The Book Club Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Reading Group Experience

by Diana Loevy

Overview

Booksellers know very well how ubiquitous the reading group has become, and The Book Club Companion is full of innovative ideas designed to entertain their members and enrich the book club experience. Inside, club members will find:

- The 10 Indispensable Titles across several literary genres including Beloved Lit, Brit Lit, Book Club Favorites, Classic Lit, Black Lit, Noir Lit, Literary Respite, Nonfiction that Reads Like Fiction, and Memoir
- Childhood favorites
- "Guilty pleasure" titles
- Conversation starters and tips for keeping discussions lively
- Theme gatherings and special places for meetings
- Drink and food recipes
- Craft ideas
- And much more

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425210093
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2006
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	8.78(w) x 5.94(h) x 0.95(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Diana Loevy is a writer, entrepreneur, and editorial executive with an extensive career in publishing and media. She conceived, developed and launched the Reading Groups program for Bookspan, the book club division of Time Warner and Bertelsmann. As Reading Groups Editor for The Literary Guild and Black Expressions companion websites, she created the first-of-its- kind readers' guide incorporating unique book-related and home entertainment content for club members. Diana is also an active member of several book clubs in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Table of Contents

The Book Club CompanionIntroduction

Chapter One: The Beloveds

The Ten Indispensable Titles
No Leader, No Problem: Discussion Basics
Club Rules: May We Knit?
When Pets Misbehave: Flying Minnies and Slobbering Horaces
Club Rules: When Pets Meet the Club Checklist
The Unexpected Meeting Place: The Botanical Garden
Hosting Basics: How to Be Popular
Angry, Often Desperate Housewives: The Novels
The Beloved Cocktail
An Anne Tyler Celebration
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1920s Book Club

Chapter Two: The Book Club Classic

The Twenty Indispensable Titles
Four Questions for Isabel Allende
No Leader, No Problem: Your Next Book
Club Rules: E-mail Stylings
When Pets Misbehave: Baddest Kitty
Book Club Style: Flowers from The Hours and Mrs. Dalloway's Hothouse
The Costume Drama
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: An Appreciation
The Tween Book Club 101
A Bel Canto Evening
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1930s Book Club

Chapter Three: Classic Fiction

The Twenty-one Indispensable Titles
What Is a Classic?
Club Rules: How True! Mark Up Your Book without Mercy
When Pets Go Missing
The Tween Book Club: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
The Many Favorites of Ernest Hemingway
Classic Fiction Anniversary Party

Chapter Four: Brit Lit 101

The Ten Indispensable Titles
Touring Thematically: Channeling Jane Austen
Meeting Thematically: Form a Spin-Off Literary Society
When Pets Preen
The Tween Book Club: The Witches by Roald Dahl
P. G. Wodehouse 101
Luncheon at the Club
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1940s Book Club

Chapter Five: Red, White And Noir

The Ten Indispensable Titles
No Leader, No Problem: Customizing Discussion Questions
When Pets Misbehave: The Fearful Guest
Touring Thematically: Authors at the Lectern
The Indispensable Short Story Collection
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious: An Appreciation
The Indispensable Platter: Vegetables All Year Long
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1950s Book Club

Chapter Six: Literary Respites

The Ten Indispensable Titles
Six Questions for Alexander McCall Smith
The Best Generic Questions for Discussing Series
New Year's Resolutions for Book Clubs
Book Club Craft Essentials
The Tween Book Club: A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Book Club Style: Gift from the Sea
Holiday Celebration
Snacking at the Club
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1960s Book Club

Chapter Seven: Black Lit

The Ten Indispensable Titles
Five Questions for Bebe Moore Campbell
No Leader, No Problem: The Flip Side
Book Club Style: A Color Purple Flower Celebration
The Indispensable Reading List: Memoir and Nonfiction
The Tween Book Club: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Casting Call
Book Club Supper
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1970s Book Club

Chapter Eight: Nonfiction That Reads Like Fiction

The Ten Indispensable Titles
No Leader, No Problem: Meeting Style
The Indispensable Reading List: Biographies
Savannah Style
The Indispensable Reading List: The Arcane Thriller
A Restaurant Meeting
Best Generic Discussion Questions for Nonfiction
Supper at the Club
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1980s Book Club

Chapter Nine: The Memoir

The Ten Indispensable Titles
Five Questions for Ann Patchett
The Cultural Revolution, Before and After
Enchanted Summer Book Club
Seasonal Fruit Platters
Supper at the Club
Time Travel: If You Were in a 1990s Book Club

Bibliography
Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

Ms. Loevy, who developed the Reading Groups program for Bookspan, does include solid decade-by-decade lists of potential titles. They take up almost as much space as the recipes, and they are by far the best feature of this anything-goes guidebook.
— The New York Times

Janet Maslin

Loevy, who has a career in publishing and is herself a member of several book clubs, here offers help on everything from establishing book club rules to deciding where to meet and what to drink. In addition, she provides lists of books for discussion-classics like Moby-Dick and Vanity Fair as well as contemporary novels, short fiction, and memoirs. In many cases, she supplies a short plot summary, a critique of the publisher's discussion questions, and accompanying suggestions for recipes, favors, attire, and creative meeting locations. Among her book list categories is "Time Travel," made up of book club picks for each decade from the 1920s to the present. Not immune to alternative formats, Loevy also alerts readers to audio versions of books as well as DVDs (and includes critiques). Purists may scoff at the heavy emphasis on entertaining, but Loevy promotes book clubs as social groups that go beyond just reading and discussing literature. One other potential drawback: a bibliography with suggested editions would have been a welcome addition. Recommended, then, for large public collections.-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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