Reading Women

July 1, 2012
Any book-group leader who ever despaired of finding a discussable romance title at the suggestion of a member need fret no longer. Hill has compiled an admirable list of women's fiction, chick lit, and romance titles suitable for discussion. Women's fiction, as defined by Hill, is an umbrella term encompassing titles that appeal to female readers by addressing the important issues in women's lives. The understated yet standout feature of this resource guide is the blend of titles with an emphasis on the humor, lightheartedness, and hope found in many women's-fiction novelsno Oprah's Book Club literary depression here. Hill has thoroughly examined each title and provided title-specific discussion questions (beware that some contain subtle spoilers) that facilitators will find quite valuable. Each entry also lists brief biographical background, a short annotation, website and readers'-guide URLs, and read-alikes. The majority of the 90 titles listed were published in the last 10 years. Subject/author/title indexes are present, along with appendixes of reader and book-group resources. Hill also provides a sample of a prediscussion handout. A welcome addition to the canon of book-group resources and especially helpful for book groups looking for cheerier selections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)