Resources for Readers and Book Clubs

Running list of resources to use and share

Hello! This list is evolving weekly. All suggestions are welcome so fire away in the comments below.

Looking for your next read? Check out what the Spark Community has been reading. Click on the image above and you’ll find us at bookshop.org

Online Discussion and Group Reads

• The Austen Connection - Looking to Jane Austen for themes that continue to resonate today. Member of #BookStackers.

• The Big Read: War and Peace. Join others in reading War and Peace over the course of a single year with Jeremy Anderberg. Member of #BookStackers.

• Well Read Black Girl. Dedicated to reading and reflecting on the writing of Black women, the mission of this group is also to help its community members discover diverse writers who are non-binary, queer, trans, and disabled.

• Notes From Three Pines. A limited series of newsletters and discussion all about Louise Penny’s “Inspector Gamache” series. Find essays and fun chats about the books, the series on Amazon, and more.

• bookgaga. “Modest book reviews, literary commentary”, and lots of information about The Silent Book Club concept. Vicki Zeigler is a book lover who shares her reads, her lists, and invites discussion on social media and on her site. Watch for her #SundaySentences on Twitter and Mastodon.

Where to Find New Releases and Author/Book Events

• A Mighty Blaze. To keep abreast of new releases, author events, and interviews, follow A Mighty Blaze on Facebook and here at their website. Born of necessity at the dawn of the pandemic, it’s a one-stop shop for videos, interviews, podcasts, and launch events for books in all genres.

• Los Angeles Times Book Club. Author interviews, book reviews, lists and more make the LA Times Book Club a rich resource.

• Literally, the blog and monthly newsletter from Scribd, highlights new books and offers micro-interviews with authors for folks interested in audiobooks and online reads ranging from novels to newspapers and magazines.

Websites & Tools

• Book Riot - A site “dedicated to the idea that writing about books and reading should be just as diverse as books and readers are.” Here you will find a one-stop place that includes all genres and offers lists, reviews, podcasts, author interviews, resources and merch for readers.

• Victoria Weisfeld, novelist, traveller, and avid reader, writes almost daily about books she has read or what she has learned as a writer that can help other writers. She writes reviews for Crime Fiction Lover (see next entry) and theater reviews at Front Row Center. Here are her book reviews.

• Crime Fiction Lover is for “diehard crime and thriller fans.” The site offers reviews, interviews, materials for book clubs and its own book club for readers.

• Tall Poppy Writers is a cooperative of women writers who specialize in women’s fiction. You can check out the authors here and follow along by joining the Bloom community, subscribing to their newsletter, following them on social media, and buying their books. Learn more here.

• Every State’s Most Literary Town. This link takes you to fun facts about where books are set around the country and offers a free tool that lets you plug in your location and see which books were set there. A great way for book clubs and individuals to pick out a book they might have missed right there on home turf. Tip: don’t rely on the zip code to pull up books. Use instead the drop down list and scroll to the city/state you want.

• Use This Simple Technique to Get More Out of Every Book You Read, an article for readers who want to remember more about the book they just finished.

Advice and Resources for Book Clubs

• I Love Libraries has developed a page of resources and advice for those who are looking to join, start, or improve a book club. This page offers links that cover everything from facilitation to book lists that are continually updated.

Newsletters

• Tabatha Leggett’s Bookmarked -This newsletter is made for readers who want to absorb place along with story. Tabatha Leggett is reading one book from every country. Here’s an excerpt from her “About “ section. Here, you will also find a list of the 60+ books that she has read along with links to the profiles she wrote after finishing each. Some highlights: searing autofiction from Norway, a touching Wiradjuri story from Australia, and an astonishing cross-genre epic from Zambia,. Member of #BookStackers

• The Austen Connection by “Plain Jane,” a public radio journalist and journalism professor with a “couple of degrees in literature.” The goal: to convene a lively conversation around the stories of Jane Austen, and to uncover the unexpected themes that are hiding in plain sight and have so much relevance to our complicated lives today. Both a newsletter and a podcast, The Austen Connection dives into things with a journalistic approach and invites conversation for all Austen fans “in the spirit of exploration, curiosity, and illumination.” Member of #BookStackers.

• Survival by Book by Courtney Cook offers essays on work, love, creativity, & other life-stuff, usually through a bookish lens. You’ll also find Courtney’s memoir-in-progress, “College, A Love Story.” Member of #BookStackers.

  066: A Small, Brave, Beautiful Book

• Ann Morgan’s A Year of Reading The World - Leggett was inspired by Ann Morgan who spent 2012 reading books from as many countries as she could. Here she features the entire list by country. Her blog continues to be a wonderful source of insights about books she has read since then. 

• Well Read With Anna Bonet - Anna Bonet is a Welsh-born, London-based journalist whose “all-time favourite thing to do is recommend great books.” Two Sundays a month, she sends out a newsletter. The first will feature 3-5 overviews of new books, the second will include books old and new and the theme that connects them. Member of #BookStackers.

• Crooked Reads - Ashley Holstrom is a “professional book person who likes to yap about good books and mental health whenever she can.” A designer by day, she writes for both Book Riot and Foreword Reviews by night. Crooked Reads offers three “bite-sized” book reviews a month that are connected by a theme her goal is to focus on the plot and how the book will make a reader feel. Member of #BookStackers

• Books on Gif - Reviews with an infusion of animation. You’ll find reviews of fiction, nonfiction, bestsellers, hidden gems, classics, and graphic novels and “the occasional cookbook.” Member of #Bookstackers.

