Where I've been

Lately, I've been unable to blog because I've been blogging elsewhere. I am now blogging for work at the blog What's on My Nightstand?. I will still occasionally blog here, but it will be sporadic.

I've also been working on a website for book lovers called How to Find and Share Books. I created it for a course I took on website design, but I intend to keep it current and eventually add more content.

I am still keeping up my book twitter GretchenBooks as well. Feel free to follow my Twitter. I tweet books I like or am interested in reading with links to either book excerpts or summaries.

Finally, I keep track of my books at Shelfari, if you want to check out what I've read, am reading, or plan to read. I also write reviews there occasionally.

Starting a Book Club

Do you love talking about books? Ever thought of starting a book club? Here is some information on how to get started, pick a book, find discussion questions, and find author information.

How to Get Started

There are a few decisions you need to make before starting your club. Where are you holding it? Who are you inviting? What type of books are you going to read. Here are a few websites that provide additional clues on how to get a book club started:

• Tips on Starting a Book Club Reading Group Choices has a short but sweet list of questions to ask yourself when starting a book club.
• ALA’s How to Start a Book Discussion Group This wiki entry by the American Library Association gives you questions to answer on what type of book club you want, tips on structuring your meeting, do’s and don’t on selecting books, how to hold a book discussion, and more.
• Starting a Book Club on Your Own Another short but sweet list by About.com that also gives suggestions on how to establish a book club and keep it alive.
• Oprah’s How to Start a Book Club Oprah’s website offers suggestions on forming a group, locations to meet, how to pick books, etc.

What to Read…

Once you have set up your book club, you will need to pick books to read. Here are some great places to find books to discuss:

• How to Select a Book This part of the ALA’s wiki offers advise on selecting a book. It also provides links to websites to find great books.
• Check out the bestsellers lists:
  • New York Times Best Sellers
  • USA Today’s 150 Best Sellers
  • Amazon’s Best Sellers
  • Amazon’s Best Books of 2010…So Far
  • Indie Bestsellers Bestsellers from Independent Bookstores.
• Check out the the book award lists:
  • Man Booker Prize
  • National Book Award
  • National Book Critics Circle Award
  • Newberry Medal
  • Nobel Prize in Literature
  • Pulitzer Prize
• Have your members make suggestions of books they’d like to discuss.
• Browse in the links below under Discussion Questions. The books on these websites are popular book club books.

Discussion Questions

Need a discussion guide for a book you picked? Here are some great resources for discussion questions:

• Reading Group Guides My favorite place to look for discussion guides. I’m not sure how many they have, but they have over 100 entries just for books beginning with the letter A.
• Book Browse This website has over 500 discussion guides for various books.
• Reading Group Choices This site provides a way to search for discussion questions by title, author, etc. Plus, it offers a search by genre option in case you aren’t sure what you want to discuss yet.
• Look for discussion questions on the website for the publisher of the book (HarperCollins, Putnam, etc.). Because of the popularity of book clubs, many publishers now provide reading guides for their books on their websites.
• Look in the back of the books you are selecting. You’d be amazed how many are now published with their own discussion questions.
• Create your own questions!
  • ALA’s Generic Book Discussion Questions ALA has some great suggestions for generic questions to ask about both fiction and non-fiction books.
  • Oprah’s How to Start a Book Club This part of Oprah’s website suggests how to create your own discussion questions.

Author Information

Finally, I have always found that giving a brief bio on the author and listing his or her accomplishments adds depth to a book discussion. Here are some resources for author information:

• Literature Resource Center by Gale This is a database to which our library subscribes. If this link does not work, go to the following page and pick the Literature Resource Center Gale link. Enter your MyOakton username and password to access the database from off campus.
• Google the author to find their web page. Often, authors provide their own biographies.
• Go to the publisher’s website. Most publishers have a brief biography of their authors.
• Go to the websites under discussion questions above. Often these sites provide a brief biography in addition to discussion questions.

Good luck and happy discussing!

