1. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald
A heartwarming reminder of why we are booklovers, this is a sweet, smart story about how books find us, change us, and connect us.
It’s National Poetry Month! But book groups may be asking: what does that have to do with us? Here’s an idea that involves adding a bit of poetry to your prose reading—without the rhyme schemes.
Poetry has a reputation for being difficult to understand: too much concentration for too little reward. And book groups might struggle to know where to begin when discussing poetry, because the things they usually talk about—plot, character, theme—may not appear so directly. Besides, how do you begin to discuss a collection of dozens of poems?
For even the most avid readers, the prospect of delving into poetry can be intimidating…but it doesn’t have to be! We’ve compiled a list of where you might begin, from poet Matthew Zapruder’s convincing argument as to why reading poetry is important, to some of the most breathtaking, beautiful, and bold poetry books published in recent years.
To get started, select a book and then check out our suggestions for how to introduce poetry into your reading group and spark discussion.
…and we’ve compiled them here for you! There’s no shortage of “best of” lists in fiction, nonfiction, history, mystery, cooking, and more. The Top 50, Dazzling Dozen, Notable 100. Lists are everywhere. And with so many books from 2017, it would take all of 2018 to catch up.
At Reading Group Choices, we’ve done a bit of work for you. Below are ten titles we recommended this year that also appeared on another (or two, or many!) top lists. Some have already received attention, while others may have more attention yet to come.
While some books deliver us to worlds far from our own and delight us by completely removing us from our own lives, there are still others that invite readers to turn inward and become more present to the current moment. How can we be more observant of improbable moments of grace? What does it mean to believe in something so much you would die for it? How can we be more empathetic? These questions and more are examined by this following list of books with subjects that span aging,
Paris, 2017: Two blocks from the Eiffel Tower you’ll find the rue du Général Camou, and there, at number 10, the American Library in Paris. The library has existed for nearly 100 years. It was established in the days of the First World War, when it served as a resource for Americans stationed abroad.
Today it opens its doors to anyone who wishes to join, and features the largest English-language circulating collection on the European continent.
Among the benefits of membership to the library is its book clubs.
