Where Do You Get the Books?
There are many great locations to find books.
- Check your local bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders, Half Price Books, or your local independent book stores for titles you want to read. (Check IndieBound.org for their web site and locations in your area.) You can also order the book online through sites such as Amazon.com or Half.com. If a chosen title is out of print you can usually locate a copy through them as well.
- Some authors may use the following concept to make it easier for book clubs. Search their web pages for information. Book club packages, created by authors Laurel Osterkamp and Lynn Osterkamp for their books, include discount pricing, discussion guides, and a game based on their book characters to play at a meeting. They are available through PMI Books.
- If the paper copy of the book you want is not available, you can "read" the book on tape, CD, or download it. There are many excellent media available through your local library, bookstore, or through Amazon.com for those who may be visually impaired. This format is also a really great way to "read" a book for anyone who is really busy as you can play the book in the car, cleaning house, or while you are relaxing in your favorite chair on the patio.
This format also works so well when the reader has an accent or there are sound effects like the bird calls in Barbara Kingsolver's novel, Prodigal Summer
.
- Your local public library is another good source for the title you want. Sometimes the public library won't have enough available copies of each title especially if it is a popular one. And you might want to buy the books for discussion so you can make notes in them where you definitely wouldn't do that in a library book.
Tip: If your local library does not own the book your group will be reading, ask them to order a copy for you through their Interlibrary Loan department. Chances are another library somewhere will have the book available for you to borrow.
If you plan to order from Amazon.com, you might want to consider entering their site through links on this web site. When you purchase an item, as an Amazon Associate, I'll get a small commission! Thanks!
Where Do You Find the Discussion Questions? Who Chooses the Title?