Reading Group Choices Newsletter
Have a Happy Book Club Holiday!
See You Next Year!
  December 2012
Greetings!
       
Looking for something special to do with your book club for the holidays? Here are a few ideas to celebrate with your book club--from book club awards to book drives.

Plus new discussible selections, Neely's holiday gift suggestions, book and a movie gift idea, Bookworm Baskets, the new Ladies' Home Journal book club pick, a guest blog post from a new author, and holiday savings on Reading Group Choices 2013.  

 

In This Issue
Fresh Ideas for Discussion
Ladies' Home Journal Book Club
Book Club Awards
Take a Book to the Movies
B&N Holiday Book Drive
Neely's Holiday Gift Suggestions
Gifts that Inspire Reading
"1-On-One" with Emily Colin
Reading Group iPad App!
Reading Group Choices 2013
Season's Greetings!
Fresh Ideas for Discussion

Finding Home by Lois Greiman

Finding Home Hard-working but soft-hearted, Casie Carmichael seems to be a magnet for strays and misfits. When a run-down ranch ends up in her possession, she hopes to sell it off. But before long, she finds a horse that needs rescuing, an exasperating old flame who turns her life upside down, and a trio of kids in dire need of help. Together, they'll discover that Hope Springs, South Dakota is a place where the heart goes to heal.



The View from Here by Cindy Myers

The View from Here When newly divorced Maggie Carter inherits a gold mine from the father she never knew, she leaves Houston and travels to the small town of Eureka, Colorado. There, she hopes to solve the mystery of the man who abandoned the family when she was three. In Eureka, Maggie meets people who touch her life in different ways: bitter librarian Cassie Wynock; town mayor Lucille Theriot; and Jameso Clark, whose love-hate relationship with her father intrigues Maggie, and whose attraction for her she finds both frightening and exhilarating. As Maggie confronts the sins of her father and the mistakes of her own past, she learns to look at life differently and discovers it can take a village--or one small mountain town--to heal a heart.

 

City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte

City of Dark Magic When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven's manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved," she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide. 


Ladies Home Journal Book Club

Snow Child In the Ladies' Home Journal's December book club pick, The Snow Child, The New York Times best-selling author, Eowyn Ivey, spins a modern day fairytale about a couple trying to build a new life in the harsh wilderness of Alaska. After fleeing comfortable circumstances in order to escape the grief of losing their child, Mabel and Jack's story begins with the darkness of their first year in Alaska. Both are deeply depressed, adjusting to their persistently poor and rural circumstances, and suffering from personal isolation and loneliness. One snowy evening, they finally find each other during a moment of compassion and intimacy that reveals their unspoken hope in a miracle that will save them. As Jack in his desperation considers going to work in the coal mines as a last resort to survive, they are shocked to discover they have indeed manifested a "snow child" built in a moment of playful imagination; a little girl who has come alive to help them to overcome their nearly impossible circumstances.

Read "Creating Personal Miracles" by Reading Group Choices' Neely Kennedy for discussible topics and themes! 

 

Book Club Awards

During the holiday season, many book clubs have a party instead of a traditional meeting. Throughout the years we have heard many different ways book clubs choose to celebrate. Many book clubs go out to a restaurant or have a dinner at a member's home. Others exchange gifts or have a book swap. In addition to parties and gifts, some book clubs give book club awards! These awards include:Book Club Awards

Best Book,
Worst Book,
Most-liked Character,
Most-hated Character,
Best Discussion,
Worst Discussion,
and many other awards specific to each book club!

The person who chose the book that wins each category receives an award. The award could be a small gift, a certificate, etc. The possibilities make book club awards a fun way to wrap up the year.

Tell us how your book club celebrates the holidays!

 

Take a Book to the Movies

Life of Pi After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan-and a 450-pound royal bengal tiger. The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary and beloved works of fiction in recent years.

Life of Pi is now major motion picture! Give the novel and movie tickets for you and a friend for a great holiday gift!

 

B&N Holiday Book Drive

Barnes & Noble is holding a Holiday Book Drive until January 2013. The drive provides books to children across the county. Find a store near you for details on how to make a difference in your community.

Get your book club to come together and give children the joy of reading!


-Neely's Holiday Gift Suggestions


My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force

My Ideal Bookshelf The books that we choose to keep--let alone read--can say a lot about who we are and how we see ourselves. In My Ideal Bookshelf, dozens of leading cultural figures share the books that matter to them most; books that define their dreams and ambitions and in many cases helped them find their way in the world.  With colorful and endearingly hand-rendered images of book spines by Jane Mount, and first-person commentary from all the contributors, this is a perfect gift for avid readers, writers, and all who have known the influence of a great book.


The Art of the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Art of the Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien's complete artwork for The Hobbit, presented for the first time in celebration of the 75th anniversary... Written and edited by leading Tolkien experts Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien showcases the complete artwork created by the author for his story-including related pictures, more than one hundred sketches, drawings, paintings, maps, and plans. Some of these images are published here for the first time, others for the first time in color, allowing Tolkien's Hobbit pictures to be seen completely and more vividly than ever before.


