Book Group Voting Part 3

So I made it  5 minutes before I added two more titles. I finally decided on Agnes and the Hitman then I found a southern mystery by Karen White that made the list. No more researching. Done. No mas. Finished.

Fiction:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Defending Jacob by William Landay

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Home by Toni Morrison

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips (Local Author)

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

House on Tradd Street by Karen White 

Nonfiction:

Muddy Boots and Red Socks by Malcolm W. Browne84
Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Quest for Justice by Richard S. Jaffe (Local Author) 

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice
Ozma

It Worked For Me by Colin Powell 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell

Book Group Voting Part 2

Remember that list I posted last week with possible 2013 titles for my library book club? Well, it is been beyond butchered. I took out several titles due to page length. I also started taking submission from the members so I removed titles so I could have room for theirs. I wanted 24 books on the list, since we will be selecting 12. I figured 24 was a good number because I could fit 24 books on one page, but I might have to make the font smaller because I am thinking of adding Agnes and the Hitman or Getting Rid of Bradley  by Jennifer Crusie. I have heard wonderful things about these books.

I wish this was as easy as adding any book I heard was really good, but sadly I have worked hours on this list. Why? I had to think about what my book club liked. Some of the members have been in this group for 6 or seven years. I know I can't cater to a few particular members, but for the most part, I have noticed that my group loves mysteries. Loves them. And since we are set in the South, they love southern mysteries or mysteries by southern writers. But if you give them too many, they start complaining about reading the same thing. Double edged sword. So the last list has been revised several several several times. I am not even sure this will be the final list. I have tried to add some mysteries, but I also added a little fluff in there. For the last 3 month, we have been in a reading slump and though our current Sept. read is going over well, I intend to pay more attention to the order I assign the books. My goal is to rotate from month to month with either a heavy read to maybe something a little more fun. No more slumps!

From this list I am going to let them pick 7. From there I will take the top 12 and start to work. Since I am the moderator, I do have some pull. I am not saying that I will full out rig the voting, but executive decisions must be made. I would like for there to be at least 3 nonfiction picks and one young adult pick. I know for a fact there one title will automatically be a pick because there is a movie that can be shown as a corresponding program. We did an author visit last year, which definitely had its pros and cons. Some loved meeting the author because they got to ask additional questions, but if the author is present then it is difficult to honestly critique the work.

Anyways, here is the list. Our next meeting is on Sept. 11th and I hope to have everything finalized for them to vote. By the Oct. meeting I will have everything selected, bookmarks and flyers made, along with extra copies of the titles ordered (including LP and audio), plus meet with the Adult Dept. Head about other programs she might like to pair with the readings (ie movie showings, author talks, lectures, etc. )

Fiction:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Defending Jacob by William Landay

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Home by Toni Morrison

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips (local author)

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Nonfiction:

Muddy Boots and Red Socks by Malcolm W. Browne 

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Quest for Justice by Richard S. Jaffe (Local Author) 

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma

It Worked For Me by Colin Powell 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell

Book Group Selecting

I know it seems far away but 2013 is slowly creeping up on me, especially when it comes to the book group.

For those who aren't familiar, I took over my library book group back in February. Since then a new head of Adult has created two additional groups, but I was able to keep mine. The previous moderator only held the group 9 months out of the year (Sept to May), so that was the first thing I changed. Back in March we voted for books for June to Dec. 2012. Let me say, I loved this. I took to Twitter and posted the polling results as the members voted via surveymonkey. Very exciting! 

  

How the selecting process works is that I compile a list of books from tons of research. I also allow members to nominate books.  We read mostly fiction, but I do like to have at least 3 nonfiction scattered in there. There I weed out books on my list and their suggests that don't work (ie, too many pages, repeat author, previously read books, etc.) then I post the selections online and let them pick a certain number. From the results, I decided on the final list. 

I have already started taking selections, but I wanted to post the list that I compiled. Here it is so far....

Fiction:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrew

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips

Causal Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

The Thirteen Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Maisie Dobbs  by Jacqueline Winspear

Nonfiction:

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote                                                                                                             

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma                                         

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roa                                                                

Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus  by Bill Wasik  and Monica Murphy

I want to do a Teen book every year and our current 2012 YA book is Hunger Games. I am secretly pulling for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for 2013, though maybe someone will suggest Catching Fire. I know that there is one book from this list that will be removed because I double checked the page number and it went over the usual and preferred 300 to 400 page limit. 

I will post another list soon with the new picks from the group.