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Good Books Lately: The One-Stop Resource for Book Groups and Other Greedy Readers
The inside scoop on book groups--from the nation's leading experts!
As book group members across the country have discovered, Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens know everything there is to know about book groups, and then some. The founders of the country's first book group consulting company, in Good Books Lately they dish out fun, stimulating advice based on their own experiences and those of hundreds of book group members on everything
* How to start a group---and keep it going
* How to tell a book by its cover (really!)
* How to generate a lively discussion
* Behind-the-scenes anecdotes, dirt, and favorite book lists
* The best and worst book group books
* Book group troubleshooting, no matter what sort of group you belong to
* And much more
If you're looking for new ideas to spice up your book group, wondering how to join an existing group, or hoping to start your own, Good Books Lately will give you the goods to make your book group experience a rousing, rewarding success.
As book group members across the country have discovered, Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens know everything there is to know about book groups, and then some. The founders of the country's first book group consulting company, in Good Books Lately they dish out fun, stimulating advice based on their own experiences and those of hundreds of book group members on everything
* How to start a group---and keep it going
* How to tell a book by its cover (really!)
* How to generate a lively discussion
* Behind-the-scenes anecdotes, dirt, and favorite book lists
* The best and worst book group books
* Book group troubleshooting, no matter what sort of group you belong to
* And much more
If you're looking for new ideas to spice up your book group, wondering how to join an existing group, or hoping to start your own, Good Books Lately will give you the goods to make your book group experience a rousing, rewarding success.
368 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2004
1 person is currently reading
114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 25, 2020
I have been in book clubs in the past but I am not in one currently. I was particularly interested in the chapter on Intrepid Analytical Reading (style, narrator, character, plot, setting and theme and their many subcomponents) as a way of getting more out of what I read (although for the string of trash novels, oops Jack Reacher novels, I have been reading the last few months analysis isn't really required). It was an interesting and long overdue review - good bedtime reading as it is easy to pick up and put down. While published in 2004, it is timeless
December 28, 2012
My CurledUp review: The subtitle of Good Books Lately says it all – it is truly a one-stop resource for any reader. Since authors Moore and Stevens are academics and book club consultants, they have successfully blended the two worlds, allowing for an emphasis on book groups but providing plenty of additional info for individuals who want more out of their reading.
Starting with a fascinating history of book clubs, from sewing circles to Oprah, Good Books moves on to important and mostly forgotten terms like “theme”, “plot”, “tone”, “setting”, and the ever-confusing “point-of-view” without being overly academic or condescending. Chapter Two (“Read Yourself Wise: The Art of Intrepid Analytical Reading”) provides an entire Literature 101 course in about thirty pages. Fortunately, Moore and Stevens don’t leave you stranded with an overload of information and continue in Chapter Three to provide insight into the different types of literature we read and how to break down each type.
Ultimately we get to the meat of the book, which is how to discuss literature and how to conduct a book group. Unlike other reading guides, (How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster comes to mind), Good Books is not academically focused or overly wordy and is geared so that non-English majors can easily understand how to dissect any bit of reading (fiction, nonfiction, classics, short stories, autobiographies, pop literature) and form it into an interesting discussion. With suggestions for how to take turns expressing opinions to playing devil’s advocate when everyone loves the book, Moore and Stevens view literature and book groups from every possible angle.
Chapter Seven: “’A Thousand Different Types’: An Assortment of Diverse Distinctive Book Groups” is a great chapter for the voyeuristic type. Comprised of “in their own words” missions, book group bombs and book group favorites from groups around the country, the chapter really gives a feel for what is going on in the world of readers. A great aside entitled “The Personalities in your Book Group: Understanding and Making the Most of Each Individual Reader” is both funny and informative, pigeonholing each member of the group with pseudo-psycho terms like “the idealistic perfectionist,” “the romantic individualist,” and “the playful hedonist,” and even adds a list of “famous” types at the end of each section so you know exactly who you are dealing with (“romantic individualists” include: Michael Jackson, Judy Garland, Virginia Woolf, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Cathy and Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights, Blanche Dubois of "A Streetcar Named Desire"…get the picture?).
With a book group “troubleshooting” section, a list of suggested book club books, a glossary of literary terms and a selection of resources (including http://goodbookslately.com), Good Books wraps up the complete package with an invitation to participate in ongoing research.
