Book Clubs by Elizabeth Long

“Book Clubs: Women and the Uses of Reading in Everyday Life” by Elizabeth Long

Book Description:

Book clubs are everywhere these days. And women talk about the clubs they belong to with surprising emotion. But why are the clubs so important to them? And what do the women discuss when they meet? To answer questions like these, Elizabeth Long spent years observing and participating in women’s book clubs and interviewing members from different discussion groups. Far from being an isolated activity, she finds reading for club members to be an active and social pursuit, a crucial way for women to reflect creatively on the meaning of their lives and their place in the social order.

A Book Worth Reading: A Novel by Wells Earl Draughon

Book Description:

Is there anything that can be said about the value of a novel, story or film other than that one likes it? If such factors were made known, writers could use them to write books that readers would not only like better but would feel are worth reading. Do the techniques in books on writing produce such novels?

Are some books good even though we do not like them? Should we force ourselves to like a book because an English professor or a critic insinuates that only people with good taste like that particular book? Do the “arbiters of good taste” have grounds supporting their claims that the books they like are good?

What is the body of knowledge on which such expertise would have to depend? Do they have a right to impose their tastes on students and on the public?

From the Author
This is a book that will anger a lot of vested interests; but for readers of fiction, it is an answer to their most pressing problem: deciding which book to read. By providing ways of deciding for themselves, it liberates readers from sham and from intimidation and allows readers to choose books that work for them. This makes it useful for writers too. And for book reviewers, it should be required reading.

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee

Book Description:

In The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, a Book Sense selection, Lewis Buzbee celebrates the unique experience of the bookstore—the smell and touch of books, the joy of getting lost in the deep canyons of shelves, and the silent community of readers. He shares his passion for books, which began with ordering through the Weekly Reader in grade school. Woven throughout is a fascinating historical account of the bookseller trade—from the great Alexandria library to Sylvia Beach’s famous Paris bookstore, Shakespeare & Co. Rich with anecdotes, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is the perfect choice for those who relish the enduring pleasures of spending an afternoon finding just the right book.