Books about Books Freshen your Group's discussions

Looking for a common thread, or a new direction everyone is likely to enjoy? 

One way to spice up reading choices is for members to read and discuss a book about … books. How natural is that? 

There are dozens—not all good—but often they are witty, informative, or wonderfully mysterious. I enjoyed Carlos Ruiz Zafron’s “The Shadow of the Wind,” about a conspiracy in the world of antiquarian books, but there are many other choices.

“An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England” by Brock Clark is fun to read, though it may give the caretakers of these historical houses the shudders. From the beginning, it’s downright witty: “I, Sam Pulsifer, am the man who accidentally burned down the Emily Dickinson House in Amherst, Massachusetts, and who in the process killed two people, for which I spent ten years in prison and, as letters from scholars of American literature tell me, for which I will continue to pay a high price long into the not-so-sweet hereafter.”

Others I’ve liked (with an attempt to present a wide selection, leaving out some I think most people have read, and others that I just didn’t care for):

“The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield;
“The Historian,” Elizabeth Kostova; 
“The Book Thief,” Markus Zusak;
“The History of Love,” Nicole Krauss;”
 “Fahrenheit 451,” Ray Bradbury;
“The Book Borrower,” Alice Mattison.

The following are on my to-read list: “Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader,” by Anne Fadiman; “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,” Robin Sloan (dubbed “a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century” and just published; “Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books,” Paul Collins; “Bound to Last: Thirty Writers on Their Most cherished Books;” “A Skeptic’s Guide to Writers’ Houses,” Anne Trubek; “The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession,” Allison Hoover Bartlett; “The Summer We Read Gatsby,” Danielle Ganek (look it up, book clubbers!); “The Night Bookmobile,” Audrey Nieffenegger (author of “The Time Traveler”); “Ex-Libris,” by Ross King (the same title as Fadiman’s book, but this time involving history, mystery, treachery and books); “The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary,” Simon Winchester (I couldn’t resist buying it); and, just for you all, “The Jane Austen Book Club,” Karen Joy Fowler—about, of course, a book group. The idea can be done to death, just like novels with cooking themes and endless series featuring cute detectives or sexy spies, but many of these books are good reads; it’s as if anyone who dares write about books reveres them enough to do it well.

Another fascinating title—a must-read, for the name as well as the author, Nick Hornby: “The Polysyllabic Spree: A Hilarious and True Account of One Man’s Sturggle with the Monthly Tide of the Books He’s Bought and the Books He’s Been Meaning to Read.” It’s Hornby (“High Fidelity,” “About a Boy”), so it has to be interesting!

This list is by no means inclusive—space prevents that. Suggest your own. If it sounds good, I’ll get it in down the road!

Book groups around northcentral Massachusetts:

New Earth Book Club meets April 3 at Shrewsbury Public Library, 6:30 p.m., to discuss “Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living” by Pema Chodron. The group just discussed Dr. Eban Alexander’s “Proof of Heaven,” which is making reading lists across the board from spiritual to popular reads.

Greater Worcester Humanists’ Books It! Group will meet at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 28, to discuss “The Science of Good and Evil” by Michael Shermer. Group gathers at the Nu Café, Old Tatnuck Bookseller, 335 Chandler St., Worcester. Limited to 12 members of GWH.

Douglas Library Book Group will consider Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” at Simon Fairfield Library, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 9. Call 508-476-2695 for a copy of the book. New members welcome. Homemade refreshments, inspired by the book, will be served.

The Women’s Issues Book Group, supported by the Worcester Chapter of the National Organization for Women, will discuss the actual family living at “Downton Abbey” at its April 8 meeting. The book is “Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle,” by Lady Fiona, the Countess of Carnarvon. PBS offers a companion series called “Secrets of Highclere Castle.” Meeting is at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 541 Lincoln St., Worcester.

Heywood Library Reading Group in Gardner, reports Ann Young, has chosen as its April 24 selection Hillary Jordan’s “Mudbound,” set in Mississippi after World War II. Meetings are held at the library the last Wednesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. Public welcome.

Going 'short' for book groups

If time—that miserable predator—is tearing at the edges of your group’s enthusiasm for long books, try easing the burden with a themed meeting, like the “books about books” theme below, or consider short stories, either an anthology with several authors or a single author’s collection.

