Fiction_L Archives Adult Reading Groups Dates: 3/30/01,8:26 AM  through  4/5/01,4:45 PM  (8 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to March 2001 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: Mary K Chelton <[removed]@optonline.net>
REC'D: 3/30/01, 8:26 AM

Hi again!

A question for those of you who have done or helped others do research for
adult reading groups:

Would you please share the one thing you would always recommend doing to
make the group successful and the one thing you would never do again?

Thanks,

Mary K.


****************************************************************************
Mary K. Chelton, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Library and
Information Studies, 254 Rosenthal Library, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena
Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367; Phones: (718) 997-3667 (direct/voice/voicemail),
3790 (general office), 3797 (fax).
Home: 35 Mercury Ave., East Patchogue, NY 11772. Phone: (631)286-4255, no
home fax. E-mail (NEW): [removed]@optonline.net
****************************************************************************

FROM: "Gena Zelenka" <[removed]@park-ridge.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 3/30/01, 9:07 AM

I had everyone fill out place cards with their name on it and everybody
liked that. I have included film clips from books that have been made into
movies that we've discussed. I would never again go around the table and
make people talk...some people are very shy and resent it.

-----Original Message-----
From: [removed]@maillist.webrary.org
[[removed]@maillist.webrary.org]On Behalf Of Mary K Chelton
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 8:16 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Adult Reading Groups


Hi again!

A question for those of you who have done or helped others do research for
adult reading groups:

Would you please share the one thing you would always recommend doing to
make the group successful and the one thing you would never do again?

Thanks,

Mary K.


****************************************************************************
Mary K. Chelton, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Library and
Information Studies, 254 Rosenthal Library, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena
Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367; Phones: (718) 997-3667 (direct/voice/voicemail),
3790 (general office), 3797 (fax).
Home: 35 Mercury Ave., East Patchogue, NY 11772. Phone: (631)286-4255, no
home fax. E-mail (NEW): [removed]@optonline.net
****************************************************************************

FROM: "Virginia S. Humphrey" <[removed]@sals.edu>
REC'D: 3/30/01, 6:35 PM

We are into our third year, and we have a nice size group--usually
6 to 9 people present out of about a dozen possible. The first two years
the burden of coming up with reading choices fell mainly on one person.
Our strategy the first yr was paperback bestsellers. Unfortunately,
some were formula types that didn't really lend themselves to discussion.
The second yr we covered the 20th century a decade at a time. She did a
lot of research for that, but some decades had many possibilities and others
hardly any. We are now taking turns, very informally, choosing authors we
have heard good things about or specific books we would like to read.
In other words, we are now trusting word of mouth of people we know, not
sources such as the 100 Best Books of the Century or what some of the kooks
on Amazon have said. I would highly recommend this strategy. You know
your friends and the authors you've liked in the past: you don't know
those people who compiled bibliographies or made highly favorable comments
on the Web! I think you also need to find your niche as a group. Our
group, for instance, tends not to care for fast reading formula best-sellers.
We want characters we can care about, who have some depth. It's the groups
with common reading interests that will last. Va. Humphrey
Ballston Spa, N. Y.

FROM: Kim Rutter <[removed]@lvdl.org>
REC'D: 4/2/01, 11:50 AM

Mary K.:

I believe the thing that makes my book group most successful is having the
members suggest books for the upcoming year's discussions, then having the
members all vote for the top 12 selections. This means that our books are
always the responsibility of the group, not just that of the "leader", and
my 15-20 regulars have a real feeling of ownership. Having said that, we
are always amazed that the most common comment from people is "I love this
book group, because we always read books I never would have chosen myself"!?

I really can't think of anything I wouldn't try again. The allure of the
book group is the ways you can spin off of it. We have gone to the movies
as a group, out to have pie during discussion as a group, invited authors,
and rented videos for comparison. If I could think of other ideas, I'd try
them too, just to keep it fresh. This is the best part of my very excellent
job.

