What to Read: The Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other Book Lovers

by Mickey Pearlman

Compiled by editor, lecturer, and interviewer Mickey Pearlman. What to Read offers a lifetime supply of annotated, intriguing, and original book lists. Designed for reading club members who need new ideas and book lovers who want to know about wonderful contemporary and classic books that they may have missed, What to Read features thoughtful and unusual lists, such as:

•Evil Lurks
•Southern Comfort
•Love is (Only Sometimes) a Many-Splendored Thing
•New York Stories
•Fairy Tales for Grown-ups
•The Butler Did it? Unlikely
•Native American Literature
•Go West
•African American Images and Ideas
•Attention, Women
•Kid Stuff

What to Read also includes tips on how to create your own reading group and maintain it, with a minimum of trouble, as well as anecdotes gleaned from hundreds of conversations with reading group attendees— from what books work best for discussions to how members choose the next book to read.

Genres: Books About Books, Nonfiction, Reference

229 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Author Biography: Mickey Pearlman, Ph.D., is an editor and lecturer. She is the editor of A Few Thousand Words About Love, A Place Called Home, and Between Friends; the author of Listen to Their Voices; and the co-author of A Voice of One's Own.

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quick list reference to books in various categories. Easy to skim through.

[Patrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this book is dated, it is compiled in an easy to read/understand format that meets its purpose. Helpful in giving some good ideas for future book club ideas and classics.

[Dana Arbelaez · Rating 5 out of 5]

My to-read-list just gained about 300 new titles, hahah.

[Christina]

Weeding my library. I think I bought this when I was in college. Judging by the multiple colors, on more than one occasion I’ve gone through and highlighted the books I’ve read. I just skimmed through, happily highlighting many more titles I’ve read (this time in orange) since the last tine I looked at this, and will now place it back on the shelf and probably forget about it for another five years or so as a lot of the books in here are on my To Read list; though there are probably more good ones I could add in here, I need to spend more time tackling the list and less tine building it.

Verdict: Keep

[Sherilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun, I read it in an evening. I have a long written list of what I want to read next, but am always looking for more to add to my list and this book provided that. I find it odd that other reviewers rate this book down because it was written in 1994. No good reads exist prior to 1994? Ridiculous! I added Of Human Bondage, As I Lay Dying, and Walden. Listed in categories such as "Questioning the Miraculous," "Save the Planet," and "African American Images and Ideas," (33 categories in all), I found it fascinating.

[mrs.hotzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh? This isn't really a book you read, or review. I like books like this, usually - list sort of books with recommendations. I had one as a little girl that I loved annotating and referring to. It seems a little oxymoronic to mark this book as "read" because I skimmed through the sections I found interesting, wrote down a few titles I found interesting, and called it "read."

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is comprised of "33 annotated book lists." Very satisfying to check off the books I've already read.

Published in 1994.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've never been part of the book club crowd or understood its appeal, so this is quite probably an excellent resource for book clubs, either those trying to get started or trying to give themselves a fresh kick. Possibly because I'm not a book club person, I shouldn't have looked at a book list for book clubs and expected much, but I just thought a what-to-read list would be universal, whether intended for groups or individuals. I thought wrong. I found the whole book pretty banal. Half the stuff I had already read in high school or college (for class, independently, or at the behest of professors), and the other half isn't worth reading. The annotations aren't very compelling, either.

[David]

This is just a long, long, categorized list of books for book clubs to read. The book opens with some discussion and advice about book clubs in general, but I don't think that the book is enormously valuable or anything. It does have some sentimental value, though, because my buddy Jason gave it to me.

[Donna Siebold · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was published in 1994, at this point - 2012 - it seems so dated as to be essentially obsolete. I was trying to get ideas for how to spark interest in our library's book groups. I found almost nothing of value here.

[Risa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What to Read: The Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other Book Lovers by Mickey Pearlman, Ph.D. (1994)"

[Etta Mcquade · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, do I like book lists? Aha, even when I can think of many better books than recommended.

[Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather dated--published in 1994 so many books from 92 & 93 that didn't end up having staying power. Nancy Pearl's book suggestion books are much better.

[Jill Minor]

FALSE

[Mary Bronson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little outdated. I found this at my local library and decided to check it out. Found some titles interesting and wrote them down. Other than that it was okay.

[LInda L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably useful, but I would seldom have time to look for anything new.