Customer Reviews

The Readers' Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites

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"What have you read that's good?" We've all asked that question of our best-read friends. Now, The Readers' Choice lets you find out the answer to that question from a variety of book clubs in California, Oregon, Colorado, and New York.

The book is organized to provide around one page (often a little more) on each book. This information includes a brief summary of the book, its appeal, how it differs from the movie (if it is a novel), and the author's background. A section in italics at the end gives you questions to guide a book club discussion or to illuminate your own reading of the book.

In a separate section, Ms. McMains also describes how to start and run a book club, in case that appeals to you. As she points out, you like to visit your friends. A book club can give you more chances to do that, and something new to talk about.

The book has a helpful index so that you can locate books by subject, in order to more quickly locate titles that match your needs. About three-quarters of the books are novels.

Since I read a lot, I assumed that this book would not tell me much. Boy, was I wrong! Of the 200 titles, I had only read 7. I had only heard of another 4 more. So these are books I would never have considered.

As the author points out, these are well-written books that seldom reached a broad audience. They are for people who want high quality writing and thinking.

I checked out the 7 books that I have read, and found the material on them to be accurate and useful. So I have to assume that it is also for the other books on the list.

So I'm looking forward to reading many more outstanding books as a result of this valuable reource.

Since the book clubs who contributed these ideas are mostly in the western United States, you'll find many novels with western themes in them. If you are looking for that, you'll find the book all that much more helpful. If you are not, give one a try. You may find that you like western-oriented books.

If you are already so backlogged with reading that you won't get to another book for some time, obviously this resource won't do you much good.

Do realize that this book was published in mid 2000, and was based on reading that occurred before that. So the offerings will mostly be of books written in 1999 and earlier.

After you finish reading this book, I suggest that you think about why you read. Having understood that, are there other reasons to read? For example, can reading people who express themselves well make you a better communicator?

This is a guide for book groups and other serious readers. It lists 200 worthy selections, giving a page-long description of each book, some info about its author, and some questions for discussion. Many of the books sound really interesting, and the guide should be very helpful for a lot of readers.

However, be warned that it's not quite as comprehensive as it seems. The back-cover copy says the book contains recommendations from "reading groups nationwide," but the introduction reveals that the groups are really only from California, Oregon, Colorado, and New York. As a result, West Coast authors and books are over-represented. This isn't a bad thing--you'll learn a lot about authors you may have never heard of before. Still, a bit more balance would have been nice.

Regardless, this is a useful book. If you're like me, you'll find a lot that interests you here, and a lot of good suggestions for your reading group.

The Reader's Choice is a treasury of 200 book club favorites and provides a set of 'top picks' by over 70 reading groups and clubs across the country, from Oprah and NPR to regional book clubs. Selections avoid best-seller top lists and provide 'midlist', thoughtful books in a range of themes and subjects. Recommended for book enthusiasts seeking something other than the Top 10.

WHAT HAVE YOU READ THAT'S GOOD?

That's the question outsiders ask book club members that has prompted this collection of favorite books to read.

If you would like to explore the world of fiction and nonfiction books, and don't know what to read, examine this paperback by Victoria Golden Mcmains. She has chaired, since 1977 the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association and has a column published monthly and is also an author with short stories published in literary magazines.

The book is more than a start, it is a treasure! She endorses book clubs, the benefits and recommendations on how to form a book club. One helpful hint is on how to choose a book club.

McMain says that something wonderful is happening to books, people are reading them. Oprah's Book Club has certainly rejuvenated the art of reading and also brought little known writers to attention. In this collection are very few Oprah's recommendations.

Each book review listed is limited to one page, and at the bottom of each page are several questions to ask about the literature. You are asked questions about a quality of a character, how he/she makes you feel, situations, choices made, predictability of story, idea of change in the story, contributions, transformations, etc.

Answering and analyzing these types of questions will give you an increasingly better insight into the author's mind.

And, if you do belong to a book club, the author says these are questions to provide discussion and food for thought.

Some of the Choices:
Included are stories about war, love, fantasy, political intrigue, biography etc.

Bless Me Ultima - Rudolfo Anaya - A boy's life is altered, his aunt Ultima, a curandero, (healer) visits.

Wild Swans - Jung Chang. True account of one family's life in China; violent revolution of Chairman Mao.

