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Book group reading recommendations & events
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October 2009
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- OCTOBER IS NATIONAL READING GROUP MONTH -
Celebrate the joy of shared reading!
Bookshop Santa Cruz salutes reading groups for all of your dedication to the written word. Book groups actively give stories new life by way of discussion, long after the cover of the book has been closed. It is you who foster a story's growth and promote a love of literature. This month is an opportunity for reading groups everywhere to reflect on their accomplishments and to plan for the future--and Bookshop would like to personally thank you for all of your efforts.
In celebration of National Reading Group Month, we have brand new book group recommendations coming your way at every possible turn, as well as two great events to help celebrate the month:
THIS TUESDAY, October 6th at 7:30 pm
BOOK GROUP MIXER
Our Book Group Mixers are always a lot of fun! Discover the many benefits of registering your book group at Bookshop, hear a preview of great fall titles from our staff, get book recommendations from Hachette representative, Tom McIntyre, network with other book groups, share your favorite reads, pick up freebies, and nosh on wine and cheese! You'll also receive a discount of 20% off all paperback fiction, good that night only. We hope to see you there!
Tuesday, October 20th at 7:30 pm
COMMUNITY BOOK GROUP EVENT
 Rooftops of Tehran
by Mahbod Seraji
Book Group Discussion & Author Q&A
Your entire book group is invited to join our facilitated discussion of Mahbod Seraji's powerful novel, Rooftops of Tehran. Set in 1970s Iran during the shah's regime, Seraji's wonderful coming-of-age story is at times funny and sweet, as well as thought-provoking and heart-wrenching. Booklist calls it "a powerful tale of the universal longings of teenagers compounded by the horrors of tyranny." Julie Minnis will be leading a book discussion at 7:30 pm, and author Mahbod Seraji will join us at 8:00 pm to discuss his writing process and answer your questions. Like all great book group gatherings, there will be snacks and tea!
And what about those recommendations? Well, our Book Group Wall (in our paperback fiction room) has a brand new collection of terrific reviews really worth checking out. This month, our in-store newsletter (on display near the center of the store) is dedicated to book groups, with Bookshop's staff passionately vying to convince you their favorites should be your next reads. And lastly, our Trusted Source partner this month is Ann Kent, founder of Book Group Expo--bringing readers and writers together in intimate and conversational literary salons. The next big Expo event will take place in 2010 (please see bookgroupexpo.com for more information). In the meantime, definitly peruse Ann's expert recommendations for great book club selections below.
Thank you again, and happy reading!
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ANN KENT'S BOOK GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS:
 Bel Canto
By Ann Patchett
HARPER PERENNIAL
The old adage, "Wherever you go, there you are," or maybe the new age version, "Be here now," seems more than appropriate for this time-tested favorite of mine. When a group of international business and political leaders gather in South America to pay homage to an important businessman with serious money, they get the pleasure of hearing the finest opera singer in the world perform, but also become the targets of a revolutionary group's kidnapping efforts. A novel of beauty, brilliance, and magic, Bel Canto will always be on my list of favorites.
 The Good Thief
By Hannah Tinti
DIAL PRESS
The Good Thief is a dark (sometimes spooky), Dickensian tale filled with surprises that keep readers coming back (or staying up late!) just to see what's next. A story of abandoned boys gone bad--or maybe good, or maybe both--The Good Thief is wonderfully strange, and just plain wonderful. This book will take you (and your book group) in and won't let go. Start it on the weekend, so you don't have to call in sick for work!
 The Angel's Game
By Carlos Ruiz Zafón
DOUBLEDAY
Whether or not you are already a fan of master storyteller Carlos Ruiz Zafón (The Shadow of the Wind), I think you will enjoy this stellar page-turner about the perilous nature of obsession, in literature and in love. Set in an abandoned mansion in the heart of Barcelona, a labyrinth of secrets, the magic of books, passion, and friendship, all blend into a masterful story. This is the perfect book group pick because there are so many topics for discussion--and, most likely, a little heated discussion at that! I'm so pleased that my own book group recently chose The Angel's Game. If they hadn't, I might have missed out on a delicious and complicated treat.
 Velva Jean Learns to Drive
By Jennifer Niven
PLUME
There was a time when America was largely a collection of small rural towns. I grew up in a small town in Iowa. Ottumwa is a city compared to Alluvial, where Velva Jean and her family lived, but I could still appreciate the setting and the notion of a young girl coming of age in pre-World War II Appalachia. Velva Jean is a delightful narrator of her own story. Some might view this story's writing as too broad and maybe a bit predictable, but you can absolutely see Velva Jean. You can feel her. And you finish this book knowing that, with all of the life she shares with us, Velva Jean is fine. Just fine.
 The Help
By Kathyrn Stockett
PUTNAM
This terrific debut novel by Kathryn Stockett (who lived through the Civil Rights era in Mississippi) is a coming-of-age tale about a young woman from an upper middle class, country club family in Jackson. When recent college graduate Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan gets a stint writing a local household hints column (without knowing anything about housekeeping), she relies on her family's black housekeeper for solutions. The assignment evolves into a book about the lives and challenges faced by black domestic workers throughout the neighborhood. This is a family story, a political story, a funny and sad story-actually, just a great story overall. The Help is a must for book groups who can discuss it on a personal or political level.
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If you liked Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, try:
 A Homemade Life
by Molly Wizenberg
Barbara Kingsolver's account of her family's year of self-sufficiency in Animal Vegetable Miracle has inspired readers to rethink their relationship with food. Her descriptions of a year of farm life make you crave the feeling of dirt under your fingernails, and her anecdotes of a food-centered family life impart a desire to explore previously unfathomable terrain (such as making cheese at home). Readers who found Kingsolver's visceral connection to food fulfilling will enjoy Wizenberg's stories of her own food life. As Wizenberg traces her life through specific meals (recipes included!), we're reminded of how food can sustain us through difficult times and help us connect with loved ones. This book is particularly good at emphasizing that cooking can be exciting, intimate, and accessible to even the most inexperienced cook. A Homemade Life feels cozy and inviting, and will get you thinking about the meals that enriched the special moments in your life. -Kate
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Book Group Tip: Share a meal with your book group companions.
- With so many exciting new cookbooks this fall, why not mix it up and choose a cookbook to discuss at your next gathering. Everyone choses a recipe and prepares it for your meeting, potluck-style. A few starting points for discussion: What did you like about the format of the cookbook? Were there any anecdotes introducing the recipes, and does that enhance or detract from your reading of them?
- Members could also choose to bring along their favorite cookbook and a photocopy of their favorite recipe for the other group members. What makes your favorite cookbook so well-loved?
- Your group could opt to read a collection of food/cooking essays. Does reading about preparing food make you want to cook? How do authors convey the importance of food differently, depending on their relationship to it? How is food writing frequently about more than just food?
We certainly think that books about cooking will give your book group some food for thought.
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 Bookshop Santa Cruz
1520 Pacific Ave
Santa Cruz, CA
831-423-0900
www.bookshopsantacruz.com
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