Readers' Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites » (1ST PERENN)

Combining her skills as a book reviewer and a veteran book group member, McMains provides brief, captivating profiles of a diverse mix of fiction and nonfiction. Since 1997, Victoria Golden McMains has chaired the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association (BABRA). Her popoular "Book Club Favorites" column is published monthly in the Press Democrat, the New York Times—owned daily newspaper serving northern California. Several of her short stories have been publihsed in literary magazines. She lives with her family in Healdsburg, California.

Here are two hundred reader-tested answers to the question "What have you read that's good?"  The Readers' Choice is the first book to feature titles based on the recommendations of numerous book clubs.  Victoria McMains has collected two hundred favorites of more than seventy reading groups nationwide, ideal for book group members looking for a "good read," busy people seeking enjoyable books outside the bestseller lists, or anyone who wants to read more but isn't sure where to start.

Combining her skills as a book reveiwer and a veteran book group member, McMains provides brief, captivating profiles of a diverse mix of fiction and nonfiction.  There are love stories and war stories, fantasy and political intrigue, biography and nature-and much more.  Each profile highlights the unique traits of the book and ends with a few questions for group favorites as well as little-known gems that have been discovered and treasured.  Indexes organize the entries by title and subject matter, helping readers find books that appeal to their interest. For anyone wanting to learn the easy essentials of starting a book club, check out McMains's introduction.

Let The Readers Guide help you make the most of the precious time you spend reading?

Library Journal

McMains has chaired the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association since 1997, and her column, "Book Club Favorites," is published monthly in the Press Democrat, a New York Times newspaper serving Northern California. Here, she combines her professional expertise with her experiences as a book club member to produce a handy new guide for book lovers everywhere. The 200 favorites included here were culled from the recommendations of more than 70 reading groups in California, Oregon, Colorado, and New York, and the resulting list is a good blend of fiction and nonfiction, classics, relatively unknown regional writers, and the occasional best seller. The collection is designed to start conversations, help form book clubs, and promote reading. The book's strength is that it reminds serious readers of books that they have loved and/or always meant to read. Look for a second volume. Recommended for all public libraries.--Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\