Vandenburgh picks a hot new book and hosts a guided book club discussion. In the early years, all of us were mothers of babies and young children. Whether your book club meets weekly or monthly or somewhere in between, we have the best tips and tricks for when its your turn to host, including themed meetings, recipes, and more. When youre starting a digital book club, all the standard book club rules apply. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. From the new york times bestselling author of commonwealth and state of wonder. Youve lured people into your living room and fed them cookies until theyve agreed to join your book club. In order to host meetings full of passionate discussions, youll need to find the right number of members to join your club. There there tells a multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation orange tells the story of 12 characters, each of whom have reasons for traveling to the big. Choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group. Ask around the office, playgroups, your church, or civic organizations. Here, robin kall, host of the popular podcast reading with robin, and her. If not, will other members be willing to take on these responsibilities.
Most book clubs have members take turns hosting book club discussions. New book club hosting ideas how to host a book club party step 1. Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another. When choosing a book for a book club there are a lot of factors to consider. Youve gathered your closest friends and chosen your favorite books now its your turn to host the next book club meeting. What three words would you use to best describe this book. As our kids grew up, so did the focus of our conversations.
There are some general book club discussion questions that should work on most books, especially popular selections and bestsellers. Scroll on to find genius ideas thatll make sure your book club party is a story for the ages. A varied group with different backgrounds and opinions is best because each person will bring a unique opinion to group discussion. The clubs weekly radio broadcast the oldest in the u. We were a book club long before oprah started the book club rage. Prizeshortlisted and commonwealth writers prizewinning author aminatta forna. I would never make a student fill out this whole sheet in one meeting, but it is good to. One sunday afternoon in southern california, bert cousins shows up at franny keatings christening party uninvited. Over the past week, the library has hosted a discussion about. You cant fix an irretrievably flawed club, of course, but you can make sure that you are the best possible member you can be, doing your own small part to sustain the health of your little literary community.
Genre, setting, topic, theme, and discussion questions, just to name a few. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. But how do you keep enthusiasm high and discussions lively. The leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. I want to suggest to all the book clubs out there that they discuss the topic of. The commonwealth club of california is the nations oldest and largest public affairs forum. Commonwealth book club discussion questions arlenes book club. How to host a book club in the new year, because 2017 is. The acclaimed, bestselling author winner of the penfaulkner award and the orange prize tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families lives.
Commonwealth by ann patchett is a literary fiction novel to cherish for its many different interwoven and blended stories of love, destiny, loyalty, loss, secrets, disappointments, betrayal, and mistakes creating a family bonded together by a common understanding of each other. Heres how to be the best book club member you know huffpost. Book club discussions can get sidetracked easily if there are too many members, so carefully and thoughtfully decide who to invite. Hosting a book club is a fun and rewarding experience. How does each child grow to respond to the family difficulties. Commonwealth discussion questions book club membership site. Form an employee book club see success stories in which a group of employees voluntarily read the same book.
The time is now for the discussion of race in our countrys history, where we are. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. A small group of five to eight people is usually an ideal size for a book club too many members can lead to scheduling conflicts, and finding a venue to. Please join us for a discussion of ann patchetts 2016 novel commonwealth. First, decide on the basics like when and where the meeting will be, and what book. The host acts as a moderator, making sure everyone stays on topic and follows the rules. Looking for an easy way to share information and develop employees at work. The mission of the commonwealth club of california is to be the leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. I would suggest you first read bel canto because it received the penfaulkner award and orange prize for fiction 2002. Listen to commonwealth club of california podcast episodes free, on demand. Whether your book club is a few close friends or a larger group, hosting a book club party still takes some amount of planning. At the heart of commonwealth is franny, a writer who grows up among. We read and discuss fiction, nonfiction, short stories, and poetry and host live chats and interviews with leading authors.
And we know how challenging it can be to find a book that is both entertaining as well as interesting and provocative enough to spark a good, engaging discussion while, perhaps, you nosh on cheese and sip wine. Book club favors and treats, sense and sensability. Patchett has called this her most autobiographical novel, saying, most of the things in this book didnt actually happen, but the feelings are very close to home. There there, tommy oranges first novel, is by turns fierce, funny, and heartbreaking, and a shattering portrait of an america few have seen. Commonwealth ann patchett, 2016 harpercollins 336 pp. The commonwealth club sponsors the california book awards. Literary book decor, a surprising theme, cocktails of course, and even a book swap or a donation bin celebrate the true spirit of the month. Commonwealth book club discussion questions arlenes. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. Karen i think was very wellwritten, not dense or flowery, but with great characterizations illustrated by behavior, not by physical description. Is there anything unique about this book such as writing style, structure, or subject matter. If you promised yourself you would read more in 2017, the best way of accomplishing your goal is learning how to host a book club in the new year.
You can also come up with your own questions using the tips below as a guide. Commonwealth club of california podcast listen via. Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. Sometimes you might find enough people to start a book club right away. The secret to each question is that they are all open ended if something can be answered with a simple yes or no you do not want to include it in your book club question list. Often youll at least recruit some help in completing the rest of the steps. The 10 titles book clubs are buzzing about in 2017 new york post. I enjoyedmore i think was very wellwritten, not dense or flowery, but with great characterizations illustrated by behavior, not by physical description. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors.
Browse our free library of reading guides including discussion questions. The kiss at the beginning of the book is pivotal in setting in motion the fate and lives of the families involve. Combine the book reading with a regularly scheduled discussion meeting to double the impact of the book. I thought it was difficult to follow, due mainly to the enormous host of main. Commonwealth by ann patchett book club discussion questions. This study guide consists of approximately 37 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of commonwealth. Get together a core group it is much easier to start a book club with two or three people who already have some connection. The commonwealth of nations, generally known simply as the commonwealth, is a political association of 54 member states, nearly all former territories of the british empire. This is just a good set of questions that kids could choose from in their book club discussions.
Find recipes to fuel your gatherings, helpful hints for the host, ways to keep the discussion lively and more. Since its founding in 1903, the commonwealth club has played host to a diverse and distinctive array of speakers, from teddy roosevelt to house. Each year, we bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the. Discussion day is tomorrow, november 6 but here are the discussion. Come up with eight to ten questions about the book. Book club parties are a good way to get friends together and have great discussion over appetizers, drinks, or brunch. Our promotions highlight messages from authors, book tours, book club speaking. I realize there are many different ways you can host a book club and there are no right or wrong ways of doing it, but im hoping this list will help guide you in the right direction and give you the courage you need to start a book club yourself and inspire those around you to read. In what ways are the siblings good for and to each other. The commonwealth club of california is a nonprofit. How is each childcal, caroline, holly, jeanette, franny, and albieaffected by the divorce and neglect that results. The commonwealth club of california is the nations largest public affairs forum. A screenshot from quarantine book club, which hosts two sessions every.
What does it mean to become a family again in the wake of divorce. Ann patchetts commonwealth follows the repercussions from a chance encounter between beverly. The chief institutions of the organisation are the commonwealth secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the commonwealth foundation, which focuses on nongovernmental relations between member states. As host, theres a lot you can do to make the monthly meeting a success. Most of the things in this book didnt actually happen, but the feelings.
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