Here is our list. Please forgive the titles in caps; I did a cut and paste from our reading list.

NETHERLAND: A NOVEL - By Joseph OÂNeill
JANE EYRE - By Charlotte Bronte
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - By Stieg Larson
CUTTING FOR STONE - By Abraham Verghese
THE WRONG MOTHER - By Sophie Hannah
THE HELP - By Kathryn Stockett
THE WOMAN IN WHITE - By Wilkie Collins
THE LITTLE STRANGER - By Sarah Waters
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK - By Geraldine Brooks
CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER - By Gregory Maguire
THE LACUNA - By Barbara Kingsolver
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY - By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
THE SCHOOL OF ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS - By Erica Bauermeister

In our book club each member chooses one of the books to be read. This selection technique provides for a wide range of tastes. I never like all of the books. Some I dislike so much that I find it impossible to finish them. However each year participation in the club brings me at least one book I never would have found on my own, which I simply love. I wonder which one it will be this year? Besides, the club goes on a book-oriented vacation once a year, which is fun.

My own contribution was Jane Eyre, which a number of our members had never read.

Rosefolly

Hi all- Here is what my 2 Book Clubs(one is women only, one is coed) are reading in 2010:

The Women's Reading group is reading:
Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen
Water for Elephants-Sara Gruen
The Widow's adventures-Charles Dickinson
The Glass Castle-Jeanette Walls
The Blind Assassin-Margaret Wells
Interpreter of Maladies-Jhumpa Lahiri

The Coed Reading Group:
Shanghi Girls by Lisa See
This is where I leave you by Johnathan Trooper
Sarah's Key--Tiatiana De Rosnay
Have a little Faith-Mitch Albom
Day after Night-Anita Diamant

Thanks for the lists, rose and rosa! It's always fun to see what other groups are reading. We have already read: "People of the Book," "The Guernsey...""Water for Elephants," "The Blind Assassin," "Interpreter of Maladies," and "Sarah's Key." All of them received good reviews except "Blind Assassin." I think that's actually Margaret Atwood, isn't it? Unless there's another book by that title. I think Atwood is somewhat of an acquired taste. I liked that book okay, but not as well as "The Handmaid's Tale" by her. Those are the only two book I have read by her.

Paula - I'm curious to hear how your group likes "The Help." We will be reading that later in the year -- we're waiting or the paperback version. Let me know how your discussion turns out.

Thanks again...and happy reading.

Sarah-Ooops! You are right!! It is Margaret Atwood not Margaret Wells who wrote the Blind Assassin. Our member who suggested the book just loved it so I am curious to read it. We read "The Help" and our group enjoyed it.

The reason I love book clubs is you will end up reading books that sometimes you would never have picked up on your own. Plus I love the pot luck dinners:.) It is a great time to socialize with like-minded women readers and have fun.

I belong to 2 book groups; only one selects the books in advance:

City of Thieves - Benioff
A Person of Interest - Choi
The Human Stain - Roth
Await Your Reply - Chaon
Half the Sky - Kristof
Look Me in the Eye - Robinson
Stones Into Schools - Mortenson
Loving Frank - Horan
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Shaffer/Barrows
The Help -Stockett

I am copying and pasting your lists into one to give to my book club. We have an awful time choosing a book. At each meeting, we choose the next book. We meet tonight and the book we are discussing is The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Before that we read Mr. Pip, which we all enjoyed.

I get very frustrated that there are one or two members who always show up and have not read the book. Of course, they always lead the conversation astray.

I'll let you know what we choose next. I, too, have read a number of books that I would not have chosen for myself and I enjoyed them very much.

dedtired -- I can sympathize with you on those who show up and haven't read the book and then lead the discussion astray. We've had problems with this in the past, but it seems to have passed somewhat. We've also suffered through some times when people just weren't showing up. I remember when we read "Little Women," four of us showed up for the meeting and two of us had actually read the book. Boo. Why bother?