Anthologies cover a colorful flotilla of topics: humor, mystery, foreign lands, women’s issues, history, marriage, you name it. Themes are widely varied and members can read as much, or as little, as they have time for. Try assigning certain stories, to facilitate discussion, or letting members choose their own and report back. Some of my favorites, based on price, availability and contemporary style:

Anthologies: 1. “Best American Short Stories” are edited each year by a different writer or editor—someone who really knows good writing—and they’re always current. I collect these anthologies and enjoy leafing through them for something, or someone, new to me. 2. “Best New England Crime Stories 2013: Blood Moon” is just one of about a dozen anthologies written by a solid group of mystery and frightening fiction writers in New England, some of them Edgar award nominees. 3. The PEN/O.Henry Prize Stories are selected from the thousands published every year in literary journals. 4. “The New Granta Book of the American Short Story” is big and rich with well-known writers.

Literary journals: Experience (and support) new writing. They’re fun to discover in book stores across the country. For starters, I suggest Glimmer Train, Post Road (Boston College publication), Ploughshares (Emerson College publication), the Massachusetts Review,  The New England Review; Granta and Tin House. There are many others; these are most readily available. New and established writers all submit work to journals, since few general-interest magazines publish fiction.

Short stories by one writer convey a richer experience of that author. Members may want to read a single author or divvy up several for discussion.

 A few really good collections (strictly personal choices here):
 “T.C. Boyle Stories,” many here are from older Boyle compilations;
“This is How You Lose Her” by Junot Diaz—contemporary male voice;
Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” exudes the pathos and pain of war;
“Bad Dirt,” Wyoming Stories by the inimitable Annie Proulx;
“My Father’s Tears and other stories,” by John Updike, a master;
“The Collected Stories,” Amy Hempel, for a contemporary female voice;
“The View from Castle Rock,” Alice Munro;
“The Whore’s Child and Other Stories” by Richard Russo, author of “Empire Falls”;
“Blasphemy” by Sherman Alexie, a vivid and humorous Native American voice;
“Tenth of December,” by George Saunders, just published and rich;
Alice Munro’s collections are numerous. Try “Dear Life” or “Too Much Happiness;”
Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth” or “Interpreter of Maladies,” both great.

Finally, If you are culling your bookshelves, plenty of people would enjoy donations. Consider the local library, and also the Prison Book Program in Massachusetts, which makes books available to prisoners and accepts donations at the Lucy Parsons Bookstore, 1306 Hancock St., Quincy. Call 617-423-3298 or email info@prisonbookprogram.org. Volunteers are always welcome for Tuesday and Thursday evening shifts. Details are on the web site, www.prisonbookprogram.org.

If your group would like to suggest biographies or other non-fiction writing for Read It and Reap, send them to Ann Connery Frantz, a fiction writer and writing group leader, who blogs at www.readitandreeap.blogspot.com and welcomes readers’ comments or suggestions at ann.frantz@gmail.com.

Book groups: An author's best friend, or worst enemy

Most of the book clubs mentioned here over the past two years continue to meet; people love to read, and to talk about the books they’ve discovered. Since women comprise many groups, we suspect the camaraderie also has a lot to do with it. Even when the subject is serious, discussions are entertaining. But there’s a marketing relationship at play in all this.

What sparks interest in a topic is a strong reflection of the book’s strength as a “hot” seller, a classic or an indie favorite. And while book clubs can be an author’s best friend, the reverse may also be true—every field has its Lance Armstrongs, who may find themselves left on the deserted end of the bookshelf before they even know the fans have turned on them.

People join clubs to explore worlds they care about, to learn more about the world they live in, and to extend a book’s vicarious life when the last page has been turned. It’s not unusual to find people belonging to multiple clubs, some dedicated to the classics, others to mystery or sci-fi topics, and so on. Even though best-sellers interest some book groups, those groups can make or break an author’s reputation. Why? Because discussions have a way of ferreting out a book’s weaknesses, and once those weaknesses become known to enough people, a writer’s popularity may flag, or be limited to a special-interest group of readers.

Consider, for instance: conversations can take the high road: Gatsby’s search for power, and his relationship with Daisy, another man’s wife, symbolizes all that was—and is—morally corrupt among those with an excess of wealth and a deficit of conscience.

