A Year of Reading: A Month-by-Month Guide to Classics and Crowd-Pleasers for You or Your Book Group

by Elisabeth Ellington, Jane Freimiller

Desire a book to cozy up with by a wintery window? How about an addictive page-turner for sunbathing on the beach? Thousands of new books are published each year, and if you're a book lover – or just book curious – choosing what to read next can seem like an impossible task. A Year of Reading relieves the anxiety by helping you find just the right read, and includes fun and interactive subcategories for each choice, A Year of Reading also gives advice and tips on how to join or start a book group, and where to look for other reading recommendations. Perfect for clubs or passionate individuals, this beautiful and concise second edition is the essential guide to picking up your next inspiring, entertaining, and thought-provoking book.

Genres: Books About Books, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2016

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care much for this one. I had hoped for more book listings but each month only lists 5 books (and some extra credit listings) and they didn't catch my interest. The best part of the book is the section at the end about book groups. How to find/form one and have it be successful. That section is worth 5 stars.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 2.5 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

It is a pretty cover and nicely put together but not much on the recommending side. This is a book for a non-reader looking to get into reading, is the best way to put it. If you are a reader then the list of 5 books each month is probably a bit useless (as you probably have read it or it is already on your list). They are more popular books so there is nothing new to discover. I am not saying that reading 5 or less books a month is bad, just that you only get a list of five to choose from. I like more variety and selection.

[Alice Teets · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, but not great book, about choosing books to read as either part of a book club or as a challenge for yourself. The authors chose a topic for each month, and then suggested give or do books that fit the category along with discussion questions and interesting tidbits. I was hard pressed to find any book to read out of the suggestions for some books, but I ended up finding at least one book for each month that I would like. I like books that give suggestions for reading, and I enjoyed this one.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for anyone who loves to read, whether you are in a book club or not. It is an excellent book for both young and older adults. It will help you to think about reading in a new way and encourages the reader to engage with new voices that they may not traditionally think of reading. I particularly like the recommendation to give yourself a reading goal for the year.

[Megan Troxell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little resource. It took me less than 30 minutes to flip through the whole thing. I'm surprised this type of book can get published when there is so much like this on-line but it was nice and helpful.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

An introductory offering to mainly women looking for ideas about getting started on a reading regimen. I appreciated finding out about more books to add to my reading list but otherwise very basic.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised this little book doesn't have more reviews, but then maybe books on books typically don't.

I like the premise of this book. The authors selected a theme for each month (e.g. January - A Happier You, February - Classic Romance, March - Focus on Justice, etc.). Within each month there is a selection of 5 books, with a brief write-up on each one. At the end of each write-up are a few questions (great for a book club) and a section called "Extra Credit." This varies between giving a few more recommendations on the topic, alerting the reading to a talk the author might have done or a website to check out. Sometimes there's a section called "Did you Know?" giving an explanation of something found in the book, or a definition. I liked the definition of "stunt memoir" which "is a book chronicling a particular challenge the author undertakes for a period of time" (such as Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project.")

I added many titles to my "Books to Check Out" list in my Bujo, and reserved a few titles from the library.

An added bonus is the graphics of the book. I'm always drawn to a good layout. . . boxes around text, drawings, etc, and this book has a lot of that.

At the beginning of the book are all sorts of tips for your reading life, and at the end there are suggestions for starting and conducting a book club.

Overall, this was a great read for starting out the new year! I highly recommend it.

Tom found this book for me on a recent trip to the library. Yay for that!

[bethany m. planton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book hoping it would suggest books for my already established book club, but A Year of Reading is more for book clubs just starting out or for a personal year of reading. It did introduce me to some new titles.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of excellent suggestions for a book group: how to start, ways to avoid pit-falls, suggested themes, titles, extras. Good for both starting a book group and "refreshing" an established one.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is perfect for book clubs that need direction in choosing a year of books or for anyone that wants to step out of their "reading box" and find a wide range of books to read. The book shares a variety of books to read each month based on a theme like Justice, Families both in fiction and nonfiction, Food, and Classics. With each month's theme, there are then five books featured. The author gives a brief synopsis of each book, with discussion/reflection questions and ways to dig deeper into that topic through another book or research.

The book opens with ways to enrich your reading life with tips like tracking your reading or keeping a journal. Then the end of the book shares tips for starting and running a book club.

If you are looking to add more books in a certain genre or broaden your reading life, this is a great way to find some books that were maybe not on your radar. Out of the sixty-plus books featured, I added a few books to my reading list and was intrigued by a few others. But, as an avid reader, many of the books listed were already ones I was familiar with. I think this book is targeted for readers looking for more exposure to books or beginning book clubs. In that sense, it is a great way to broaden your reading and be exposed to new genres and authors.

