A few weeks back, a dear friend asked me for book club book
recommendations. She’s not an avid reader, and she was feeling a little
pressure … how to pick a book that would engage a group of women with diverse
interests? How to choose a read that would entertain yet not offend? How to
keep the masses from hurling a boring book at her while dining on brown-sugar-covered
brie and white wine?
Whether you need a book to read for your book club or are
just looking for your next page-turner, here are 4 tips for choosing a book
club book:
Understand your audience.
What appeals to a
27-year-old new mother won’t necessarily appeal to a 55-year-old businesswoman.
Eliminate any books that appeal only to a very narrow audience (gory horror books:
not so much) and find a book with a likable protagonist, a brisk plot and the element of constant surprise. Those books where you just HAVE TO KNOW what happens are the sure-fire winners.
Determine
reading preferences.
Does your book club like intellectual reads, or do they prefer
a frothy distraction? Fiction or non-fiction? Does the group like a little
controversy with their read, or is the book really just an excuse to socialize?
Be on the lookout for great books.
Watch for book
reviews in your local newspaper, magazines and websites you frequent. I usually
check the New York Times Bestseller list, USA Today, the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, and People magazine (no judging.) Then I take a snapshot
of the review and store it in Evernote for easy reference.
Check Goodreads (find me there at amymacpr) and Amazon reviews.
Don’t trust a
couple of five-star reviews. Read those middle-of-the-road reviews. Those folks
will tell you what they liked, what they didn’t, and why. Then you can decide
for yourself if it’s a book you’ll enjoy.
Tell me … what’s the last book you just couldn’t put
down? Why did you like it so much?
PS — My friend chose the book “Mudbound” for her book club. If you haven’t read it, I recommend you pick up a copy! Great book.
2 comments:
The Help. (I know I'm a little behind on latest releases.)
I was so eager to learn if they would get their book project completed.
Lori --- LOVE The Help. Great book, and it actually translated to a great movie (that doesn't always happen!!)
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