Book Oracle - Reading Groups

Book selection made easy for book groups and readers.

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Reading Groups
"Something wonderful is happening in books"

Victoria Golden McMains says in her publication "The Reader's Choice." She credits the growth of reading groups with her euphoria. Members tend to the literary rather than the popular. They don't care if the books they read are the latest rage, since bestsellers often stick to formula writing or feature celebrities or schlock.

Many book clubs love the classics. In their book, A Year of Reading Ellington and Freimiller call them "heartwarming classics." They report on five categories of books, and the books they read most often are what traditional publishers used to call "midlist". Midlist books are neither avant-garde nor formulaic. They do not dwell on the bizarre, the violent, or the sensational. They have a beginning, a middle and an end. They portray real people in real situations. Unfortunately since mid- list books are being phased out by the major houses, they are getting harder and harder to find. At present this sort of book would outsell the best- seller, if members knew where to find them.

Precisely our mission at bookoracle.com.

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The Book Group Book by Ellen Slezak cites the newsletter, "Select Fiction" a guide to well-received new books that did not hit the bestseller lists and passed out of view too quickly to catch the eye of readers looking for good literary novels. Reading group favorites are a great source for book lovers looking for a good read. "Reader's Choice" offers a list of 200. The Book Group Book surveys 4000 book clubs and lists top 20 favorites. A Year of Reading lists 700!

If you don't belong to a book discussion group, investigate this way to get the most from your reading. "On any given afternoon or evening hundreds of book groups are meeting in living rooms, libraries, coffee houses and kitchens. Reading lists vary tremendously, but in each successful group, members are firmly linked by a passion for books, and a fierce loyalty to each other." So says Ellen Slezak. See www.Bookbrowse.com for ways to find, join, or form a book club.