Kim

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mary K Chelton [[removed]@optonline.net]
> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 8:16 AM
> To: Fiction_L
> Subject: Adult Reading Groups
>
> Hi again!
>
> A question for those of you who have done or helped others do research for
> adult reading groups:
>
> Would you please share the one thing you would always recommend doing to
> make the group successful and the one thing you would never do again?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mary K.
>
>
> **************************************************************************
> **
> Mary K. Chelton, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Library and
> Information Studies, 254 Rosenthal Library, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena
> Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367; Phones: (718) 997-3667
> (direct/voice/voicemail),
> 3790 (general office), 3797 (fax).
> Home: 35 Mercury Ave., East Patchogue, NY 11772. Phone: (631)286-4255, no
> home fax. E-mail (NEW): [removed]@optonline.net
> **************************************************************************
> **
>
>
> ......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html

FROM: Viccy Kemp <[removed]@cityofcarrollton.com>
REC'D: 4/2/01, 12:11 PM

I think Kim must have cloned our book group. We have been going since 1994
and have read many different kinds of books. The selections are the
responsiblity of the members. My co-host and I just supply reviews to help
them make their selections. My favorite was the month everyone brought the
famous(marmalade?)cake from the Jan Karon series. We had three cakes to eat!
Our most recent innovation has been to select a genre of mystery (cozy, PI,
police procedural, etc.) and read a different author. We have then discussed
why we liked/disliked it, whether we would read more of this type, how the
authors handled things differently in each novel and so on and so forth. I
have had several people say they would never have read a mystery until we
tried this experiment.
Viccy Kemp
The opinions are my own; the library wouldn't want 'em!

-----Original Message-----
From: Kim Rutter [[removed]@lvdl.org]
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 11:41 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: RE: Adult Reading Groups


Mary K.:

I believe the thing that makes my book group most successful is having the
members suggest books for the upcoming year's discussions, then having the
members all vote for the top 12 selections. This means that our books are
always the responsibility of the group, not just that of the "leader", and
my 15-20 regulars have a real feeling of ownership. Having said that, we
are always amazed that the most common comment from people is "I love this
book group, because we always read books I never would have chosen myself"!?

I really can't think of anything I wouldn't try again. The allure of the
book group is the ways you can spin off of it. We have gone to the movies
as a group, out to have pie during discussion as a group, invited authors,
and rented videos for comparison. If I could think of other ideas, I'd try
them too, just to keep it fresh. This is the best part of my very excellent
job.

Kim

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mary K Chelton [[removed]@optonline.net]
> Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 8:16 AM
> To: Fiction_L
> Subject: Adult Reading Groups
>
> Hi again!
>
> A question for those of you who have done or helped others do research for
> adult reading groups:
>
> Would you please share the one thing you would always recommend doing to
> make the group successful and the one thing you would never do again?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mary K.
>
>
> **************************************************************************
> **
> Mary K. Chelton, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Library and
> Information Studies, 254 Rosenthal Library, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena
> Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367; Phones: (718) 997-3667
> (direct/voice/voicemail),
> 3790 (general office), 3797 (fax).
> Home: 35 Mercury Ave., East Patchogue, NY 11772. Phone: (631)286-4255, no
> home fax. E-mail (NEW): [removed]@optonline.net
> **************************************************************************
> **
>
>
> ......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html

FROM: "Roberta S. Johnson" <[removed]@nslsilus.org>
REC'D: 4/2/01, 4:03 PM

*If* your group is not the "open the door and stand back" sort of discussion group,
which fortunately ours at Des Plaines is, then the most valuable thing I've ever done is:

Provide some topics for discussion, even two or three brief questions or comments on
the book, *before* the group meets. I had an un-chatty group, and this helped them
feel more confident about voicing their opinions.

I might add, and this is certainly my own opinion, that it is OK to politely quash
someone who routinely goes on at length or otherwise dominates the conversation. I
have had two such people in different groups, and the rest of the group always thanked
me discreetly if I acted to prevent a monologue. Some ways to do this are to try to
limit the person to one thought or question, and then turn to the group for answers, or,
to say "We might be getting a little off the book here" and again, turn to the group for
"any other comments"?

RSJ


Roberta S. Johnson
Readers' Services Librarian
Des Plaines Public Library
[removed]@nslsilus.org
www.desplaines.lib.il.us
Opinions my own.

