Find books, music, movies, and more »
Reading/Books
- Pierce County READS
- Audiobooks
- BookFLIX
- Book Group Collection
- Book lists
- Books Plus to Go
- Book Selection Tools
- Discuss a Book!
- Magazines
- Newspaper Direct
- Online Book Club
- Reading Programs & Book Reviews
- WIKI
- WorldCat
Discuss a Book!
Sharing thoughts about a book (or a movie)
While reading is generally a solitary activity, being able to share your thoughts with someone else can elevate the whole experience. Most of us enjoy sharing our opinion about a book read, or movie we have seen - as listening to conversations at the exit door of a movie theater can attest. (Most people can't wait to talk about what they have just experienced!)
Discussion brings out new interpretations, opinions and a sharing of group members' past experiences related to the topic. Additional information is often presented. Sometimes more questions are raised than answered, but all contribute to the expansion of our minds and forming community. If you enjoy books, consider discussing them with others.
Single-Book Discussion Groups usually select book titles in advance and all members then read and discuss the same book. This is the most common type of book discussion group.
Join a group sponsored by our branches! (Call branch for info and title to be discussed.)
- Graham Book Group (meets at library 7 p.m.on 1st Mondays)
- South Hill Book Group (meets at library 7 p.m. on 2nd Mondays)
- Summit Book Group (meets at library)
- University Place Book Group (meets at library 10 a.m. on 3rd Fridays)
- Family Book Club at University Place (meets at library 10 a.m. on 1st Saturday of each month)
- Family Book Club at Peninsula (meets at library 10 a.m. on 1st Saturday of each month)
- Family Book Club at Lakewood (meets at library 10 a.m. on 1st Saturday of each month)
There are many other book groups in the area. Please see staff at your local library for contact information of local clubs looking for new members. Please see also Book Discussion Resources (below) for information about book club resources and kits.
One Book, One Community programs select a single book for the entire community to focus on for a year, offering meetings and programs for discussion.
Discussion Groups using multiple books (or movies)
Teen groups and Kid / Family Book groups may vary in format, but focus on books (or films) with age-appropriate appeal. (Groups meet at designated library.)
Online Discussions
Online Book Clubs offer online forums to post your opinions about a selected book and read others' thoughts. Specific clubs usually focus on selected genres. Example:
- Online Book Club from DearReader.com offers a daily portion of the text of a selected book via e-mail, plus an online forum for discussion.
Blogs (aka web logs). Book-focused blogs usually present a few books along with one person's review or opinion, then allow readers to add their own comments. Here are a few that our library staff maintain:
- Mostly Fiction Blog
- Mostly NF Blog (most titles discussed are non-fiction)
- Teen Blog (teen books are presented)
Additional book-based blogs can be found by searching the Internet for "books" and "blog".
Story Discussions
Story Times (for younger children) are offered in multi-week sessions several times a year. Age-appropriate stories are read and responded to. Often includes fingerplay and songs. (meets at library)
Story Times for Grown-Ups Why should the kids have all the fun? Story Time for Grown-ups offers a live reading of an adult short story with discussion following. (Events are periodically held at Sumner Library, plus occasional dates at other branches, listed in Calendar as adult events.)
Movie Discussions
Anime Groups - anime (Japanese-style animated films) are viewed and discussed. Films are selected for teen appeal. (meets at library)
Film programs use a digital projector at selected library branches show movies periodically in their meeting room. Example:
- Peninsula Library film programs - Themes vary but most selected films are good discussion starters. See calendar.
- Lakewood Library - "Family films" program.
Book Discussion Resources
Book Group Kits - a big box of books: A major challenge of a book group is finding enough copies of a single title so that all members can read it at the same time. Our Pierce County Library Book Group Collection Kits offer multiple copies (usually 15) of the same title, along with background on the author and discussion starter questions. Many popular titles are now available in our kits. Most have adult appeal, but some are selected specifically for juniors or teens.
Please contact staff at your local Pierce County Library branch for a current availability schedule of specific titles and special borrowing procedures for these kits.
Washington Center for the Books - Recommended Books for Discussion [pdf] An extensive annotated list of books, both classic and contemporary, whose story and characters lend themselves to interesting group discussions. (Washington Center for the Book, located at the Seattle Public Library) Web site: www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=collection_readinglists
Author Visits
Programs featuring a visit with an author are periodically held at local Libraries.
Author will usually read from his/her current book, then open the floor for questions and discussion. Come talk with an author! Please see our calendar or check your local library for future program notices.