According to Associated Content, online book clubs and reading groups are proliferating unconfined -- more than 1,000 returns to an internet search for "online reading groups", apparently. These can range from highly structured, where you read a set book (sometimes with chapters emailed to you!) and have an online discussion, to more free-and-easy. A few such sites are provided in the link above, as well as advice to contact your local library (no link) which also runs groups (less likely to be online I would have thought). If the place where I live is anything to go by, you will stumble across a "real" reading group pretty easily. Although vilified for other reasons (not by me), Kingston Borders runs a reading group and promotes an annual local reading festival. The first book in their group was "In Cold Blood" so that tipped the balance against trying it for me. (I've read it before and have no wish to do so again.) There are also parent/child reading groups at local schools.
I don't know if a virtual reading group is intrinsically more or less satisfying than one where you meet up in person. I know two people who are longstanding members of "meet real people" reading groups and adore them, though it has to be said that in one case the group decided after about a year not to keep to the agenda of all reading the same book, but just to meet up each week anyway as they all got on so well -- and kept arguing about not liking each others' choices.
The Times runs a reading group whose report I read each week -- it is quite interesting even if one has not read the book, but I have to say that the comments by the group's organiser (a professional journalist) are more interesting, on average, than the selection of readers' comments. (But then she has the advantage of reading all the comments before writing her summary, presumably.) I did once join the Barnes and Noble reading group (or university, as they crazily call it) in my pre-blogging days, but I lacked the energy to cope with all the remember password/logging in stuff so gave up on it.
The other Associated Content posting I wanted to draw attention to is "What is a book publicist? Do I need one?" Not a good article -- it answered the question by saying "it depends" and did not provide any links. However, there are some related text ads that might be quite useful!
May I suggest my novel for your reading group? It is available as a very inexpensive eBook at www.nicholasborelli.com. The full first chapter is excerpted there and you can determine if you would like to read on. In addition my bio and a discussion of my other novels is also there. You may eMail me from or link to my blog, where you can read my other writings and comment as well.
Thank you and regards,
Nicholas Borelli
Posted by: Nicholas Borelli | 19 August 2006 at 15:43