We have several new members, now, and they've really added some spark to our discussions. I think maybe we're also picking better books, which helps.

I went to hear the author Lisa Scottoline speak (hilarious) and she asked the audience "how many of you belong to a book club where you talk about the book for fifteen minutes and half the members haven't even read it?"

A lot of people raised their hands. Still, it is too bad. I enjoy the socializing, but I want to discuss the book, too. We'll see how it goes tonight.

My book club discusses books, but not any particular one. We all say what we have read in the last month, and preferable bring a copy to lend to someone, and often there are several who have read the same book. We also usually discuss recent films.

Germinal - Emile Zola
A Kind of Loving - Stan Barstow
Bright Day - J.B. Priestley
Cheri - Colette
Madame Bovary - Gustav Flaubert
The Crowded Street - Winifred Holtby
Memento Mori - Muriel Spark
I Robot - Isaac Asimov
Yorkshire Molly - Peter Mottley
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

So last night we talked about The Elegance of the Hedgehog and we all gave it a thumbs up (except the one person who NEVER reads the book).

Next up is The Piano Teacher. I probably wouldn't have picked it.

After carefully printing out your lists and a few reviews, I left it all in my brief case. Sigh. Oh well, I'll have it for next time.

astrokath - That's an interesting format for your group. Do you take turns talking about the book(s) you read? I like the idea of bringing a copy to exchange. I think we're going to start doing that with books we read that aren't on our list but that we think are good reads.

dido - You have a very interesting list. Do you always read classics?

dedtired - Please let me know what you think of "The Piano Teacher." I downloaded a sample of that on my Kindle and it didn't really grab me. But maybe I just needed to read further.

Sarah, each month we go around the table and talk about what we have read, whether we liked or disliked it, that sort of thing. Usually someone else will have read something if it is new, and it is more of a 'book sharing' than necessarily a discussion.

As to the problem of some members leading the discussion astray, that can be addressed by having a particular format. It probably doesn't matter what the format is, so long as you have one.

In our club, we pick cards to decide what order we speak. Then each person talks for up to five minutes, discussing her thoughts on the book. If you have read part of the book, you can still discuss it, but if you have not read any of it, you don't. When everyone has spoken, there is open discussion. Then we vote to rate the book. Only those who have completed the book can vote.

After that comes the time when we can, and do, talk about anything we please.

Rosefolly

I think "Book Clubs" have flourished in response to some fundamental needs of women to gather and exchange thoughts. There were once garden clubs, and women's clubs and bridge clubs and while those groups still exist their membership seems to be mainly an older crowd. With so many of us working now and involved in other things, that socialization doesn't happen as much.And as much as some might make fun of it, it is missed.

One of my reading groups started as a small group of very serious readers who tackled hard books and rarely got off course. As neighbors heard about it, we added members and added members to the point that it became mostly a wine and munchie fest and books must be easy reads to get over 50% who have read the book. We do have some good discussions--these people are not stupid and easy reads may present big issues. I was frustrated for awhile, but then realized I had other outlets for harder books. So I relaxed and thoroughly enjoy my neighbors once a month. I joined a group that reads only classics (Pilgrim's Progress anyone?) and another that reads only WWII. Still room for a couple more.

I belonged to a book club who had a non-reader who was not contributing to any discussions. We lied and told her the book club was ending to save her feelings. We voted and wanted her out of the club but I would have liked to have just told her the real reason. Why join a book club and not read the books?

I am a member of two F2F book clubs. One is more serious than the other; one is primarily social, which is fine. The problem I have with them, though, is they both want to read the same books, the books every other book club seems to be reading. For example, "The Help" has been selected by both. Previously both groups read "The Kite Runner" and "The Guernsey Literary..." and whatever the current book-club darling was. I do not mind repeating books occasionally, but this is getting old for me. I wish both groups could branch out a little bit. I have made alternate suggestions but the selection is chosen by consensus, and the popular mainstream book always wins. Sure, I can read other books on my own and just go along, but part of belonging to a book club is reading new things and getting new ideas. Unfortunately to me it's just a book popularity contest.