Yes, well, umm … There’s also the earthy road, such as: The only thing I liked about “50 Shades of Gray” is that Star-Trek guy’s reading of it—“Oh Myyy” is right! (George Takei, actually.)

Book group members are vocal about their choices, and sharing their opinions online. What they are saying reflects more widespread thinking, and buying patterns, which may well signal an upward, or downward, spiral for a genre or author. And, while publishers do get away with splashing their favorites across book stores windows, and selling thousands of them, the market is fickle, and easily led elsewhere. The deep readers—engaged in a book’s life and linked to an author’s readership—aren’t going to be fooled.

For instance: More than once lately, I’ve heard complaints about the headline-robbing novel (or the non-fiction version of it). True crime has turned many writers, such as Jodi Picoult and Nancy Grace, into household names. Admittedly, they write well have thousands of fans. But readers are tiring of the format—for indeed, what else is it?—approach to fiction. Not helping is the publishing world’s tendency to saturate the market with wanna-be best-sellers that parrot a really good one. (And they do sell, while it’s hot.) There are even novels by Richard Castle—a fictional character on television. (Tip: the real author is one of the people who’ve guest-starred on the show “Castle.” Offhand, I can think of several: Dennis Lehane, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Stephen Cannell. Interesting possibilities there.)

More negatively, fans were quick to jump Picoult, whose work I once enjoyed, for flagrantly using much of the plot line to Stephen King’s “The Green Mile” in her “Change of Heart.” King once praised Picoult’s “brilliance,” but I wonder how he felt about this novel, whose resemblance to King’s work she glibly cites in the story! I’m hearing more and more people say “been there, done that” in regard to this wonderful writer’s books. She would do well to heed their words. That said, she is a terrific writer, and engages her audience so completely in fiction and in person, I have no doubt she can do that.

Let’s pan this camera over to the afore-mentioned James Patterson, whose stable of writers kicks out close to one best-seller a month. Admittedly, millions of people buy them. But are they worth a plug nickel in terms of quality or content? Do they ever enter new territory or challenge intellect? Nah … they fulfill another, and a very valid, readership requirement: entertainment. Patterson’s not seeking a literary award—he’s selling entertainment. He doesn’t need the clubs, and they don’t need him. Mutual distance kept.

Sometimes, reader fatigue plays into those decisions. Book groups are notoriously moody and at times fickle when they select upcoming reads. I doubt any member has not heard the words: “too depressing,” “too long” or “we’ve read enough about that this year.” Our group recently removed Erik Larson’s moving “In the Garden of the Beast (subtitle: Love, terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin)” from its list, because they had already discussed Jenna Blum’s “Those Who Save Us” and other war-related books and wanted a break, as well as fresh topics. I’ll read it on my own.

What’s up in the regional book groups:

On the first or last Thursday of each month, Reading, Sharing and Laughing meets at Fitchburg’s neat little coffeehouse, Chaibo, located on 37 Boulder Drive (parking across the street). There is a meeting this week, at 7 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 31) to discuss Kathleen Winsor’s classic, “Forever Amber.” The book is a memorable bit of historical fiction, set in 17^th-century England.

O’Connor’s Books, Brews and Banter Reading Group meets Feb. 27 at the Westborough restaurant at 6:30 p.m. to discuss “Defending Jacob” by William Landay. Newcomers can join the group by going to www.meetup.com/Oconnors-Books-Brews-Banter-Reading-Group. Andrew Pessin, author of “The Second Daughter” will attend the Sunday, March 17 meeting, 1 p.m.

Shrewsbury’s Panera Bread Book Group will meet at 1 p.m., Feb. 10, to discuss “The End of Your Life Book Club” by Will Schwalbe.

The Women’s Issues Book Club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday, monthly, at Barnes & Noble  Booksellers, 541 Lincoln St., Worcester. To join the mailing list, contact jkmiller@wpi.edu. On Feb. 11, members will discuss “The Postmistress,” by Sarah Blake, a story set in coastal Massachusetts during World War II, dealing with how war touches the lives of ordinary people.

Audio Journal’s “Speaking Volumes” is a call-in book group airing the first Tuesday of each month at 8 p.m. Listen live at www.audiojournal.net  for a discussion of “Catherine the Great” by Robert K. Massie. In March, the topic is Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.”

