Celebrating Book Clubs, Readers & Romance!

Beth VogtFun 24 Comments

httpv://youtu.be/ZE02mnin-QM

I’m looking forward to having some fun this month as I celebrate book clubs over on my Author Facebook page.

As I mention in the video, I love connecting with readers. I also helped start a Mother-Daughter Book Club several years ago with my youngest daughter, CJ, as well as visiting with several book clubs after Wish You Were Here released in 2012.

So in August, which is also National Romance Awareness Month, we’re going to:

  • host a Rafflecopter giveaway that includes the chance for a book club to win up to 10 copies of my newest release, Catch a Falling Star, as well as the chance to Skype with me and talk about the book (There’s a discussion guide in the back of CAFS).
  • offer readers and book club members the chance to win a preview of the first chapter to Somebody Like You, which releases May 2014.
  • create some “spine poetry” — stay tuned for more about that.
  • have some fun doing a craft or two — and if anyone wants to help this craft-challenged gal, let me know!

Looking forward to celebrating book clubs, readers and romance with you in August!

Have you ever belonged to a book club? What was your favorite book that you read? If you did belong to a book club, what book would you recommend reading?

Romance author Beth Vogt celebrates book clubs during August Click to Tweet

Celebrate book clubs, readers and romance with author Beth Vogt Click to Tweet

Read the first chapter of Catch a Falling Star by Beth K. Vogt! Click to Tweet

Comments 24

  1. Beth, I belonged to a wonderful playgroup when my boys were babies and preschoolers. We created all sorts of opportunities to spend time together and one of our outlets was a book club. We read a lot of Jodi Picoult’s books because she often addressed a social issue that prompted lively discussion. In the inspirational romance genre, I think both of your books would be great choices for book cl ubs. My current MOPS group has also read Mary Beth Whalen’s The Guest Book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

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      Thanks for the shout-out for Wish You Were Here and for Catch a Falling Star, Heidi.
      And for MOPS too. Such a wonderful organization — one I belonged to as a mom, and one I worked for. I was an editor for them for 4 years. I love their ministry to moms of preschoolers!
      And I think “lively discussion” is one of the best things about a book club!

  2. No, I haven’t belonged to a book club. My closest exp. would be great college classes where we discussed unforgettable books, or sharing a favorite book w/ a friend or two and then discussing it. Books clubs sound like a great idea, something I may try someday, but haven’t found time yet. Wishing you great success, though, & lots of fun in August.

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  3. I do not do book clubs for one reason: hockey.
    From late Fall until very late in Spring, it is a rare night that we do not have hockey. I can rarely plan ahead to have dinner with the entire family, let alone go and make conversation that does not involve who is offside and what the ref ate that made him go blind to the other team’s terrible play.

    And seriously, I would have to behave for HOURS at a book club.

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  4. Beth, you are too cute for words. Thanks for moving around the furniture just for us. 🙂 I don’t belong to a book club because I read in snatches at my own pace, which drives the story deeper than if I were on someone else’s schedule. That may change over time, but works for me right now. If I were to start doing anything, it would be hosting a Bible study time in my home with my neighbors. I know several of them by name and in passing, but God’s been pressing on my heart to change that. One of my neighbors and her husband have said they will attend church with me on Sunday since they are new to the area. So exciting! And so is your wonderful romance book club month, my Friend. Go get ’em!

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      Hosting a Bible study — and teaching one — is a wonderful way to be in the Word, be changed by the Word, and to build relationships with others. (I taught women’s Bible studies for 15 years.) You go get ’em too, Donna! You already are, of course — I mean, in your neighborhood!

  5. I did belong to a book club at our local library but I quit. The facilitator didn’t read Inspirational Fiction (and that’s kind of club it was) and allowed the members to hash it out as to which book they wanted to read. Let’s just say one woman in the group was rather “not nice” about choosing books so I just decided I wasn’t a good fit for that group (and no, I wasn’t the “not nice”woman 😉 ). I am a member of TBCN and LOVE the online discussions of books, even when I don’t get to read the book. Hearing everyone’s opinion/view is quite eye-opening. And they can’t see me when I roll mine 😉 High-level suspense is always fun for discussion, especially if there’s a pretty good creep factor involved in the book. OR a yummy romance, like Wish You Were Here, generates excitement!

