September means- School, Effort, and Play. Trying your best Each hour of the day, Making new friends, Being good as you can Exciting discoveries, Reading books with a friend. —  Boni Fulgham

Making friends, reading books with friends, and making exciting discoveries are among my favorite things, because with a book you can do all three! I made plenty of new friends, and I talked about and discovered new books with the attendees at the Memphis Book Club Conference and at the Quail Ridge Books & Music Book Club Bash in Raleigh.  Thank you to Heather Lawson at the Memphis Public Library & Information Center and to Nancy Olson and her great staff at Quail Ridge Books & Music .

I recently moderated a reading group panel at the Southern Independent Bookseller’s Alliance (SIBA) trade show in Orlando. I was so excited to have Cassandra King (The Same Sweet Girls and The Sunday Wife) and Kim Edwards (The Memory Keeper’s Daughter) join us. Both authors read a short passage from their books and discussed why they think that passage is important to reading groups. I was also thrilled to have Sally Brewster, owner of Park Road Books in Charlotte, add a bookseller's perspective to the panel. Thanks, too, to Wanda Jewell of SIBA for running an efficient and fascinating event.

The New Atlantic Independent Bookseller’s Association (NAIBA) has invited me to moderate a reading group panel at their Trade Show held in September in Pennsylvania. Mark Laframboise of Politics and Prose, Rob Stahl of the Colgate Bookstore, and Russell Perreault, Director of Publicity of Vintage/Anchor (Random House) will be the panelists. It will be interesting to hear booksellers’ ideas and programs for reading groups as well as a publisher’s thoughts.

Thanks for your great response to our Elizabeth Noble Novel Extravaganza Contest! Thirty of you were lucky winners - you'll receive your prizes in September.

I’m thrilled to announce that the NEW edition of Reading Group Choices is now available, and I know your reading group will have some interesting and insightful discussions with these selections. (You can order copies for your group inexpensively right here on the website.)

I’m always excited to read that the some of Reading Group Choices' selections have won prizes and awards. Please email us for our newsletter for more information of these awards and prizes. Please also continue to write us about your group's recent discussible books choices, so we can post them on the website.

I’m off and running to Pennsylvania. As always, thanks for keeping the joy of reading alive.
Barbara
bmead@readinggroupchoices.com