If you belong to a book discussion group or you would like to
start one, and you live or work in Rochester, Rochester Hills or Oakland Township, you're
invited to check out our selection of book
discussion kit titles provided by the Friends of the Rochester
Hills Public Library. Each kit contains multiple copies of a title selected
specifically for book discussions by our librarians. You will also find many print
resources in the library along with those on the Internet for starting a new book group or
reviving an existing group.
Book Discussion Kit Policy
- Book discussion kits may be checked out for
eight weeks
to library cardholders who live or work in Rochester, Rochester Hills, or
Oakland Township.
- Persons who live or work in Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township may
place holds to reserve book discussion kits.
- No more than two kits at a time may be checked out
to an individual.
- Please check contents of book discussion kits against the content
list included in the kit before checking it out.
- Book discussion kits may be renewed once if there are no holds.
- If they are not currently checked out, book discussion kits may be
reserved two months in advance by calling Outreach Services at 650-7150.
- Overdue book discussion kits will be fined $1.00 a
day. Kits that are returned incomplete will be fined $1.00 a day once the
due date is reached until the missing part is returned.
- Book discussion kits must be returned to the
Outreach Services desk.
Do not put kits in book drop boxes.
- Please check contents of book discussion kits against the content
list included in the kit before you return the kit to the library. Replacement cost of an
entire kit is $180.00. Replacement cost of individual parts of the kit
will depend on the cost of each particular item.
- Please direct any book discussion kit question to an Outreach Services
Librarian or call 650-7150.
Internet Book Discussion Resources
Bookspot
resources for new and established groups with links to reviews, authors, reading lists,
online discussions and more
Baltimore County Public
Library links to book reviews, reading groups and authors
Seattle Public Library
advice and how to's for starting a book club and recommended reading lists
Great Books
features books in the Great Books Reading Series
Rochester Hills Public Library Readers'
Services Page includes reviews, reading lists and reading groups
Overbooked includes reviews, author and
publisher information, and annotated reading lists
Reading Group
Guides
Amazon.com
Reading Group Guides alphabetical title list of both fiction and non-fiction
books with discussion questions
BookBrowse reading
guides and information and advice for groups
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Reading Group Guides
Oprah's Book Club
discussion
questions and author information for past and current selections
SparkNotes includes study
questions for 270 titles, many classics and some poetry
Reading
Group Choices alphabetical list of fiction and non-fiction titles with
discussion guides
ReadingGroup Guides over
1,700 discussion guides as well as advice, ideas and a monthly newsletter
Thinking Out Loud discussion
guides for titles of fiction and non-fiction prepared by the Morton Grove Public Library
staff
HarperCollins Publishers
Houghton
Mifflin Reading Group Guides
W.W. Norton Reading Group Guides
Penguin
Putnam Reading Group Guides
Picador
USA Reading Group Guides
Random House Reading Group Guides
includes Ballantine, Doubleday, Knopf and Vintage divisions of Random House
Simon & Schuster
St. Martin's Press
Helpful Library Resources for Book Discussion Groups
Balcom,
Ted.
Book
Discussions for Adults: A Leader's Guide. Chicago:
American Library Assoc., 1992.
Offers
helpful tips for leading successful book groups.
Bauermeister,
Erica, & Larsen, Jesse & Smith, Holly.
500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide. New York:
Penguin, 1994.
Theme
oriented, short synopses and insightful comments accompany each title
listed. Useful indices such as “Books by region and country” and
“Books about people of color in the United States” are included.
The
Book Group Book: A Thoughtful Guide to Forming and Enjoying a Stimulating
Book Discussion Group. Ed. Ellen Slezak. Chicago: Chicago Review Press,
1995.
The
nuts and bolts about forming and running a successful book group.
Dodson,
Shireen. The Mother-Daughter Book Club. New York:
HarperCollins, 1997.
The
story of a group of mothers and their daughters and how their relationships
were strengthened and changed by starting a monthly reading club.
A practical step-by-step guide, filled with reading lists that will
inspire parents to start reading clubs of their own.
Fineman,
Marcia. Talking
About Books: A Step-by-Step Guide for Participating in a Book
Discussion Group. Rockville,
MD: Talking About Books, 1998.
A
basic guide to participating in a discussion group as well as planning and
maintaining a group.
Jacobsohn,
Rachel. The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know,
From Choosing Members to Leading Discussions. New York: Hyperion, 1994.
A
definitive, step-by-step guide to starting your own reading group, written
by a professional reading group leader who has organized and led groups for
over twenty years.
Jacobsohn,
Rachel. The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Start
Your Own Book Club. Revised edition. New York: Hyperion, 1998.
In
this newly expanded edition, you’ll find information on how to read
critically, the art of the discussion and over thirty-five suggested reading
lists.
Laskin,
David and Hughes, Holly. The
Reading Group Book: The Complete Guide to Starting and Sustaining a Reading
Group, With Annotated Lists of 250 Titles for Provocative Discussion.
New York: Plume, 1995.
Filled
with funny and insightful stories from book group members, independent
booksellers, and even a sociologist who has studied the phenomenon, this
distinctive guide will inspire the start-up of new groups and provide
existing forums with renewed inspiration and fresh ideas.
Long,
Elizabeth. Book
Clubs: Women and the Uses of Reading in Everyday Life.
Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 2003.
A
study of many book groups and the important social role they play in
women’s lives as they make reading a communal experience.
McMains,
Victoria Golden. The
Reader's Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites.
New York: Quill, 2000.
Annotated
list of titles chosen by more than 70 reading groups; includes subject
index.
Morris,
Evan. Book Lover's
Guide to the Internet.
New York: Fawcett Books,
1996.
Highlights
websites devoted to authors, literature, poetry and online magazines.
Pearlman,
Mickey. What to Read: The Essential Guide for Reading Group
Members and Other Book Lovers. New York: HarperPerennial, 1999.
A varied assortment of annotated
lists, organized by topics. Includes several
“dream lists” recommended by well-known authors.
Reading
Group Choices: Selections for Lively Book Discussions. Nashville: Paz
& Associates, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003.
A
plot summary, author biography, and a list of discussion topics are included
with each of the titles listed.
Saal,
Rollene. The New York Public Library Guide to Reading Groups. New
York: Crown Publishers, 1995.
A
summary, author biography and a list of discussion topics are included with
each of the 50 titles listed.
The
Reading List: Contemporary Fiction: A Critical Guide to the Complete Works
of 110 Authors. New
York: Henry Holt, 1998.
This
critical guide to the work of 110 contemporary novelists and short story
writers, covers a broad range of literary styles and traditions, as well as
popular best-sellers. Author
biography, photo and an “if you like” list are included with each entry.
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