Black Boy - Richard Wright. A classic childhood memoir. Also read "Native Son".

The All of It - Jeanette Hainen - deathbed confession in Ireland creates dilemma for local priest.

Lake of the Woods - Tim O'Brien - A mystery about a married couple, his wife turns up missing.

All Over But the Shoutin' - Rick Bragg - a poor white southern boy tributes his mother.

Fire on the Mountain - Edward Abbey - bold and strength, a rancher & U.S. gov. trying to claim his land.

Rose - Martin Cruz Smith - an explorer sent to Africa to find a missing young minister.

Daughter of Persia - Sattareh Farmaiian - A women's journey from her father's harem to Islamic revolution

Bitter Grounds - Sandra Benitez - rich and poor families tied to El Salvador's coffee plantations

Animal Dreams - Barbara Kinsolver - finding sweet life among sweet good people.

No Ordinary Time: F. & E. Roosevelt, the home front in World War II - Doris Goodwin Kearns

Errands - Judith Guest - a family faces death of its father, their lives crumble.

There's plenty more, and I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever asked, "What Have You Read That's Good?" Rizzo.

This useful guide of book club favorites was given to me by a good friend, and has really served me well. I loved the author's sense of intimacy with both her readers and the books.You can see that this is a person who really loves books as the imaginative creations that they are, and loves to share them with others. It empowered me at the bookstore recently when I was able to find new three books that I have since loved and shared, instead of spending hours looking for something of interest. With 200 reviews, I look forward to using this guide for quite a while. The author's book club group in northern California sounds like so much fun that I hope that one day maybe I could get an invitation ...

In my reading room I have one shelf dedicated to books such as this one. They are books that recommend must reads before I die, book club companions, how to organize and run a successful book discussion.... the titles go on and on. I am thrilled to add this one to that shelf. The Readers' Choice is 200 Book Club Favorites that have been the top picks from more than 70 reading groups nationwide.

I couldn't wait to pop my head into this one and see what other groups are reading and recommending!

It opens to information on how to start a bookclub answering questions as to how often to meet, how big, will you serve food, how will you choose books... All of this I love to read as even though my group has been meeting wince August of 2001, I am always interested in ways to tweek our discussions so we can get more out of them, with 18 active members now in our group - that tweeking becomes more important.

Here are a few of the book suggestions that were made:
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom(I have to agree, while I didnt read this with my book club, I can see where it would be a greta one to discuss with a group!)


The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (this sounds good and uhhhh..... AWKWARD.... I havent read anything by this author yet!)


Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg (I have read Berg but not this particular book)


The Diary of Mattie Spencer by Sandra Dallas (Interesting... I have read this book and several others by this author and while I enjoy the reads, I would not have thought of this to be a top book club pick - it must be that this book reads like a fictional diary and the voice of our main character Mattie is done in a way that makes you want to believe it is non fiction.... )


Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (On my shelf... still unread. A book about a soldier who decides to leave his hospital bed and walk home even as the war rages on.... )


Cleopatra's Sister by Penelope Lively (Hmmm... I have read Cleopatra's Dughter.... In The Readers' Choice this recommendation comes with a warning that it is easy to become a Penelope Lively addict... her book Heat Wave is also in this list of top book club reads)


The English Patient by Michale Ondaatje (would you believe I have not read the book or seen the movie?)


The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (Translated from German this is another one sitting on my shelf waiting on....me)


The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd (Oh! Yet another I have not read nor do I own...)


What I have put here in this review is only a tiny sampling of the recommended book club reads. While I have read probably a little more than a handful of the titles offered, sadly none of them were with my book club. As our group is so big we tend to stick to newer releases (unless it is classic month) so we are able to find enough copies for everyone without anyone having to work hard to find the book or pay a lot of money.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a gift to the reader in your life. As I read the book descriptions of the ones I was not too familiar with I was finding I wanted to read them, if not with my group then at least for me.

Where did the author get these books? I know that our book club members were so disappointed in this book. There were many great books that the author left out and it needs updating.

The Readers' Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites

This is a great book that covers books of all types.
I have reviewed the books that are included in this great book and have acquired several of them which I truly loved. If I didn't have this book, I would have truly been missing out on some great reads.
Thanks, TJ