Thursday, January 4, 2018

On reading groups for the new year

Welcome back! We’ve taken a break for the past couple weeks due to the holidays. Now
we’re back and ready to get reading - but there are a few quick changes. To begin with,
we’ll now only be posting twice a week (on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Three times a
week was exhausting and once school got busy, I was struggling to keep up. In the past
couple months, I’ve also tried to focus more on book lists instead of book reviews or
lengthy posts with me rambling. I’ve really enjoyed the book list format, so I think we’ll
continue doing that for most posts for the foreseeable future.
For our first new post of the year, I’d like to focus on some book groups that will help you
to read more, discover new books, and engage with the bookish internet community!
These should help you complete any New Year’s reading goals you’ve set.


  • Tor’s ebook of the month club - This ebook club is fantastic - not only do you get a free ebook download every month, but you also get to interact with other readers online about the book. And Tor picks some interesting books - I got Kushiel’s Dart, Old Man’s War, and Truthwitch (from Tor’s brand new Teen ebook club) this past year. Tor picks unique books and has an interesting mix of sci-fi and fantasy. The club took a hiatus for a few months, but should be picking up again sometime soon!
  • Dragons & Jetpacks - This Goodreads reading group is the perfect group for SFF readers. Every couple months, group members vote on new SFF books to read and the selected books are discussed on the message boards. It’s a fun book club (and a very interactive one) and they pick excellent books.
  • David Bowie Book Club - As I write this, Bowie’s club is still somewhat unofficial. Bowie’s son Duncan recently decided to start reading his father’s favorite books as a tribute to his old man - and invited the world to join him. Follow Duncan’s Twitter account for further information and new updates on upcoming books.
  • Big Library Read - This book club is facilitated by Overdrive and can be run through your local library. Participating libraries can have access to the monthly book for their readers and can choose to run book discussions in person. If your library isn’t currently running groups, don’t let that stop you - download the book and get some friends together to participate in the first global ebook club!


What book groups do you participate in to learn about new books and discuss things you’ve read? How do book groups help you achieve your bookish reading goals?

6 comments:

  1. Good suggestions, especially the SFF book clubs! I haven't found a book club that really works for me around here. I joined one, but while I was OK with the books they chose, nobody seemed to really think deeply or analyze the book at all, which is what I was hoping for. I like Tor.com in general, so perhaps I'll give their book club(s) a try! (In my copious spare time, LOL!)

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    1. Tor.com is awesome. And I'd highly recommend the Dragons & Jetpacks group - I just finished one of their books this month and it was fantastic. They have excellent taste in books.

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    2. I signed up for the Dragons & Jetpacks group. I'm waiting to see what the February books are. And I would sign up for the Tor.com one, but apparently it's on hiatus.

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    3. I'm so excited to hear more of what you think of the Dragons & Jetpacks group. And I'm anxiously waiting for the Tor.com one to start up again too.....

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  2. That's so cool that you are involved in book clubs and online groups!! I used to read a bit with an Aussie book club but I kind of got busy and distracted.😂 It is fun/motivating to be able to discuss books though. :D

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    1. Thanks! It really helps me broaden my bookish horizons! I'd highly recommend it.

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