[Gina Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for book clubs looking for recommendations. Each month covers an appropriate topic, such as Winter's tales in January or Scary Stories in October, featuring a book from 5 differnt categories: crowd-pleaser, classic, challenge, memoir, and potluck. Although the book has the standard review and discussion questions, it is pacekd with much more. Included is information about and other books by the author, books you might like similar to the featured book, and video and internet resouces related to the author or the topic and events covered. As an example, the video resources for, "The Fireman's Fair" by Josephine Humphreys, which is set in South Carolina just after Hurricane Hugo, includes movies set in the South and the Internet

[Taylor G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings: talk of series subjects in the context of book recommendations

Synopsis: In this finding aid you will read a guide to reading with the months through the use of clever theming. With five books recommended each month from a mix of genres, you are bound to find something that tickles your fancy. As well, read the ending section on how to begin or join a book group and facilitate meaningful conversations.

Review: As an atypical read, it is hard to review this in terms of enjoyment, so I will base this review off of purpose. Even though the themes of the months were cute, I was not able to find many books that I would actually want to read. I believe this is due to there being so few books recommended. A small net can only hold so many fish, and reading is an unimaginably large ocean. I would not be able to recommend this book to anyone with specific book preferences, but if you are someone wanting to read outside of your comfort zone, or would describe yourself as eclectic, give it a skim. I do not think this is a useless book, but the best part for the typical reader will be the ending section on book groups.

Appeals: reader’s advisory, theming with the seasons/months, wide range of genres, quick read

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide for book groups

Some good suggestions for books to read and ways to run a book group. Great for anyone wanting to start a book group or for bibliophiles who just like suggestions on books to read next. I like the organization of the book based on themes throughout the year and added books in case one really likes a particular theme.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good list of 5 books per month with the same theme for book club groups or just an individual reader wanting to broaden his/her reading choices -- from fiction to classics to memoirs and so on. There are hints at finding book clubs or starting one with basic rules, etc. A longer list of book selections is included at the end.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of books to read divided by month and topic. There are questions for you to go deeper into your understanding with a group or solo. I added several books to my TBR list and piles. I also gained a deeper understanding of a few books they recommended that I have already read.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read from people who love books and love talking about books. It gives a good example of themed reading months and the reasons for choosing books, which I find a bit inspiring.

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short review of some possibilities for book club reads. There is not much of substance here.

[Tosca Wijns-Van Eeden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book if you want to explore a bit more in your readings, or want to read more.
Unfortunately for me, not all books are available, or the ones I liked were already in my bookcase, lol.

[Theresa Lange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I have a fondness for the whole "books about books" genre, this one is only OK. I didn't find a whole lot mentioned that I hadn't already read, and sometimes I could barely recognize the ones I had read from the authors' descriptions.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a lot of fun ideas of books to read from this. I loved the more in-depth descriptions and reviews. Fun, quick read.

[David Freudenburg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last book featured is the graphic novel of "A Christmas Carol", illustrated by Dono Sanchez Almara.

[Joanne Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a couple hours to read this book because I kept pausing to add books to my "Want to Read" list in Goodreads.

I set a goal of reading 100 books in 2017 as part of the Goodreads Reading Challenge. A couple months ago I read a book about choosing books and creating a personal book list, and A Year of Reading was suggested as a source for finding books and expanding your reading "palate."

I found that many of the books suggested I had already read, but in reading through the questions and author suggestions about what to read after reading the suggested book (which included other books by the same author or other titles in the same genre that the authors enjoyed) I found plenty of suggestions to add to my list.

One disappointment was that the book did not include more literature or works of fiction. I find that I am never at a loss for a good biography or TED-type book, but I find it much harder to find fiction that I enjoy. However, I was intrigued by the inclusion of graphic novels in the list and I added a few of their suggestions to my list in Goodreads. I have avoided graphic novels in the past but the recommendations made in A Year of Reading have convinced me to give them a chance.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is searching for their next favorite book or something they don't usually consider reading. I gave it four stars rather than five, because, again, I wanted more literature and fiction choices, but that's a minor complaint about an overall excellent resource for book lovers.

[Cindy (Cindy's Love of Books)]

If your looking to expand your reading for the new year or just looking for ideas of books to read this book is for you. It's broken down monthly with a list of a few books to read in that month along with fun and interactive sub categories. Plus hints if you want to start a book club or join one. Excited to use this in the new year.