Conversations Book Club's 25 Summer Reads, 2012

(This post will  appear as an article in the July/August issue of Conversations Magazine. See www.conversationsmag.com for details and to order your copy.)

by Cyrus Webb

It is no secret that reading is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. I have been a fan of books for as long as I can remember, a passion that was fed by my family and continued in my adult years. It was because of this passion that I founded Conversations Book Club in November 2006. I wanted a place where men and women alike could come together and discuss books, sharing lessons and a form of entertainment that can be found no where else. Since then I have had the privilege of hosting book discussions in my home state of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee: all of them have been focused on titles that I personally loved and wanted to share.

With Summer here it is once again time for me to not only reveal my picks for the season but share with you probably one of the best collection of books I've had the privilege of reading. I literally devour hundreds of books a year, and that insatiable appetite makes these kind of lists extremely difficult, however, I think I have done right by you as readers with my choices. As with all of my lists, you will find books by established authors as well as those who are rising stars in the industry. It is my hope that you will find the pleasure in them that I did, and share them with others that will surely enjoy them as well.

Without further ado, here are this year's Summer picks...

Conversations Book Club's Non-Fiction Summer Reads, 2012  (In no particular order)

1. "Dear Marcus" by Jerry McGill (Spiegel & Grau/Random House)
2. "Find The Upside of the Down Times" by Dr. Rob Pennington (Resource International)
3. "Chicken Soup For The Soul: Find Your Happiness" (Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing)
4. "Single, Black, and Government Owned" by O. Keeys (Passionate Writer Publishing)
5. "Creating Time" by Marney K. Makridakis (New World Library)
6. "This Is How" by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin's Press)
7. "Drunken Angel" by Alan Kaufman (Viva Editions)

Conversations Book Club's Fiction Summer Reads, 2012 (In no particular order)

1. "Watch Me Die" by Erica Spindler (St. Martin's Paperbacks)
2. "The Collectibles" by James J. Kaufman (Downstream Publishing)
3. "Payback Ain't Enough" by Wahida Clark (Cash Money Content)
4. "The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D." by Nichole Bernier (Crown/Random House)
5. "One Dead Doctor" by Tony Lindsay (Penknife Press)
6. "The Lost Daughter" by Lucy Ferriss (Berkley Publishing/Penguin)
7. "Aloha"/"Adios!" by Stephen A. Enna & Dennis J. Wootten (Authorhouse)
8. "Sea Change" by Karen White (New American Library/Penguin)
9. "Tony's Tiffany" by John Mobley (Freedom Ink)
10. "Just Tryin' To Be Loved" by J'son M. Lee (Foresight Publishing)
11. "California Girl Chronicles: Brea & the City of Plastic" by Michelle Gamble Risley (3L Publishing)
12. "The Safehouse" by T. Thomas Ackerman (Outskirts Press)
13. "Married in the Nick of Nine" by Alretha Thomas (Diverse Arts Collective)
14. "The Hum and the Shiver" by Alex Bledsoe (Tor)
15. "When Rain Falls" by Tyora Moody (Urban Christian/Kensington)
16. "By The Light of the Silvery Moon" by Tricia Goyer (Barbour Publishing)
17. "Coming Home" by Stacy Hawkins Adams (Zondervan)
18. "Alligator Lake" by Lynne Bryant (New American Library/Penguin)

Want to share your thoughts about some of the titles I've picked this year? Feel free to do so online at www.conversationsbookclub.com or www.conversationsmag.com or you can drop me an email at cawebb4@juno.com. Have a great summer! 

Conversations Book Of 2012: "New From The Inside Out" by Kim Vazquez

Find out more about Kim and the book by visiting www.kimvazquez.com.

Start The New Year Off With Great Authors In 2012!

Conversations Book Club is excited to announce its first authors of 2012 that will be visiting readers in Central Mississippi: Dr. Greg Little and Glenda Hunter!

Conversations Book Club's Online Chapter Announces 1st Quarter Selections For 2012

(Monday, December 12, 2011) Since November 2006 Conversations Book Club and its founder Cyrus Webb have worked to promote the importance of reading and discussing exciting books as well as highlighting the authors who write them. In 2012 that mission will continue and grow with the online chapter holding monthly discussions with the author and YOU can join the conversation!

To give everyone time to read and enjoy the selection before each discussion, we are pleased to announce the choices for our book club for the first quarter of 2012. These are book personally chosen by Webb as fascinating reads, and he is sure you will find them to be the same.


The online chapter will "meet" online every second Saturday of each month beginning @ 6p.m. et (5p.m. ct/3p.m. pt) for the hour. Each discussion will be moderated by Webb and the author will be present to answer questions and provide extra insight. Joining the book club discussion is easy. Simply visit www.blogtalkradio.com/conversationslive at the time of the book club meeting and enter the chat room. There you can ask questions of the author and get involved with others who are a part of the book club.

Here is the schedule for the first quarter of 2012:
* JANUARY 2012 BOOK SELECTION: "New From The Inside Out" by Kim Vazquez (discussion with the author will be Sat. January 14th)
* FEBRUARY 2012 BOOK SELECTION: "Chasing Butterflies" by Frieda Barnes (discussion with the author will be Sat. Feb. 11th)
* MARCH 2012 BOOK SELECTION: "Pharmacology" by Christopher Herz (discussion with the author will be Sat. March 10th)

Make plans to join the conversation today! Get your copy of the books by visiting Amazon.com or ordering from your favorite bookseller.

Have questions of suggestions for future selections? Contact Cyrus Webb at cawebb4@juno.com or 601.896.5616. For current events and other important announcements make sure to bookmark www.thebestbookclub.info. CONVERSATIONS: Feeding your love of life!