Book Groups at the Library
Memorial Hall Library sponsors multiple book clubs at the Library. New members are always welcome. Links for the 2024-2025 book lists are below, and each session's selection is listed in the library calendar.
- Great Books Discussion Group
- Morning Book Discussion Group
- Nonfiction Book Discussion Group
- Next Chapter Book Club
Resources for Book Group Readers
Starting a book group doesn't take much--just interested participants and good reading material. It's a good idea, though, to think about what you and your fellow readers would like to get from the experience, and plan accordingly. Memorial Hall Library suggests the following books and Internet sites to guide you in your group's development:
Books
- Knowles, Elizabeth and Martha Smith. Talk About Books! a Guide for Book Clubs, Literature Circles, and Discussion Groups, Grades 4-8
- McMains, Victoria Golden. The Readers' Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites
- Moore, Ellen and Kira Stevens. Good Books Lately: the One-Stop Resource for Book Groups and Other Greedy Readers
- Pearlman, Mickey. What to Read: the Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other Book Lovers
Sites
Book Club Resources at BookBrowse
Discussion guides, reading lists, advice, book club interviews and more provided by BookBrowse.- Book Group Corner
This site, created by Random House Books, offers good advice on how to start a book club. - Reading Group Choices
This web site offers tips on starting and running a book club, book suggestions, and more.
The Book Club & the Library
Memorial Hall Library is happy to help you obtain copies of a title for your book club. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when choosing a book for your group:
- When choosing a book, check the library's catalog to make sure the consortium owns many copies of the title.
- Each book club member can reserve their own copy of the book through our online catalog or by calling our reference desk at (978) 623-8430 and a Reference Librarian will reserve a copy for you.
- Brand-new titles and titles on bestseller lists, or titles that are currently very popular, will have long waiting lists and getting several copies of a title for a specific date will be difficult.
- The Merrimack Valley Library Consortium provides a collection of Book Club Kits, a tote bag with fifteen paperback copies of a title, a discussion guide, and if available, a large print copy, and a DVD or video that relates to the title. Kits can be reserved up to three years in advance by accessing our online reservation system or by calling the MHL Reference Desk at 978-623-8430.
Book Discussion Guides
Book Club leaders generally prepare a list of questions or "talking points" to get a group started in its discussion. Here are a few Web sites offering sample discussion guides:
- Amazon.com: Reading Group Guides Discussion guides organized by book type
- Group Reads: A collection of book discussions to inspire Andover book groups
- Reading Group Choices: This site offers suggested titles for book clubs, a searchable database of discussion guides, and advice for starting and leading your own reading group
- Reading Group Guides: This site offers reading suggestions and discussion guides, and ideas and advice for starting and running a reading group
- W.W. Norton Reading Guides: Discussion guides for various W.W. Norton titles