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      Choosing a book is always the challenge, isn’t it? When we were in the Mother-Daughter book club, whichever mom/daughter duo were hosting the upcoming meeting got to decide which book we read. That usually worked. And I had compiled a list of recommended reads with the help of a friend who was a librarian.

  6. Yes! A good friend and perfect timing led me to Sister’s Circle. We gather once a month to discuss our latest Christian fiction choice. Whoever hosts gets to choose the next month’s book. I’ve truly enjoyed the myriad of authors and genre’s that I may not have discovered on my own, and, even more so, sharing friendship, fellowship and laughter.

    We had the privilege of skyping with you, Beth, when we read your debut novel, Wish You Were Here. Thank you for that! (And, thank you, Heidi Geis, for setting it up!) What fun! Meeting you led me to this blog and to many words of encouragement as I entered the world of blogging. I am a big fan of your writing and of the Jesus in you that you share so willingly.

    So, of the many book club selections I , of course, loved Wish You Were Here…and I’d also have to give a shout out to Leif Enger’s, Peace Like A River and last month’s choice, Scent of Lilacs by Ann Gabhart.

    I would love to start a Christian non-fiction group one of these days where we could chew on some C. S. Lewis, Elizabeth Elliot, John Piper, Andrew Murray, A. W. Tozer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the like. I have to admit that, along with the Bible, these are my favorite types of books to dig into.

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      I loved Skyping with your group — even if Skype hiccuped a bit! We persevered and had a lot of fun. And I love that our friendship flourished too!
      I’ve read Peace Like a River too … what a great book.
      And now I’m wanting to start a book club again …

  7. Sounds like you have some fun things planned, Beth. I haven’t belonged to a book club, but I visited two as an author and had such fun chatting with readers.

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      Visiting with book clubs — and readers — is fun, isn’t it, Keli? I mean, that’s why we write: to connect with readers. To tell a story that we hope engages their hearts as it has engaged ours.

  8. A few years ago I started a summer book club for the MOPS moms from my group. We chose three books to read over the summer. One was a contemporary, one was Amish and one historical. We finished with the historical because we had chosen Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It was the third time I had read it and I enjoyed it even more. A fun idea my friend had for our discussion on RL was each of us drew a character from a hat and the entire time we discussed the book we had to answer questions from our character’s point of view. It was the coolest book discussion I’ve ever been in.

    I love the idea for your book club month, Beth! I can’t wait to participate!!

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  9. I did belong to a book club, in kind of a weird way.

    Before “Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart” was picked up by a publisher, I had self-pubbed it on Kindle, under the title “Home of Angels”.

    I was at an engineering conference in St. Louis, and stopped at a Barnes and Noble to spend the evening. There was a book club meeting in progress, and I leaned up against a shelf to eavesdrop.

    Well, they noticed me…and when I gave my name one of the members said, “Hey, you’re that guy! The book about the guy with PTSD! I just bought it.”

    My moment of instant celebrity. And I was made a member of the club.

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  10. Congratulations, Beth! Is this your first vblog? I’ve been toying with doing one but….makeup at 10 PM? I don’t know about that one. How did you upload it?

    Your comment about being in a book club with your daughter got me thinking about starting one for preteens at the library. They are a great group of kids. Thanks for the idea!

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      I’ve done vlogs before Sherry … and funny thing is, they usually are last minute! I always upload them to my computer and then to YouTube — much easier to post on my blog that way.

  11. I’ve been part of a book club for about 6 years. We read Christian books, mainly fiction, but sometimes nonfiction. About once a year we read a classic Christian book. This month the book we are reading to discuss is Band of Sisters by Cathy Gohlke. Last month it was Rachel Hauck’s The Wedding Dress. Next month is The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson.
    We try to get a variety of authors and a mix of historical and contemporary. We have a great time meeting each month. I’ll be sure to enter the Rafflecoper giveaway for the chance to win copies of Catch a Falling Star for my book club. It’s sounds like one we’d enjoy.

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      Hi, Pam:
      How fun to be part of a longstanding book club — and I love that you read a variety of books. Did you enjoy Rachel’s book? She’s one of my mentors and I admire her commitment to writing — and her talent! I’m glad you’re entering the Rafflecopter contest — and I hope you join in the fun over at my Author Facebook page!

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