Welcome to the January 2015 edition of the Christian Fiction Book Club Connection. Whether you’re a pastor or ministry leader thinking of forming a book discussion group at your church, a current member of a book club, or simply a fan of Christian fiction hoping to connect with other readers, you’re in the right place!
This month’s post includes a featured book that I think is well suited to discussion, as well as links to upcoming online discussions. Then I’ll wrap up the post with a discussion question I’d like YOU to chime in on.
Featured Read
Author: Cynthia Ruchti
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: May 2014
This book features a contemporary plot, including a romance, but not focused exclusively on that aspect. It deals with weighty issues at times, making it highly discussable, but it maintains a hopeful outlook and Christian perspective.
To learn more about the book, check out the Publisher’s description, read my review, or take a look at this short video featuring the author. I didn’t find discussion questions I could link to online, but the book itself does include ten thought-provoking questions to help get discussion started.
Online Discussions
The ACFW Book Club is between books at the moment, but if you follow the instructions to subscribe to their e-mail list now, you’ll be among the first to find out which book will be discussed next.
For January, the Christian Fiction Devourers group on Goodreads is discussing Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson AND Code Blue (Prescription for Trouble #1) by Richard Mabry. Grab your copies and head on over to the discussion forum to check in with others who are in the midst of reading these books.
The Fans of Christian Romance Goodreads group is reading A Man of His Word by Kathleen Fuller for its January discussion.
For fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, Jamie of the Books and Beverages blog hosts a monthly Inklings discussion series. Sometimes fiction, sometimes non-fiction, the title for the month of January is The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Hop on over there on January 21st for what’s sure to be a great discussion.
NEW for 2015, is the #HedlundChallenge2015 (details here and here), for which discussion will be hosted in alternating months by Jamie of Books and Beverages and Cassie of Bookshelves and Windows. The first of Jody Hedlund’s books to be discussed is Unending Devotion. Look for the discussion post on Cassie’s blog on January 27th. I got myself an audiobook copy of this month’s book, so hopefully I’ll be finished in time to join in!
Let’s Chat!
Since this is the first of these Book Club Connection features, let’s start by introducing ourselves. Please take a moment to leave a comment, even if it’s only to say hi. I hope to get to know the people following this feature and tailor it to fit your interests. To help facilitate that, could you say a little something in your comment about your interest in book groups? For example, are you currently a book discussion group member or leader? Are you looking for a book club to join? Thinking of starting one? Or maybe just curious?
Back when I was working as a librarian, I had some training in facilitating book discussion groups, as well as first-hand experience leading and participating in one for several years. In future posts, I hope to talk about the benefits of participating in a book group, how to find or start one, and ideas to help a discussion run smoothly, among other things. But I’d also love to answer questions. If there’s anything book club related you’d like to know, please ask. You can leave your question in a comment or send it to me in an email, and I’ll try to address it in a future Book Club Connection post, as well as opening the floor for discussion on the topic.
So, if book clubs are of interest to you, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog, leave a comment introducing yourself, and share the word with others you know who might be interested. (And even if book clubs aren’t your thing, I hope you’ll stick around anyway because I’ve got lots of other fun features here the rest of the month for fans of Christian fiction.) Either way, I’m looking forward to chatting with you!
Love this feature of your blog! I am a fifty-something member of 2 official book clubs and 1 special group. I started both of the official clubs. By The Book is in its 13th year. Page Turners is in its 3rd year. Both grew out of a women’s ministry in a church, although By The Book is now community based with members from several churches. The groups are so different in composition, reading preferences and book selection. As the facilitator, it keeps me on my toes. The 3rd group is an ever changing group of ladies at a transitional center where I volunteer. They are required to attend, so there is some mixed success with this group ;). It is, however, a very rewarding group to lead. The women come from such different backgrounds and experiences from me. I am learning much more from them than they are from me.
I am looking forward to your insights and tips into book clubs — thanks!
Wow, Beckie! I am thrilled to have you join the discussion! I have a feeling I could learn a lot just listening to your experiences with the three groups you work with. I hope you’ll stick around and share more as this feature continues from month to month. Since I’m only recently starting to reach out to book groups, I’m not sure how much participation we’ll get at first, but hopefully things will start to snowball as more people hear about it and join in. Thanks so much for dropping by and speaking up!
Always look forward to reading about what discussions are coming up (I’ve been eyeing Dobson’s book for a while) and thanks so much for the shout outs! Hope you have a great week!
Jamie
Thanks, Jamie! I love the way you run the discussions on your blog. Can’t wait to see what happens with the Jody Hedlund challenge. From all the comments, it looks like it’s going to be really popular. Thanks so much for visiting, and I hope your week turns out great too!
Thanks for the shout-out, Karen! What a neat feature this is. I love that you have a place where we can find all the book clubs that are happening!
Hi Cassie. It’s great to see you! I’m so glad to hear you like this new feature. Trying to include all the active online clubs I can find, but if I’m missing any I hope someone will speak up! I’m looking forward to discussing Unending Devotion with you in a few weeks. It’s been fascinating reading so far.