If you are a book club member, you've probably experienced the frustration of not being able to get the book from the library in time for your meeting. Did you know that Hennepin County Library has book club kits? You can choose from hundreds of titles, reserve the kit online and have multiple copies of the book to hand out to your fellow book club members at the same time.

While you're browsing for your next book club selection, make sure to visit Bookspace for lists of popular book club titles, tips on leading a meaningful discussion and much, much more!

Food plays a magical role in many works of literature, from Edmund's Turkish delights in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the fried green tomatoes from Fannie Flagg's Whistle Stop Cafe. And when planning a top-notch book club meeting, finding foods that relate to the book is the perfect finishing touch for great conversation.

Try one of these titles to find recipes and inspiration for your book club:
The Book Lover's Cookbook
The Book Club Cookbook
Kafka's Soup

Bon Appetit!

Book your vacation, literally! Minnesota Monthly's April 2013 issue features 14 trips with Minnesota literary connections. Some of the books would make great book club books.

If you stop by any Hennepin County Library this summer, you will be floored by the number of book clubs available for children and teens. At many locations, it's a long-standing institution and enthusiastic kids of all ages sign up early to make sure they're included. This is great, you may be thinking, but what about those of us a little older?

Hennepin County offers a variety of book clubs for adults that you may not know about. Take, for instance, the Mystery Adult Book Club at Nokomis or the Last Word Book Group at Southdale. These thriving reading communities may not be as noticeable as their young counterparts, but are no less successful or enjoyable for their members.

Ask your local librarian if your library has an Adult Book Group or if you could help to start one. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends and share great books while you're at it!

The Minnesota Book Award finalists were named in eight categories. The state book awards gala is April 13, 2013 in Minneapolis.

For millions of avid readers, the term "book club" inevitably calls to the mind the wildly successful Oprah Book Club of yesteryear. Beginning with The Deep End of the Ocean in 1996, Oprah Winfrey engaged passionate readers and undoubtedly created many, many new readers with her show's monthly book discussion, often including the book's author for the conversation.

Although she no longer has a television show for a platform, Winfrey recently announced the commencement of Oprah 2.0 to continue her love of discussing books. This new online book club maintains the spirit of the original while utilizing technology from a new era. Based on the number of requests in Hennepin County for her two current picks, Oprah wasn't the only one who missed the book club! Feeling nostalgic for the original? Check out our list of titles from Oprah 1.0 to get some great discussion-provoking titles for your own book club, too.

Sign up to be alerted when new books by your favorite author are added to the library with the Author Alert tool.

Celebrate National Reading Group Month and rededicate your commitment to reading with your book club.

Listen to a list of the best summer and fall books of 2012 on the Minnesota Public Radio website or join in on the blog.

According to CBS and an annual Central Connecticut State University survey, the Twin Cities are in the top ten most literate cities in the
U.S. The article lists information about book clubs in the area.

Club Book will host 10 free author events during the summer/fall 2012 season. Check out the Club Book website for details.

The Pen/ Faulkner Award is a national prize that honors outstanding works of fiction by American writers each year." The winner will be announced in March, 2012. Past winners.

Nominated titles from this year or last year, provide fodder for book club reading. Consider attending the Awards Gala on April 12, 2012 to celebrate Minnesota's literary culture!