhart sent the list to me, with [...]

Say hello to The Long Goodbye, Chicago (”Crime thriller ‘The Long Goodbye’ selected for ‘One Book, One Chicago,’ by Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune):
“The Long Goodbye” by crime-genre master Raymond Chandler is the 14th and latest book selected for the Chicago Public Library’s “One Book, One Chicago” program. Twice a year, in the spring and fall, [...]

Oprah just announced her new pick–perhaps a pick-me-up for any lingering hangovers from reading The Road?

Best-selling author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle has been inspiring readers since his first book, The Power of Now. In A New Earth, Eckhart provides practical teachings for waking up to a new, enlightened mind-set. If you’re seeking a more [...]

I’ve been enjoying the posts at Book Group Buzz. Yesterday, Misha Stone’s “When Fiction and Reality Collide” addressed–well, you’re probably one step ahead of me on that one. Says Stone:
As a Fiction Librarian, I often get a little annoyed when patrons distinguish the difference between fiction and non-fiction as "fake" versus "real."
As a fiction reviewer, [...]

 
Just one post today–to let you know about the launch of Booklist Online’s second blog, Book Group Buzz. We had some interesting conversations at the old Booklist Book Club, but what people kept telling us was that what they really wanted were resources to help them with their in-person (I disdain the digirati’s use of [...]