I notice in the lists above the many of the same popular titles appear. Do any of you have a problem like mine with those books?

I like astrokath's group's format, but I doubt either of my groups would go for a similar style.

Rosefolly  I like your idea about setting a format, but I doubt my group would go for that.

Isabeaux  I agree with you about why book clubs have flourished. When I was growing up, my mom had a regular "coffee" group each month, made up of ladies from the neighborhood. She also belonged to a bridge club that met regularly. It was a good way for her to stay connected.

rosaearth -- I get frustrated, too, with those who regularly seem to not finish the book. We started out with a member like that, and even though she never read the book, she had no trouble sharing her thoughts with us about the book. Strange. Lucky for us, she left the group on her ownÂno lies necessary. (Smile)

lydia, -- I understand your frustration. Over the years -- we've been meeting since 1995 -- I've tried to nudge our group toward reading less popular, but equally, possibly more, discussable books that aren't on the "book club bestseller" lists.

Early on, we read books such as Toni Morrison's "Song of Soloman," which made for very in-depth discussion. But it became clear to me, over time, that the group as a whole really prefers to read the more popular books that all the other groups read ... so, that's what we do.

We talk about reading at least one classic each year, but that doesn't always happen. When we tried to read "A Tale of Two Cities," several members opted to rent the movie instead. <:0 and then we attempted shrugged. decided to split it into three months because of the length people still didn read it. they jokingly asked if i would last two thirds summarize for them. must say though my group does have a good time usually regardless what discussing. really great women.>

Pardon my late entry into this thread, but having just read it, I have a question for rosefolly: The idea of taking book-oriented vacations with your group is lovely. Would you tell us about a few of your trips?

My own book group selects books every six months. This month, we'll be selecting our next batch, so I will post a list when I know. -- Kathy

I just joined the book club about three years ago, and for the first two years I did not go on the trips due to conflicts with my own schedule. However, this year I will be going to Portland with the group - in fact I believe we are all going this year. I'm not yet sure which the associated book will be. Once we have found the book and the trip, we make a space in the reading schedule for it.

I do know that we (they) have traveled all over the US. The first trip was to Savannah to meet the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. There have been trips to Niagara Falls, Wyoming, Nashville, Key West, and Washington DC. Authors live everywhere!

Rosefolly

We read My Antonia first this year, and now we are reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. We don't plan out the year.

My father, who lives in a nursing home in the special care unit, told me this evening that his book group (he just had cataract surgery and now can see to read again) will be reading The Secret Life of Anne Boleyn starting next week. He apparently told them that I could come as a guest speaker, so I guess I better read that next. Just in case.

Checked on amazon and I think Dad meant The Secret diary of Anne Boleyn.

That sounds so interesting, Rosefolly! I was imagining you were attending book conventions of some sort, but visiting authors is such a great idea. Apparently the authors are open to this idea, right? That's probably a lot easier for them than making a book tour.

Cece, that is so nice that your father is in a book group, and that he's interested in it. After what you've told us on the Motherless Daughters thread, I find that very touching. No doubt he will be proud to show off his daughter's literary knowledge. Very sweet. -- Kathy

We had a great discussion about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and now we are on to People of the Book.

The week, my group selected books for the next several months. We will be reading:

Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann
Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
biography of choice (each member reads a different one)
Daughters of Britannia - Katie Hickman
Our 2010 community "One Read" book - title not yet known

Kathy

kathy t - My book group used to take yearly trips, too. Although the first two years we went to Ashland, Oregon during the Shakespeare Festival, and didn't really read a book to go with that theme. One year, however, we read "Cannery Row" before our trip to Monterey. It was great fun.

Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker.

Sarah - The trip to Monterey in conjunction with Cannery Row sounds like a great idea! I just might have to plant this seed of an idea in the minds of my fellow book club members. -- Kathy