FROM: "Carl Heffington" <[removed]@lmxac.org>
REC'D: 4/3/01, 10:01 AM

my group does most of the choosing. I try never to get in the way of
discussion (just make sure it continues and no one person dominates). 2 or
3 times a year we see a movie connected with one of our books and have pizza
at the same time. Have this group for about 5 years.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim Rutter" <[removed]@lvdl.org>
To: "Fiction_L" <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 12:40 PM
Subject: RE: Adult Reading Groups


> Mary K.:
>
> I believe the thing that makes my book group most successful is having the
> members suggest books for the upcoming year's discussions, then having the
> members all vote for the top 12 selections. This means that our books are
> always the responsibility of the group, not just that of the "leader", and
> my 15-20 regulars have a real feeling of ownership. Having said that, we
> are always amazed that the most common comment from people is "I love this
> book group, because we always read books I never would have chosen
myself"!?
>
> I really can't think of anything I wouldn't try again. The allure of the
> book group is the ways you can spin off of it. We have gone to the movies
> as a group, out to have pie during discussion as a group, invited authors,
> and rented videos for comparison. If I could think of other ideas, I'd
try
> them too, just to keep it fresh. This is the best part of my very
excellent
> job.
>
> Kim
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Mary K Chelton [[removed]@optonline.net]
> > Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 8:16 AM
> > To: Fiction_L
> > Subject: Adult Reading Groups
> >
> > Hi again!
> >
> > A question for those of you who have done or helped others do research
for
> > adult reading groups:
> >
> > Would you please share the one thing you would always recommend doing to
> > make the group successful and the one thing you would never do again?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Mary K.
> >
> >
> >
**************************************************************************
> > **
> > Mary K. Chelton, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Library and
> > Information Studies, 254 Rosenthal Library, Queens College, 65-30
Kissena
> > Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367; Phones: (718) 997-3667
> > (direct/voice/voicemail),
> > 3790 (general office), 3797 (fax).
> > Home: 35 Mercury Ave., East Patchogue, NY 11772. Phone: (631)286-4255,
no
> > home fax. E-mail (NEW): [removed]@optonline.net
> >
**************************************************************************
> > **
> >
> >
> > ......................................................................
> > Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> > Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
>
> ......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
>

FROM: Leane Ellis <[removed]@noblenet.org>
REC'D: 4/5/01, 4:45 PM

I organized our library's book group, Books By the Lake, three years
ago. The group is a mixture of ages and reading tastes so we do mostly
contemporary fiction, a few classics every once in a while, a few
non-fiction titles, a memoir or two every year. I think the best thing we
do is compile suggestions throughout the year and vote on them. I do weed
them down to a more managable number using only books from authors we have
not already read and books that are in paperback for easier
availability. This works well so far. We get a great many titles to
choosefrom but the votes are by category so like subjects and authors
etc. are chosen from and voted on. We have a schedule in place by June
for the September to June season, and I bring at least 15-20 copies (we
average 12 attendees per session) of the next selection to the
meeting. Members really like not having to scramble for a book.
Book choices truly reflect the most active members at the time
of selection and that sometimes changes over the summer break or during
the year. This year I am soliciting everyone who attends off and on as
well as the most stalwart members to widen the circle some.

The one thing I would not do again is read a classic or a mixture over the
summer for the September meeting--we did A Tale of Two Cites and The
Scarlet Pimpernel together and it was a hoot--great discussion but only
six people (17 had voted for the combo!) came. The same thing happened
when we did To Kill a Mockingbird/Grass Harp//Housekeeping. People wanted
pages and they wanted to read "good" books but NOT in the summer. The
historical mystery series we read went much better.

If you want to see what we've discussed--it is on the web at
http://www.noblenet.org/wakefield/zralibris.htm.

Leane Ellis


On Fri, 30 Mar 2001, Mary K Chelton wrote:

> Hi again!
>
> A question for those of you who have done or helped others do research for
> adult reading groups:
>
> Would you please share the one thing you would always recommend doing to
> make the group successful and the one thing you would never do again?


--
Leane Ellis, Reference and Readers' Advisory Librarian
Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield,Massachusetts
[removed]@noblenet.org
North of Boston Library Exchange

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