October marks National Reading Group Month

Selected by the Women's National Book Association
as a Great Group Read of 2009!

A wonderful excuse to stay indoors away from the upcoming chills of the autumn is the fact that October is National Reading Group Month. Curl up with a good book, or several that have been chosen for you below, as this is the third annual celebration that The Women's National Book Association (WNBA) has designated for October in an effort to promote those books that would incite 'lively discussion' amongst book clubs and fellow readers. These are titles that also boast a strong storyline and literary prowess, although they may have been neglected due to the large number of new releases. 

The specific suggested reading list:

Appassionata by Eva Hoffman (Other Press)
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist (Other Press)
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë by Syrie James (Avon A)
The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey (Harper Perennial)
Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz (Voice)
While I’m Falling by Laura Moriarty (Hyperion)
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (Picador)
Cost by Roxana Robinson (Picador)
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (Picador)

The last book, Burnt Shadows, was reviewed at The Burton Review and was indeed a fabulous book that would cause an intense discussion on the effects of the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. It was a poignant account of one family's story that became entangled beginning in Nagasaki and ending in New York City at the time of the September 11, 2001 bombing. The Regency-style favorite would be The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë (picture shown above) by Syrie James, which is a romantic novel based on a true story exploring the soul of Charlotte Brontë. These titles were published this year and are available at your favorite booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

National Reading Group Month also features authors to help promote the events at the ten Chapter locations, including Dallas: (www.wnba-dallas.org) WNBA-Dallas at Barnes & Noble Booksellers-Lincoln Park will have an event on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. featuring Dixie Cash aka Pam Cumbie and Jeffery McClanahan (Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes, HarperCollins/Avon A).

Visit National Reading Group Month on Twitter http://twitter.com/WNBA_NRGM and Facebook.

If you're in Austin at the end of the National Reading Group month, then don't miss the largest Texas Book Festival yet which will run from October 31 to November 1, 2009. In its 14th year, it will host Buzz Aldrin, Margaret Atwood and several Austin based authors. For more information, visit www.texasbookfestival.org and their Facebook page.