Paranormal Graphic Novels

I've recently been in a graphic novel kick. I'm Currently reading The Absolute Sandman, v. 1 by Neil Gaiman, and I've recently finished the following:

Life Sucks

by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece

This story tells the tale of Dave Miller, vampire and night time manager of the Night Stop convenience store. He’s stuck in this dead end job by his boss (and maker) and living off expired blood since he can’t stomach the idea of biting people. The only thing he looks forward to is seeing Rosa, a goth girl he has been admiring from afar for some time. Life gets much more complicated for Dave, though, when Rosa actually walks into his store and his life.

The art in this novel really conveys the emotions of the characters. The story is interesting and fun. It reminded me of the old adage that the grass is always greener on the other side.

The Unknown

Story by Mark Waid

Art by Minck Oosterveer

Catherine Allingham is know for her ability to solve the unsolvable mysteries, yet her intelligence cannot save her from the tumor in her brain. With six months to live, Cat continues to solve other people’s mysteries while trying to solve her own: what will happen to her after she dies?

I loved the art in this novel. As for the story, it read like a mix between Sherlock Holmes and the X-Files.

Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson

Dragon Keeper
by Carole Wilkinson

I was recently perusing some of the titles in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up, and came upon this book in the 12+ category.

This young adult novel is about a young slave girl in ancient China who works for the emperor's Dragon Keeper. The current Dragon Keeper spends so much of his time bemoaning how little respect his title now confers and drinking that he has little left to take care of the resident dragons. Instead, he has his slave girl feed them for him. She ends up befriending one of them, and they run away together when the dragon's life is threatened.

This is a wonderful story that I couldn't put down. The setting is fascinating, especially the culture. The dragon is a traditional Chinese dragon, which is unique to most books about dragons that I've read in the past. The slave girl Ping is naive, yet she has a good heart. I loved her pet rat Hua as well. I highly recommend Dragon Keeper to anyone looking for a good young adult fantasy novel to read.

Off the Coffee Table

I recently had the privilege to peruse some truly lovely books at work. These books are too stunning to leave on the coffee table. You need pick them up and ooh and ah over all the gorgeous images they contain.

First is The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. This book has pictures of the lush landscape found in America’s national parks, the people who helped found and develop them, the art they’ve inspired, as well as the wildlife they contain.

The second book is Next Houses: Architecture for the Twenty-First Century by Ron Broadhurst. This absorbing architecture book highlights some truly amazing new marvels of architecture. I particularly liked the Casa Tolo building, which is built on an extreme incline, and the House in Highgate Cemetery, a beautiful glass and concrete structure that overlooks a intriguing, old, and gothic-styled cemetery.

The third book which I enjoyed looking through was Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild by Michael Forsberg with Dan O’Brian , David Wishart, and Ted Kooser. This attractive book explores the history of the Great Plains, its wildlife, and the ecological impact of civilization.

So if you want to read an enjoyable book in which the illustrations are as interesting as its text, check out these books.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel
by Sarah Addison Allen

I once read that Sarah Addison Allen describes her books as “Southern fried magical realism.” That’s actually a great description. This third book by Ms. Addison tells the story of Emily Benedict.

Emily’s mother recently died, and Emily both finds out that she has a grandfather and is sent to live with him in Mullaby, North Carolina. Grandpa Vance is a gentle giant of a man whose daughter abandoned her hometown, leaving resentment and scandal in her wake.

Emily must make a home for herself and overcome this small town’s prejudice against her because of her mother’s past. Her next door neighbor Julia Winterson, the owner of a local BBQ restaurant and famous baker, takes her under her wing. Julia, though, has her own tragic past with which she must come to terms.



Click here to access the except.

Best Fiction of 2009

Here is another list of books compile by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list (a reader's advisory listserve). This time, we have a list of Best Fiction of 2009.


Here is the list of new fiction titles that received multiple votes. The number following the title is the number of times it was mentioned.

