Booklist Online Spotlight on Book Discussions

My second favorite issue of Booklist just came out-- The Spotlight on Book Discussions. (of course my favorite is the one that spotlight’s horror, duh).

I love leading book discussions AND helping to train all of you to be better book discussion leaders. In fact, my book discussion leader programs are my most popular.

For last year’s Spotlight on Book Discussions, I had this article about the important of creating support groups for Book Discussion Leaders. And in 2017, I will be working on more book discussion initiatives with Booklist, initiatives that many of you can participate in with me! So keep an eye out for those announcements.

But that’s 2015 and 2017. Let’s talk about the 2016 Spotlight today.

Here are the links to the current lists and articles that I think are the most useful to those of you leading and/or helping your local book clubs.

• The Carnegie Medal Finalists for Fiction and Nonfiction all make for great book discussion options. [I know because I used last year’s winner to do a series of very successful books discussions myself.] But besides being involved with this award [to be given out at ALA Midwinter in January], Booklist has included a list of the finalists and three readalikes for each title in this issue, giving you 24 excellent book discussion options! Click here for the Fiction finalists with readalikes and here for the Nonfiction finalists with readalikes.
• I love it when someone in my book discussion group has listened to the audiobook of the title we are discussing. These participants ALWAYS have something different and interesting to share about the title and ALWAYS enhance our discussion. Sometime I have even led a discussion, or two, having only listened to the book. Joyce Saricks agrees with me and she has contributed this list of great genre audiobooks for book discussion groups. 
• By the way...I have no patience for those of you reading this who think that listening is not reading by the way. You are wrong. End of discussion. 
• Rebecca Vnuk has this Trend Alert article and reading list for “Genre-X” titles to attract Generation-X readers to your book clubs.

Good luck as you head into your 2017 book discussions. I have my first one on January 12th. If you live in the Chicago are, you can join me. Details here.