October is National Reading Group Month!

This October will mark the second annual celebration of National Reading Group Month, sponsored by Women’s National Book Association, to promote reading groups and to celebrate the joy of shared reading. “Reading groups are to the literary world what slow food is to our fast food nation. They encourage people to slow down, ready and think deeply about themes, characters, plot,” said WNBA President Joan Gelfand. “They encourage discourse in a culture where most communication is one-way.” The organization is collaborating with readers, publishers, trade organizations, bookstores, and libraries in annual National Reading Group Month events.

For Phoenix-area book lovers, here are a few book clubs to consider. First, there is the Piper Onine Book Club that will be reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art has also started a book club, choosing titles related to its exhibitions. Changing Hands Bookstore has book club meetings on a diverse array of topics including lesbian literature, young readers, women, crime fiction, and modern fiction. The Burton Barr Library has lots of reading groups, as do other Phoenix-area library branches.

For any of our readers who are not residents of the Valley of the Sun, you should check out www.bookcrossing.com to get involved in a world-wide online community book exchange. Happy reading, everyone!