The most wonderful thing about Good Books is the ease of use. While interesting enough to be read cover to cover, it easily lends itself to browsing and chapter reading. It is a great resource to take to a book group for guidance or reference, it is a wonderful gift for any English major who needs a cheat sheet and, best of all, you don’t need to read between the lines!
Starting with a fascinating history of book clubs, from sewing circles to Oprah, Good Books moves on to important and mostly forgotten terms like “theme”, “plot”, “tone”, “setting”, and the ever-confusing “point-of-view” without being overly academic or condescending. Chapter Two (“Read Yourself Wise: The Art of Intrepid Analytical Reading”) provides an entire Literature 101 course in about thirty pages. Fortunately, Moore and Stevens don’t leave you stranded with an overload of information and continue in Chapter Three to provide insight into the different types of literature we read and how to break down each type.
Ultimately we get to the meat of the book, which is how to discuss literature and how to conduct a book group. Unlike other reading guides, (How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster comes to mind), Good Books is not academically focused or overly wordy and is geared so that non-English majors can easily understand how to dissect any bit of reading (fiction, nonfiction, classics, short stories, autobiographies, pop literature) and form it into an interesting discussion. With suggestions for how to take turns expressing opinions to playing devil’s advocate when everyone loves the book, Moore and Stevens view literature and book groups from every possible angle.
Chapter Seven: “’A Thousand Different Types’: An Assortment of Diverse Distinctive Book Groups” is a great chapter for the voyeuristic type. Comprised of “in their own words” missions, book group bombs and book group favorites from groups around the country, the chapter really gives a feel for what is going on in the world of readers. A great aside entitled “The Personalities in your Book Group: Understanding and Making the Most of Each Individual Reader” is both funny and informative, pigeonholing each member of the group with pseudo-psycho terms like “the idealistic perfectionist,” “the romantic individualist,” and “the playful hedonist,” and even adds a list of “famous” types at the end of each section so you know exactly who you are dealing with (“romantic individualists” include: Michael Jackson, Judy Garland, Virginia Woolf, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Cathy and Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights, Blanche Dubois of "A Streetcar Named Desire"…get the picture?).
With a book group “troubleshooting” section, a list of suggested book club books, a glossary of literary terms and a selection of resources (including http://goodbookslately.com), Good Books wraps up the complete package with an invitation to participate in ongoing research.
The most wonderful thing about Good Books is the ease of use. While interesting enough to be read cover to cover, it easily lends itself to browsing and chapter reading. It is a great resource to take to a book group for guidance or reference, it is a wonderful gift for any English major who needs a cheat sheet and, best of all, you don’t need to read between the lines!
August 13, 2007
This is the book that made me re-examine my disdain for Oprah books. How pretentious could I be? Does it *really* matter if someone reads a book just because Oprah recommends it? After some careful self-examination, I realize that I don't really care why people read, as long as they are doing it because they want to. In addition, this book gave me some ideas for nurturing my book group when it meets up again in September. It also gave me tons of ideas for books that I want to read! The only real flaw was that the authors do not include many non-fiction selections.
October 28, 2012
I think this was a pretty interesting resource book for readers, particularly those in a book group or interested in joining a book group. I wouldn't say that there was anything earth shattering here but it was a pretty solid book about books and reading. If you're interesting in learning how to lead a book group or how to be a better group member, I'd definitely recommend checking it out.
August 17, 2008
The authors founded the first book group consulting company in America and share their knowledge and advice here. They tell how to start a group and keep it going, how to get a discussion going, and how to choose books. Included are some fun booklists. A most "booky" book.
June 26, 2009
This is a good resource book with some very interesting discussion question ideas. But I got bored trying to read it through. I'm glad I own it, though. And have used several of the ideas in my book discussion groups.
Read
November 6, 2009I read this book when I was first starting my book club. It proved to be a very valuable resource, with suggestions on how to get the group started, tips for conducting meetings, and ideas about what makes a good book club book. Three years later, I still refer back to it from time to time.
October 13, 2010
This book is veru informative and useful to my thesis on on-line book clubs but it needs to be updated in regards to on-line book clubs but it gives a nice easy to read layout of how to make book clubs work and ideas to make it fun and interesting as well as gives some book recommendations.
February 21, 2008
excellent resource for book groups and reader advisory - interesting take on reading behavior and the nature of discussion groups (that psychology thing)
August 9, 2019
A nice guide for book groups. The book suggestions did seem to mirror the book guides they have for sale on their site though.
September 15, 2014
Many good ideas and lots of useful reference material.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews