Booklist chosen again as partner for National Reading Group Month

CHICAGO - Booklist, the American Library Association’s review source, is proud to have been selected for the fourth year as a partner for the Women’s National Book Association’s National Reading Group Month,Booklist, (NRGM) in October.

The popular Booklist blog Book Group Buzz, offering helpful and entertaining information to reading groups both in and outside libraries, is again the official partner blog for National Reading Group Month. Book Group Buzz includes informative, wise, witty and salutary posts by expert contributors from around the country, plus links to a wide range of free book group-related guides, tips and other resources. “This online destination for reading groups is the ideal blog for National Reading Group Month,” said NRGM Chair, Jill Tardiff. “We are delighted to partner with ALA’s Booklist and to make Book Group Buzz a visible part of the program. We’re always impressed by the scope of this one-stop resource for reading groups.”

“Great Group Reads Selections” are a key element of National Reading Group Month, and this year, 20 Great Group Reads have been selected on the basis of their appeal to reading groups, covering timely and provocative topics and including under-represented gems from small presses and lesser-known mid-list releases from larger houses. All are books with strong narratives peopled by fully realized characters; books which perhaps have flown under the radar of reading groups overwhelmed by the number of new releases each year.

Booklist is also offering a special webinar on Oct. 7 in celebration of the month and its Great Group Reads. Popular reader’s-advisory expert Kaite Mediatore Stover will talk about her extensive experience running and blogging about library book groups as she moderates a panel that includes Great Group Reads selection committee Chair Rosalind Reisner and representatives from publishers Workman-Algonquin and Penguin. These publishers of Great Group Reads selected titles are also sponsoring the event. Attendees will get programming ideas, tips and recommendations for their own National Reading Group Month/Great Group Reads celebrations. Registration is free and open to everyone.

Booklist is making reviews of the Great Group Reads available free to non-subscribers at Booklist Online. Booklist Online is a vibrant resource for book groups throughout the year, with wide-ranging free content from the Book Group Buzz blog to e-newsletters and featured reviews of the day.

National Reading Group Month celebrates shared reading by promoting reading groups. “People are reading less and less for pleasure, yet month in and month out, thousands of groups nationwide gather to discuss the latest and to revisit older titles,” observed Tardiff. To learn more about National Reading Group Month and scheduled events, visit www.NationalReadingGroupMonth.org. Events featuring reading-group favorite authors are planned nationwide in the association’s chapter cities, with partners from libraries and all areas of the book industry supporting the initiative.

Booklist is the book review magazine of the American Library Association, considered an essential collection-development and readers’-advisory tool by thousands of librarians for more than 100 years. Booklist Online includes a growing archive of 135,000+ reviews available to subscribers as well as a wealth of free content offering the latest news and views on books and media. Booklist’s free one-stop resource, Book Group Buzz, can be found at bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com

The Women’s National Book Association, founded in 1917, is the oldest continuously running women’s literary organization in the USA. For the past 94 years, it has united women – and now men – from every corner of the book world: writers, editors, librarians, bookstore owners, and more. It provides a vehicle through which members can act on their professional and personal commitment to champion the book and to stimulate the increased tolerance, social awareness, and civic involvement associated with reading.