How To Start Your Own Book Discussion Group

Hi All,

So the fall is here and winter is slowly approaching. Now is a great time for readers and book-lovers alike to get ready for this foul weather by starting a book discussion group.

And while for many people reading can be a solitary endeavor, many other folks like to read and talk about the book with other people. Enter book discussion groups and you have the making of a beautiful relationship - reading books and talking about them in a collegial, adult, pleasant environment. What could be better than that?

A good book discussion group has the following characteristics:
1. A book that all members are willing to try to read.

2. The book - unless all members agree - probably should not be a huge, esoteric, difficult-to-read tome.

3. A good book discussion group usually - notice I said 'usually' - has a moderator. While this isn't always the case, I've found that free form book discussion groups tend to run off the topic of the book.

4. The moderator should have a few general questions to get the discussion started.

5. Finally - and readers would be wise not to underestimate this point - bringing food (coffee, tea, crumb cake, cookies, etc) will help increase attendance to a book discussion group.

Click on this link from ReadingGroupGuides.com - an interesting website that discusses 'How to Start a Book Discussion Group', 'Choosing What to Read for a Book Discussion Group' and more.
The site also has a blog and an interesting newsletter link.

Click on this link from the Amherst town Library - in New Hampshire - that has a veritable treasure trove of book discussion group links. Included in these links are sections' from Amazon.com Reading Group Guides, BookBrowse.com, a link to Reading Group Choices.com, and a link to SparkNotes (similar idea to Cliffs Notes - summaries of some of the worlds' great titles).

Click on this link for a great list of books to read so that you can get your book discussion group off to a great start. The titles are on book discussion groups' choices - your satisfaction and appreciation of the books in the list might vary....Also note that you can type in the phrase 'book discussion group title list' into Google and you'll find many, many different lists from different book discussion groups and the books that they feel are good for a discussion.

Finally, readers might want to visit this link from About.com entitled, 'How to Lead a Book Discussion Group'. Reading this article might give you insight on how to make a more interesting and educational book discussion group experience.

Enjoy the links and enjoy the books! Have a great time!
Stu

Questions, Questions, Questions...

Hi All,

Just a quick question about the blog...I've been publishing this using Google's product called 'Blogger'.

There are other blog software tools available on the web and I was thinking - and I emphasize the ''thinking' part - of migrating to another platform.

Does anybody have any thoughts on the matter? Does anybody care?

FYI, I was thinking of moving to Wordpress - a good website and blog tool...click here for the link to Wordpress.com

Thoughts, comments, etc can be emailed to me at mailto:fdaleref@nassaulibrary.org

Thanks in advance,

Stu

I is For....

Hi All,

Just another blog post in the series of 'A is for...B is for...' that I started a few months ago...

I is For...

IBM - internationally known computer and computer consulting/services firm

Ipod - Apple's great music invention from mid-1990's! The gadget that spawned a revolution.

Ipad - one of the great digital devices - sexy and practical and usable!

Ikea - Swedish furniture that can be bought online or in showrooms. There is a store on Route 107 in Hicksville - and the Swedish meatballs are really, really good. Trust me.
IMDB - Internet Movie Database - great site for info on past and current movies (actors and actresses, movie plots and more)

Iphone 4s - Apple says it is the best Iphone yet - go and check it out for yourself!

I Heart Radio.com - listen to radio online for free!

IJJI - free online gaming site

Enjoy the site and the games!
Stu

Famous People Who Died Before They Should Have..

Hi All,

This gray, rainy day got me thinking about 'the end'. Yes, I mean, death. Now, that is a dreary topic, so I wanted to give the topic a slant. At least make the topic interesting to my readers as I thought about what to write about today...

So I remembered that one of the best read blog posts I ever did was about celebrities and how much they earned in the prior year...so I got to thinking about famous people and those who died too young.

Forthwith a bunch of websites and links dedicated to folks who died to young.

Click on this link from BleacherReport - entitled 'A Tribue to All the Athletes Who Died Young'.

Believe it or not, there is a blog out on Blogger entitled, 'They Died Too Soon' - click here for the link. Some of the more famous folks mentioned on the site include Chris Farley, Bernie Mac, Heath Ledger, James Dean, John Belushi and Jimi Hendrix...

Finally, you might want to click on this site - click here - from LastFM.com. The link is for a list of Famous Musicians Who Died Too Young (Dead Before Their Time). There is a birth date and a death date for each musician along with a brief 1 or two paragraph summary of the artists' life and death. Interesting stuff.

Now I'm going to mention a library databases to help readers learn more about a particular person who died too early. Click here for a link to the database called 'Biography in Context'. Note that you'll need to enter your library card number to access this biography database.

Biography in Context is a very, very comprehensive biography database that is well suited for college students, adults and other users who want to find out more about famous - and some not so famous - people. Good stuff - and it is free. 'nuff said.

Enjoy the links.
Stu

Pumpkin Picking on Long Island

Hi All,

Halloween is right around the corner so start picking those pumpkins and getting out those scary costumes.

Where to go pumpkin picking? I've got the answer! Click on this link for some local pumpkin patches to find a great Jack' o lantern! FYI, Kioli is an acronym for 'Keep It On Long Island'. Get it....K for Keep, I for It, O for On, LI for Long Island...cute, eh?

Click on this link for a great recipe for pumpkin pie.

Click here for a link to the the dvd of 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' in the library card catalog. Click on this link for the book, 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'.

Click on this link from the CDC that discusses Halloween Trick or Treat safety - keep those kids safe!!!

Click on this link for all materials (books, dvd's, etc) in the Farmingdale Public Library card catalog that have 'Halloween' in the title. Note that the search is sorted by year - the newest materials are first in the list, the oldest materials are at the end of the list.

If you click on this link, you'll get a bunch of very intricate and fun to carve pumpkin patterns! Neat!

Finally, click on this link that will help you pick the best pumpkin possible when you are at the pumpkin patch.

Enjoy the day and don't get too scared!

Stu