October is National Reading Group Month

October is National Reading Group Month, a time for people to salute the reading groups they belong to, or to join one! National Reading Group Month, or NRGM, was launched in October 2007 by sisters Martha Burns and Alice Dillon, members of the Women's National Book Association (WNBA). Their mission:

"The mission of National Reading Group Month is to:

• Increase public awareness of the joy and value of shared reading

• Provide a time for reading groups to celebrate their accomplishments and plan for the future

• Provide opportunities for individuals to join an existing reading group or start a new one

• Encourage libraries, bookstores, and organizations to host special reading group events"

Here is a link to a list of NRGM's 2012 Great Group Reads. These would make great titles to read on your own or as a group...and if you are not yet part of a book group, here at the library we have four different ones for you to choose from!

Round Table Readers Book Group: Join us for some lively discussions on a wide range of both fiction and nonfiction titles. If you haven't read the book, feel free to drop in and discover if you'd like to. This group meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm. If interested, contact group host Laurie Watson at lwatson@brownsburg.lib.in.us

Tuesday Evening Book Group: A book discussion group for people who like to read and discuss classic books and important ideas. All are welcome! This group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm. If interested contact group host Larry Whitmore at lwhitmore@brownsburg.lib.in.us

Tuesday Afternoon Book Group: Do you like reading, great conversation, and making new friends? Then join this genial group to discuss a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles. This group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 1 pm. If interested, contact group host Patti Kovach at pkovach@brownsburg.lib.in.us

Life and Times Book Group: A book club without the time commitment! We'll meet once every three months to discuss biographies, memoirs and other true accounts of the lives of intriguing people. Real people, real lives, real good reading. This group meets on the 3rd Sunday of every 3rd month at 3:30 pm. If interested, contact group host Jesse Lewis at jlewis@brownsburg.lib.in.us

Teen Book Club: Discuss a fun teen book, do activities, and have a snack. Each month we will focus on a new genre, such as dystopian, fantasy, or realistic fiction. There will be booktalks and lists with suggestions for each genre, but you will choose the book you want to read for the month. Open to teens in grades 6-12. Registration is optional but appreciated. This group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month September through May at 6 pm. If interested, contact group host Faythe Metzger at fmetzger@brownsburg.lib.in.us

If you want to instead start your own book group, perhaps one that meets in your home or at a neighbor's house, there are plenty of helpful websites out there that not only recommend titles, but guide you in leading your discussions. Reading Group Guides has tips on starting and running a group, and tons of reading group guides that you can search or browse for by author or title, or even most requested (if you just want to see what is popular amongst other groups). These guides include a summary of the book, reviews, author bios, and most importantly, discussion questions. Reading Group Choices is similar in that it provides guides for books with questions, author bio, summary and reviews. It's also a great places to go for titles that you might not see elsewhere - they have a nice combination of bestsellers and some lesser known books. Another great feature of this website is that it includes ideas for pairing music and wine with your book discussions! Lastly, I would recommend LitLovers. It features hundreds of guides with questions, bios and reviews, as well as book club tips and ideas. My favorite section of the site is their recipe collection - food and book groups make a great match.

If you have questions about this information, or about any of our book groups, please give us a call at (317) 852-3167 option 2. Do you currently belong to a book group? If so, what are some good books that your group has read? Comment below!