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Fall into a good book
October is National Book Month. What better time to celebrate the joys of reading?
The National Book Foundation http://www.nationalbook.org/ nbm.html, the sponsor of the prestigious annual National Book Awards http://www.nationalbook.org/ nba.html, commemorates the month not only by announcing the awards, but also by presenting a series of Web links of interest to avid readers. For example, there is a listing of "100 Life-Changing Books" http://www. nationalbook.org/nbmbtcmlreadlist.html, as well as "Suggested Reading Lists" http://www. nationalbook.org/nbmreadlist.html with such categories as "The Book is Always Better than the Movie," "Tales of Woe," "Classic Fiction" and "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
Some people take pleasure in the solitary aspects of reading, while others are eager to make reading a group experience. For those in the latter group, there are opportunities for book discussion in Cyberspace. For example, it's easy to register for Yahoo! Groups. Its homepage http://groups.yahoo.com/ has a variety of topics for Internet users to "discuss," including "Books" in the "Entertainment & Arts" category. After clicking on the "Books" link, scroll down and click on "Reading Groups." This will lead you to hundreds of choices of groups that discuss—either in chat rooms or via e-mail—all types of books. Groups range from those devoted to discussing "Big Fat Books"—those of more than 600 pages—to "Fluffy Reads." Some groups focus on one book per month, while others discuss a variety of books at once.
Rather discuss books with people in a room sipping wine and eating artichoke dip? ReadingGroupGuides.Com http://www. readinggroupguides.com/index.asp gives advice on forming and running a reading group, as well as providing discussion guides on hundreds of books, from non-fiction to self-help books to mysteries and thrillers. Three actual book groups are highlighted each month so that group leaders and members can learn from each other's experiences. And of course, "book groupies" are often "foodies," so recipes for book discussion meeting snacks are included as well.
Finally, for some people, it's a treat to read a book and then meet the author. Is that you? You don't have to look far. Talking Leaves Books http://www.tleavesbooks.com/ at 3158 Main St. and 951 Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo presents frequent author readings and book signings. Just click on "Store Events" for a listing. WBFO 88.7 http://www.wbfo.org/, UB's public radio station, is sponsoring a "Meet the Authors" special lecture series this fall. The next event, which is sponsored, in part,by Talking Leaves Books, features Mark Essig, author of "Edison and the Electric Chair: A Story of Light and Death," and will take place at 7 p.m. in the Allen Hall Theatre on the South Campus. Call 829-6000 for details.
-Gemma DeVinney, University Libraries