The Fairy-Tale Princess by Wendy Jones

The Fairy-Tale Princess This is a beautiful collection of seven fairy tales--Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Snow White, The Princess and the Pea, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses--organized around the theme of the fairytale princess and retold in a fresh and lyrical voice by Wendy Jones. They are illustrated with glorious papercut sculptures specially created by Su Blackwell. The characters--and the kingdoms they inhabit--emerge from the pages through a series of exquisite paper sculptures. Each tale has a unique visual flavor: while Sleeping Beauty is blue and dreamy, The Princess and the Pea is green and summery. The magic and otherworldliness of traditional fairytale collections meet glorious, contemporary paper constructions in The Fairtytale Princess, which makes a charming addition to the shelf of bedtime stories.


The Pharaoh by Garry J. Shaw

The Pharaoh Garry Shaw conveys the full experience of what it was like to be pharaoh, from birth to death, in private and in public, at court and on campaign, and shows how a uniquely Egyptian vision of kingship, with its complex ideology and regalia, evolved. Supplemented by numerous box features, from the internal decoration of pyramids and the women who became pharaoh to pharaonic pets, as well as quotations from contemporary sources and a king list with brief biographies of all the major pharaohs, this beautifully illustrated volume provides a comprehensive insight into the Egyptian pharaoh and his world.


Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli

Cold Snap It's snowy cold in the town of Toby Mills. The thermometer is sinking toward zero, and the icicle hanging from the nose of General Toby's statue is growing closer to the ground. The newspaper headline reads "COLD SNAP!" The people of the town are losing hope--and the feeling in their toes--until the mayor's wife saves the day with a toasty treat.


Gifts that Inspire Reading
 
Bookworm Basket For all the bookworms with bookworm friends, give a gift that inspires reading. The whole reading experience doesn't just involve memorable prose. In addition to a great book, give your book club friends a 'Bookworm Basket' including a comfy throw blanket, a nice mug, a fun new pair of reading glasses, a warm pair of slippers and a beautiful bookmark.  Jazz up your annual book swap or holiday party by giving the gift of "curling up with a good book!"


"1-On-One" with Emily Colin
Laura On the Bookcase
 
Advice, confessions, reflections, fantasies, delights and flashes of brilliance from Emily Colin, author of The Memory Thief.

 

The New Reading Group iPad App!

iPad AppWith the launch of our NEW Reading Group Choices FREE iPad App you can access thousands of books selected specifically for great book club discussions.  Search book profiles, scan monthly recommendations, download your favorite titles, receive push notifications of new books and news for reading groups, and link to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest with this powerful new iPad app. Enter random drawings for chances to win FREE books, pick up fun and helpful tips and ideas for book club hosts, enjoy humorous commentary on book club etiquette, learn from 1-On-One interviews with award-winning authors, and read the free Reading Group Choices Newsletters packed with current titles and book news you don't want to miss. This is the must-have resource you'll need to discover winning selections and fun ideas for your book club.

Download the FREE Reading Group Choices iPad app today by searching "Reading Group Choices" in the App Store. Also write a review of our App in the App Store--let us know what you think!
 
Reading Group Choices 2013

RGC 2013 Cover Want to delight everyone in your book club with a gift at your holiday get-together? Just order a copy of the new Reading Group Choices 2013: Selections for Lively Book Discussions for everyone-- (shhhh, don't tell anyone) and save at the same time!  Through December 21st, you can get six or more copies for only $2.95 each!  Order the "Holiday Special" online--even "mix and match" your order with editions from previous years if you want.

A lot of care and consideration for you and our book clubs went into this edition. With over 70 titles including summaries, praise, author bios and conversation starters, this guide is essential to book clubs. The guide includes works from book club favorites such as Jeffrey Eugenides, Ann Patchett, Adriana Trigiani, Paulo Coelho,  Julian Barnes, Mitch Albom, Toni Morrison, Esmeralda Santiago, Laura Lippman, and Gillian Flynn. Also you can find rising talent including Erin Morgenstern, Mette Jakobsen, and Natalie Serber. Get the guide and get to discussing!

Give the Gift of options! Purchase a copy of Reading Group Choices 2013--along with some of the suggested books within the guide or a book store gift card.


Happy Holidays!

 

 
Thanks for keeping the joy of reading alive,
 
RGC Holiday Card
 
Season's Greetings!  
 

Holiday book dots  

 

Amidst the bustle of the holiday season, we wish you many happy moments with friends and family.  Of course, we also wish you many stolen moments with a great book! Who could want anything more than a wonderful novel, gift book, or literary themed surprise this season? We hope that you enjoy our suggestions for each. Mostly, we would like to express gratitude to all of you, our treasured fellow readers, for both your dedication to reading this year and your warm encouragement of our efforts to join great books with great people.  Happy Holidays and ... Thank You for keeping the joy of reading alive!

 

--Your friends at Reading Group Choices

 

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Chances to Win!
 
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Finding Home

The View from Here


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Ladies' Home Journal
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See what Ladies' Home Journal's Book Club and Reading Group Choices' Neely Kennedy are discussing!

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Discussible Selections

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Choices
 
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New Blog Posts 
 
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 Emily Colin 

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More About Reading Group Choices 

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Save $4.00
How about this for a great book group gift idea? Order a copy of Reading Group Choices 2013 for everyone in your group, and save $4.00 per copy off the single-copy price! Now through December 21st, if you order six or more copies, you can get them for only $2.95 each. Order online and choose the Holiday Special. "Mix and match" with previous editions, if you like.

 

Offer Expires: December 21, 2012