The Douglas Library Book Discussion Group will discuss James Fenimore Cooper’s famous “The Deerslayer” on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. Set during the French and Indian wars. Call the library, 508-476-2695, for a copy of the book. New members welcome. Members plan to serve refreshments inspired by the book.

Ann Connery Frantz writes about book groups and books at www.readitandreeap.blogspot.com (intentionally misspelled). If there is a topic of interest to your group, email her at ann.frantz@gmail.com.

Gifts for readers

We pull up our sleigh at another holiday season, that time of year when meetings grow short on discussion and long on celebration—and that’s OK. Since it’s a season for giving, here are some suggestions for books and recipients. But first, how about sharing?

Want to brighten a soldier’s day? Send an e-reader. Seriously. Look up ebooksfortroops.org for the directions on shipping a used Kindle to a soldier. To make it on time—and because many folks aren’t just dripping with spare Kindles—send a donation directly to the organization, at its site. Many of these used Kindles are going to Afghanistan.

Or, send books to the troops. Register at booksforsoldiers.com for the specific requests soldiers have made for reading materials, and obtain an individual mailing address for shipping your book, DVD, or other item. Operationpaperback.org ships books to soldiers as well—gently used and new books are welcome. You can find them on Facebook.

Finally, booksfortroopscp.webs.org routes books to soldiers. You can send a check or money order for $12.50 to this organization to ship a box of donated books. Address: Books for Troops, 152 Oak Brook Commons, Clifton Park, N.Y. 12065.

OK, now let’s have some fun closer to home.

Group trip: A holiday house tour of the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford is available between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, part of a city-wide annual house tour. Details are at http://www.gentryoung.com/mthht_home.php.

Twelve gifts for readers … There is no excuse—none, kapeesh?—for a blank shopping list when it comes to book lovers.
These ideas range from several inexpensive gift-exchange items to pricier pleasures for your reader friends. Consider, if you will, these choices:

1. Book marks and book plates—an art form of sorts, available in bookstores, gift shops, paper-product stores, or online.

2. Framed quotes from favorite writers.

3. Calendars dedicated to the works of famous authors like Dickens, Shakespeare (“Authors are My Rock Stars” 2013 calendar), and more.

4. A book light, for those not reading with back-lighted e-readers (which are really nice waiting for the feature to start in a theater, or in the car waiting for a late commuter).

5. A tidy notebook for recording books read during the year, amazingly handy to keep.

6. Tote bags for carrying those armloads of books to the library.

7. Cups with famous writers’ portraits on them, and a pound of coffee or tea.

8. Book stands or magnifiers, available in a wide range of prices, styles and sizes.

9. Bookends, metal or wood.
10. Book-related games like “Liebrary,” “Literary Trivia,” “Trivial Pursuit Book Lovers Edition,” “Balderdash” or “Ex Libris.”

11. And, of course, the coveted holiday gift for all readers: a gift card.

12. The best book light you can afford, for reading during power outages. There’s not much else to do.

This isn’t an extensive list, but it’s a good start. Time is another good gift for the reader—being left to enjoy a favorite book without interruption can be a blessing. Readers, of course, should not go overboard on this one, attempting to read 12 out of 24 hours a day.

Good reads, anyone? The National Book Club Awards call attention to two books, one fiction, one nonfiction, that will provide plenty of discussion for groups.

Louise Erdrich, whose unique, lyrical voice relates the Native American experience in contemporary times (read “Love Medicine” for a good introduction), won for “The Round House.” It’s the story of a traumatized North Dakota Ojibwe woman, her family and her culture.

Katherine Boo won in nonfiction for “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity.” It relates the stories of people who seek peace, power or freedom in Mumbai’s percolating economy.

The clubs are reading:
“The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris” by David McCullough—Simon Fairfield Public Library in Douglas, 6:30 p.m., Dec. 11.
“The Bostonians” by Henry James—Worcester Public Library, 7 p.m., Dec. 5.

“Little Bee” by Chris Cleave—Fitchburg Public Library, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., Dec. 12.

Focus on crime writers: Nick Oldham, Anne Perry and Mary Higgins Clark Christmas titles—MacKay Library, N. Chelmsford, 6:45 p.m., Dec. 26.