Fostering a love of reading

Posted Sep 18, 2009 by Donna Koehn

Updated Sep 18, 2009 at 01:39 PM

We’re a family of geeks who love reading for run. I’m at my happiest if I have at least one good book in hand and another in waiting.

One of the coolest things about having teenagers is sharing the books they’re assigned for class. Many of them—“Fahrenheit 451,” “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” even “The Great Gatsby”—I somehow missed the first time around. And nothing thrills me more than when I adore a book and pass it along to my kids. (I said I was a geek.) They seem to like it, too. It’s a good way to keep connected.

The soon-to-be-released “Book by Book: Mother-Daughter Book Clubs” takes this further. It gives step-by-step directions for setting up groups of like-minded girls and their moms to discuss books. It’s not just the joy of reading that is passed down, though. Titles can be chosen that help mothers broach topics that might be difficult otherwise. 

Most clubs start when daughters are around 8 or 9 years old and can last through the teen years.

“Book by Book” includes tips for getting a club started, the pros and cons of various meeting places, introductory games, even tasty recipes. Best yet, if offers short synopses of 100 books that are good candidates for group reads, with suggested ages.

Look for it in October, retailing for $16.95.