• What to Read If… Every week Elizabeth Held sends out 1-3 book recommendations curated for those seeking everything from what to read for just about any situation. Love a family saga? Love owls? Want to read somethig just right for the tail-end of a pandemic? You’ll find all that here along with twice-a-month capsule interviews with writers and readers. Founder and member of #Bookstackers.

• Reading Under The Radar - Dedicated to sharing books old and new that might slip under the radar. Each Tuesday you’ll find one new recommendation to add to your growing stack of to-be-reads (TBR). It might be an older title or a brand-new one that isn’t getting attention. It might be from a well-known publishing house or from a small indie press. It might be written by authors from historically underrepresented backgrounds and groups. Cassie P. offers a

  a quick introduction and she thinks you should read it. Member of #BookStackers.

• Good Book/Good Bread. is a twice monthly celebration of excellent books and delicious bread. If you love reading and discovering new (and old!) books, and have even just an appreciation for bread, Good Book/Good Bread will be right up your alley. Every second Friday, Hannah shares a book recommendation, and then bakes a bread that fits with an aspect of the story. Member of #Bookstackers.

• Read Something Queer - Brooklyn-based writer Becka Stickler recommends queer books and provides additional cultural commentary and essays. She writes about one book per newsletter.

• So Novelicious - Book lover Gayla Gray serves up the books, authors, and the “book-adjacent” discoveries she’s making as builds her TBR list. Every week, she also shares links to articles or Instagram posts or feeds she has found interesting and valuable. Member of #BookStackers.

• Can We Read? By Sarah Miller: You may not have children in your life but that does not mean you should avoid good children’s books. If you are looking for children’s books for the young ones in your life or even yourself, here's a reader's resource that can lead you to books old and new for the young. Sarah Miller, a “lifelong bookworm who has always been crazy for children’s books.” She researches books carefully from her newsletter “Can We Read?” and brings that love to her reviews and suggestions. Her newsletter is “nothing more and nothing less, a love letter to children’s books, old and newer, and the magic of reading them together.” Member of #BookStackers.

• Read More Books by Jeremy Anderberg: Every Friday, the founder of The Big Read: War and Peace (see above), sends “What to Read Next” to thousands of readers. He also sends author interviews 2-3 times per month. His suggestions grow from his obsession with reading and a friend’s suggestion to share the books that captivate him with others. Here you’ll find ‘anything and everything: fiction and non-fiction, new and old, over-saturated and virtually ignored. Member of #BookStackers.

• Lupita Reads - A clinical researcher by day and #bookstagram influencer by night (or anytime she can squeeze an hour out of the day), the founder of Lupita Reads has created a space to highlight a rich vein of books, old and new, by Latinx authors. Here, you will find reviews, personal takes on the stories she reads and spotlight interviews with new and emerging authors of Latinx books. The newsletter comes out once a week, usually on Tuesdays. Member of #BookStackers.

• Books and Bakes by Laura Sackton - For those who like a nibble while they read, writer and “professional book nerd” Laura Sackton offers a newsletter with ideas for you. She fuses together her love of books and cooking to offer three book recommendations a week along with a recipe (with photos) of something delicious she makes to eat. She writes for Book Riot where she also works as a bibliologist for TBR (Tailored Book Recommendations). Her tastes are “eclectic” and her recommendations include fiction, nonfiction, new and backlisted books, graphic novels and more. She also runs a small home-baking business. Member of #BookStackers.

• Not Controversial by Nia is not exclusively devoted to books which makes it a fun read if you are looking to explore all kinds of subjects like money, working in today’s “hustle” environment, pop culture criticism, and “spicy lit takes” that champion romance, graphic novels, comics and other forms of literature that encounter discrimination in the literary world. Member of #BookStackers.

• All By Our Shelves by Rosalynn Tyo is a twice-a-month newsletter that offers a list of three books, chosen on a theme (not by an algorithm). At least one out of the three will feature a one-parent family—and sometimes all three will. From time to time she will also include links to articles, interviews, profiles, or other fun features. Member of #BookStackers.

  Reading into the Winter Solstice

• Satchel Notes by Resh Susan. This newsletter was created as a pandemic project to serve excellent recommendations that you might’ve missed on your saunter down the internet blackhole. I finally took the leap to Substack in Dec, 2022. In this new space, Satchel Notes will help you find books that make you feel something, or try out a good TV show instead of indecisively clicking through channels. Expect a mix of genres, gothic style boarding school story or awesome Asian aunties who can hide a dead body or climate dystopia; all washed down with a a curated list of the interesting writing on the internet. Member of #BookStackers.

• Great Books+Great Minds by Diamond-Michael Scott, a “community of rabid book enthusiasts and readers committed to personal and business lifestyle expansion one book at a time.” Member supported digital publication spotlights some of the most compelling authors, reader profiles, and book industry themes from across the world. Member of #BookStackers.

• Through The Biblioscope by David R. Grigg offers book suggestions and reviews on the first and third Sundays of the month. You’ll find old and new books in many genres but they are usually organized in each letter according to a loose theme that makes you wonder why you haven’t organized books in this way.