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"I am thanking you in advance. Really, I am thanking you for opening up a whole new world of reading for me. You have no idea what a transition it was for me to move from Boston to NY. I knew no one, and in many ways, I was recreating myself. In Boston I worked full time, took care of my very ill mom, and tried to be a decent wife and mother.

When my husband took the job here in NY, I really had no idea where to begin.....I brought my mom with me,left my job of 21 years and started all over again. Meeting Alice Hoffman and joining your book group really made such a difference to me.I am always so sad when I cannot come to a meeting, and I so look forward to reading each book you suggest. You have made such a difference in my life. Thank you."

---Rita Fried, Book Club member

" I loved the way you put a whole different slant on the book than any of us had thought of........"---Gretchen Lengyel, Book Club member

"That was the first time I had heard your full-length book club speech. You ought to go on the after-dinner circuit. It was hilarious. The woman next to me kept catching my eye and laughing."

Lindy Washbrun, The Record, Hackensack, NJ

For Book Clubs

"WHAT TO READ cuts the time it takes to find the good stuff by offering annotated reading lists arranged by theme. Keep Pearlman's book close...She's trustworthy." ---Glamour

WHAT TO READ: The Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other Book Lovers
by Mickey Pearlman

What to read next, what to read next? It's a question as old as Gutenberg, and it can reach crisis proportions when you find yourself faced with selecting books for a group of diverse, avid readers. With the explosion of reading groups in the last decade have come some books on the topic, most offering, along with their suggestions for starting a group, lists of reading choices. But which of these books offers choices that are good for your group? Let's face it --- only the most die-hard classicist will appreciate most of the titles on the Modern Library Top 100 list, and many are finding that Oprah's picks have a similarity that borders on monotony.

Out of the plethora of "list" books a few titles stand out. One of these is WHAT TO READ by Mickey Pearlman, Ph.D. Pearlman has spent years gleaning book recommendations from academics and writers, book club members and leaders. From this collection she has put together an impressive assortment of 33 annotated lists that cover almost every reading category under the sun. There is mystery, sci-fi, war, sports, and biography --- even a category of children's books that adults might enjoy. She lists books by Native Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans, Asians and a various assortment of other world cultures. Books from the 19th and early 20th Century rub shoulders with books by Jewish and gay authors. She breaks several of her categories down into works by men and works by women, in case you and your reading group have a special interest in one or the other. As a bonus, Pearlman includes special "dream lists" created by authors Margot Livesey, Sylvia Watanabe, and Jill McCorkle.

One of the joys of paging through Pearlman's books is that she doesn't always go for the most popular title by an author. Her reading choice for Gunter Grass is CALL OF THE TOAD, rather than CAT AND MOUSE, and for D.H. Lawrence, she suggests THE RAINBOW and WOMEN IN LOVE, rather than LADY CHATTERLY'S LOVER. Another surprise in Pearlman's book is the atypical way she categorizes some authors. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is absent from the Mi Vida Latina section, but has entries in "Love is (Only Sometimes) a Many-Splendored Thing," "La, La, La, It's Magic," and also "Questioning the Miraculous." Thankfully, there are indexes in the back so you can easily look up your favorite author or title. For each book, Pearlman lists title and author, number of pages, date of publication and a brief description. In the interest of brevity, Pearlman often oversimplifies plots, but she makes her point about why each book was chosen.

Pearlman also includes advice for those trying to start a book club. She offers suggestions from several real clubs: from very diverse groups that meet in libraries to more homogenous groups that gather in living rooms. Most of the groups she describes have been meeting for several years and most have a chosen (sometimes paid) leader who picks books and leads the discussion. However, with Pearlman's list as a guide, anyone with a couple of reading friends will be encouraged to start their own club. And if you're not in a club, but still find yourself wondering what to read next, pick up a copy of WHAT TO READ.

--- Reviewed by Liz Keuffer, Readinggroupguides.com