Book Discussion Groups: Selecting Books
Selecting Books
"Whenever I begin reading a new book, I am embarking on a new, uncharted journey with an unmarked destination."
-- Nancy Pearl, from Book Lust
You've created your book discussion group, and have established how meetings will run and where you'll meet. Now... what to read?
This section has resources on selecting books for your group discussions, including some recommendations on the process, a bibliography of recommended titles, and online resources.
Online Book Lists
- Booker PrizesThe Booker Prize was first awarded in 1969, with an aim was to stimulate the reading and discussion of contemporary fiction. Along with lists of annual prize winners, their website also offers guides for reading groups, with information about the authors, quotes from the Prize judges and further suggested reading.
- Booklist Book Awards and Media AwardsA collection of book and media awards - including all ALA book and media awards - curated by Booklist Online. Individual books and media are linked to
- The Kirkus PrizeGiven annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. Books that earn the Kirkus star each year are automatically nominated for the Kirkus Prize, with winners in each category chosen by prize judges.
- National Book AwardsEstablished in 1950, the National Book Awards are American literary prizes administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization. The NBA currently honor the best Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature, published each year.
- The National Book Critics Circle AwardEach year, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism.
- PEN America Literary AwardsSince 1963, the PEN America Literary Awards have honored many of the most outstanding voices in literature across diverse genres, including fiction, poetry, science writing, essays, sports writing, biography, children’s literature, and drama.
- Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prizes site contains the complete list of Pulitzer Prize winners from 1917 (the first year the Prizes were awarded) to the present. The site also lists nominated finalists from 1980 (the first year finalists were announced) through the present.
- The Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's LiteratureInaugurated in 2016, the awards recognize diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way. The award is given in two categories: Teen (ages 13-18) and Younger Readers (ages 9-13). One Walter Award is given in each category; one or two titles are also named Honor Books in each category.
- Women's Prize for FictionThe UK's most prestigious annual book award celebrating & honoring fiction written by women. The award was founded in 1996, after research showed that women’s literary achievements were often not acknowledged by the major literary prizes.
- Amazon Best SellersA list of Amazon's most popular titles, based on sales and updated hourly.
- Indie Bestsellers - American Booksellers AssociationThe most current snapshot of what’s selling in indie bookstores nationwide, reported weekly by independent booksellers across America. ABA also collates best seller lists from regional booksellers associations on their website.
- IndieBound Best Selling BooksA list of bestselling titles sold by IndieBound, an online retailer that works to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world.
- The New York Times Best Sellers ListWidely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States, the NYT Best Sellers List has been published weekly in The New York Times Book Review since 1931. Lists are grouped by genre and format, including fiction and non-fiction, hardcover, paperback and electronic.
- Booklist Top of the ListA annual collection of critical favorites in adult, young adult and children's literature and non-fiction, graphic novels, picture books and audiobooks.
- Library Journal Best BooksAn annual collection of top-reviewed titles by Library Journal, sorted by genre and also downloadable as a spreadsheet.
- New York Times Book Review Best Books of the YearThe New York Times Book Review's coverage of the best and notable books of the year.
- NPR Books We LoveAn annual, interactive, year-end reading guide, with an abundance of tags to help filter titles, including the Book Club Ideas tag.
- Kirkus Magazine Best of ListAn annual collection of top reviewed titles from Kirkus Magazine.
- Great Group ReadsPart of the National Reading Group Month initiative of the Women’s National Book Association, this annual list provides 20 top titles selected specifically for book discussion groups.
- Great Stories ClubBook lists and programming resources from the Great Stories Club, launched by the ALA Public Programs Office in 2006 to help library workers host book discussion group for underserved teenagers.
- The Hub - Your Connection to Teen CollectionsA quarterly clearinghouse-style blog focusing on young adult titles, featuring lists of audiobooks, graphic novels, fiction titles and titles for reluctant readers.
- Let's Talk About It Discussion and ThemesLinks to past themes and booklists from the Let's Talk About It book and media discussion program, launched by the American Library Association in 1982.
Other Resources
Recommendations
Dos and Don'ts
- Do mix genres
A steady diet of one thing can be dull, dull, dull. Try interspersing fiction—current and classic—with nonfiction: poetry, history, or biography. - Don't just read favorites
Reading a book someone "just loves" can lead to hurt feelings—like inviting people into your living room to critique your decor. Ouch. Best to stay on neutral territory. - Do explore themes
Focus on a specific author, travel journals, childhood memoirs, books on food, or a literary issue (family, loss, working of fate). Don't do it for the whole year (see #1 above), maybe just 3 or 4 months. - Don't choose for the whole year
It ties you into a rigid year-long schedule with no flexibility to add exciting new works you might learn about. And it's unfair for those who miss that one meeting. - Do choose 2 or 3 at a time
This allows members to read at their own pace. It's especially helpful for those who travel or miss a meeting or two.
Ways to Select
- Vote
All members make suggestions, followed by an open discussion, and vote. - Rotate
Members take turns, each choosing one book for a given month, or proposing 2-3 titles from which the group chooses one.
Bibliography - Collections of Recommended Books
1001 Books for Every Mood: A Bibliophile's Guide to Unwinding, Misbehaving, Forgiving, Celebrating, Commiserating
An annotated list of books for every mood, including quizzes to help readers decide on their next read.
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Each entry is accompanied by an authoritative yet opinionated critical essay describing the importance and influence of the work in question. Also included are publishing history and career details about the authors, as well as reproductions of period dust jackets and book designs.
Booklist's 1000 Best Young Adult Books Since 2008
Booklist magazine's editors' deep and broad knowledge of the landscape offers indispensable guidance, and here they bring together the very best of the best books for young adults published since the start of the 21st century.
Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason
Annotated lists cover such topics as mother-daughter relationships, science for nonscientists, mysteries of all stripes, African-American fiction from a female point of view, must-reads for kids, books on bicycling, "chick-lit," and many more.
Books under Fire: A Hit List of Banned and Challenged Children's Books
School and public librarians, LIS students, and classroom educators will find the assistance and support they need to defend these challenged books with an informed response while ensuring access to young book lovers.
The Coretta Scott King Awards: 50th Anniversary
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King (CSK) Book Awards, this invaluable guide celebrates the legacy of these prestigious honors, which have enlarged the prominence of literature for children and youth about the Black experience. Spotlighting the work of the author and illustrator winners and honorees since the awards' inception, this unique resource is an excellent tool for collection development, readers' advisory, and classroom use.
The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books
A trusted guidebook for quick reference and collection development, it's also a useful resource for curriculum links and readers' advisory. This resource for locating information about the best in children's books is invaluable for children's services librarians, educators, and everyone else who cherishes quality literature and illustration.
The Novel Cure
Structured like a reference book, readers simply look up their ailment, be it agoraphobia, boredom, or a midlife crisis, and are given a novel to read as the antidote. Bibliotherapy does not discriminate between pains of the body and pains of the head (or heart).
Teaching Banned Books: 32 Guides for Children and Teens
In this best-selling classroom- and library-ready book of discussion guides, thoroughly updated and expanded to include genres such as graphic novels and nonfiction, award-winning champion of children's literature Scales shows that there is a way to teach these books while respecting all views. Using this powerful resource, the oft-challenged books featured inside will be jumping-off points for rich and engaging discussion among young readers, their librarians and teachers, and parents.