Stockett, Kathryn The Help 12

Goolrick, Robert A Reliable Wife 8

Bazell, Josh Beat the Reaper 7

Waters, Sarah The Little Stranger 6

Mantel, Hilary Wolf Hall 5

Tropper, Jonathan This is Where I Leave You 5

Castillo, Linda Sworn to Silence 4

Hart, John The Last Child 4

Genova, Lisa Still Alice 3

King, Stephen Under the Dome 3

Verghese, Abraham Cutting for Stone 3

Chaon, Dan Await Your Reply 2

Davidson, Andrew The Gargoyle 2

Fallada, Hans Every Man Dies Alone 2

Ford, Jamie The House on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 2

Johnson, Craig The Dark Horse 2

Nunn, Malla A Beautiful Place to Die 2

Penny, Louise A Rule Against Murder 2

Quinn, Spencer Dog On It 2

Rock, Peter My Abandonment 2

Atwood, Margaret Year of the Flood 2



Books with one vote:

Brooks, Geraldine People of the Book

Agarwal, Shilpa Haunting Bombay

Airth, Rennie The Dead of Winter

Arsenault, Mark Loot the Moon

Ashely, Jennifer The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

Atkinson, Kate Case Histories

Bacigalupi, Paolo The Windup Girl

Baker, Kage Empress of Mars

Balogh, Mary Huxtable series

Barr, Nevada 13 1/2

Beecroft, Alex False colors

Berg, Elizabeth Home Safe

Berwin, Margot Hothouse Flower and the 9 Plants of Desire

Bolton, S.J. Awakening

Boudinot, Ryan Misconception

Box, C.J Below Zero

Bradley, Alan Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Bruen, Ken Once Were Cops

Bujold, Lois McMaster The Sharing Knife

Butcher, Jim Turncoat

Byatt, A.S The Children's Book

Cain, Chelsea Evil at Heart

Campbell, Bonnie Jo American Salvage: Stories

Cantrell, Rebecca A trace of smoke

Cleave, Chris Little Bee

Connelly, Michael The Scarecrow

Connelly, Michael Nine Dragons

Currie Jr., Ron Everything Matters!

Dolan, Harry Bad Things Happen

Durham, David Anthony Acacia

Fiorato, Marina The Glassblower of Murano

Flynn, Gillian Dark Places

Fowler, Christopher Bryant and May on the Loose

Gardner, Lisa The Neighbor

Grafton, Sue U is for Undertow

Hall, Tarquin Case of the missing servant: a Vish Puri mystery

Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia Fell Purpose

Haywood, Smith Ladies of the Lake

Heller, Zoe The Believers

Henríquez, Cristina The World in Half

Higner, Charlotte Deadly Descent

Hoffman, Alice The Story Sisters

Hornby, Nick Juliet, Naked

Hornsby, Wendy In the Guise of Mercy

Huston, Charlie The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death

Jensen, Liz The Rapture

Jones, Jaida and Danielle Bennett Shadow Magic

Kallos, Stephanie Sing Them Home

Kane, Cornelius Unscratchables

Kasischke, Laura In A Perfect World

Knight, Deidre Butterfly Tattoo

Laken, Valerie Dream House

Lansdale, Joe R. Vanilla Ride

Larsen, Reif The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet

Larsson, Stieg The Girl Who Played with Fire

Lee, Sharon and Miller, Steve Fledgling

Leigh, Julia Disquiet

Leon, Donna Wilful Behavior

Levine, James The Blue Notebook

Lipman, Elinor Family Man

Lovesey, Peter The Last Detective

Macy, Caitlin Spoiled: Stories

Marston, Edward The Wolves of Savernake

Martin, Clancy How to Sell

McBride, Stuart Blind Eyes

McCall Smith, Alexander Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

McInerney, Jay How It Ended: New And Collected Stories

Mills, KE (Karen Miller) Witches, Inc (sequel to Accidental Sorcerer)

Moerk, Christian Darling Jim

Moriarty, Laura While I'm Falling

Muller, Marcia Locked In

O'Neal, Barbara The Lost Recipe for Happiness

O'Connell, Carol Bone by Bone

Parkin, Gaile Baking Cakes in Kigali

Patterson, James Alex Cross's Trial

Pears, Iain Stone's Fall

Penny, Louise The Brutal Telling

Perry, Anne Execution Dock

Perry, Anne A Christmas Promise

Pratchett, Terry Unseen academicals

Putney, Mary Jo Loving a Lost Lord

Rahka, Naseem The Crying Tree

Roberts, Nora Vision in White (Book 1 of the Bride Quartet)

Roberts, Nora Bed of Roses (Book 2 of the Bride Quartet)

Robison, Mary One D.O.A., One on the Way

Robotham, Michael Shatter

Russell, Sheldon Yard Dog

Russo, Richard That Old Cape Magic

Scholes, Ken Lamentations

Shamsie, Kamila Burnt Shadows

Shapton, Leanne Important Artifacts and Personal Property...

Shortridge, Jennie When She Flew

Smith, Tom Rob Child 44

Stockbridge, Sara Grace Hammer

Trigiani, Adriana Very Valentine

Wall, Carolyn Sweeping Up Glass

Winspear, Jacquelyne Among the Mad

Book Twitter

I've found that between work and school I've been blogging less (obviously). But I have found another way to keep sharing my book interests that doesn't detract from study time. I'm now twittering about books.

If you want some quick book ideas, check out my twitter at http://twitter.com/GretchenBooks. I do promise to try to blog at least once a month until school is over.

Best Non-Fiction 2009

Here is a list of books compile by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list (a reader's advisory listserve) of the Best Non-Fiction of 2009.

• Agassi, Andre - Open

• Albom, Mitch - Have a Little Faith

• Bourke, Anthony & Rendell, John - A Lion Called Christian

• Burton, Gabrielle - Searching for Tamsen Donner

• Chattman, Lauren - Cakekeeper Cakes

• Cooper, Gwen - Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat (2 votes)

• Cullen, David - Columbine (6 votes)

• Editors of Fine Cooking Magazine - Absolutely Chocolate

• Edsel, Robert M - Monuments Men (2 votes)

• Eggers, Dave - Zeitoun  (2 votes)

• Friedman, Andrew - Knives at Dawn: America's Quest for Culinary Glory at the Legendary Bocuse d'Or Competition
  

• Grann, David - Lost City of Z: A tale of deadly obsession in the Amazon 

• Gulley, Phillip - I Love You, Miss Huddleston: and Other Inappropriate Longings of My Indiana Childhood
  

• Hazleton, Lesley - After the Prophet: the epic story of the Shia-Sunni split in Islam 

• Hedges, Chris - Empire of Illusion: the End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (2 votes)
  

• Karz, Zippora - Sugarless plum : a ballarina's triumph over diabetes
  

• Kennedy, Ted - True Compass

• Kidder, Tracy - Strength in what remains (2 votes)

• Krakauer, Jon - Where men win glory the odyssey of Pat Tillman

• Kurlansky, Mark - The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation's Food was Seasonal

• Lindstrom, Martin - Buyology

• Lobdell, William - Losing My Religion

• McClure, Tori - A Pearl in the Ocean

• McDougall, Christopher - Born to run : a hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen  (3 votes)

• McGrath, Campbell - Shannon: A Poem of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 

• McPherson, James M. - Abraham Lincoln

• Mezrich, Ben - Accidental Billionaires: the founding of Facebook 

• Nelson, Craig - Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon

• Okrent, Arika - In the Land of Invented Languages

• Patterson, James - Against Medical Advice

• Penzler, Otto (editor) - The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives

• Plait, Philip - Death from the skies!: these are the ways the world will end 

• Reisen, Harriet - Louisa May Alcott: the woman beind Little Women 

• Sabbag, Rober - Down Around Midnight: A Memoir of Crash and Survival

• Satran, Pamela Redmond - How Not to Act Old: 185 Ways to Pass for Phat, Sick, Hot, Dope, Awesome, or at Least Not Totally Lame

• Sayrafiezadeh, Said - When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political    Childhood

• Stockton, Shreve - The Daily Coyote: a Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming

• Thornton, Sarah - Seven Days in the Art World

• Uhlberg, Myron - Hands of My Father

• Wendell, Sarah and Tan, Candy - Beyond Having Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels