From informal get-togethers with friends to groups at bookstores and chat rooms on the Internet, people everywhere are talking about books. Vintage and Anchor Books invite you to discover today's best selections for reading groups and access useful resources to facilitate your group discussion here at the Reading Group Center.


Bridge of Sighs
by Richard Russo
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Louis Charles Lynch (also known as Lucy) is sixty years old and has lived in Thomaston, New York, his entire life. He and Sarah, his wife of forty years, are about to embark on a vacation to Italy. Lucy's oldest friend, once a rival for his wife's affection, leads a life in Venice far removed from Thomaston. Perhaps for this reason Lucy is writing the story of his town, his family, and his own life that makes up this rich and mesmerizing novel, interspersed with that of the native son who left so long ago and has never looked back.

  • NEW! Browse inside the book.
  • Read an excerpt.
  • Check out Richard Russo's tour schedule.
  • Print our free Reading Group Guide.
  • Buy the book.

    (Featured Selections are updated monthly. For more information on upcoming selections, visit our Monthly Planner section.)





  • Songs Without Words
    A Novel
    by Ann Packer

    author of The Dive from Clausen's Pier

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER

    "Packer's voice [has] extraordinary authority.... Compassionate, rich in solace."
    --The New York Times Book Review

    Read an excerpt and an interview with the author, check out Ann Packer's tour, print our free Reading Group Guide, and visit the author's official Web site at www.annpacker.com.
    Buy the book.

     



    Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician
    A Novel
    by Daniel Wallace

    author of Big Fish

    "Poignant and provocative.... Wallace's lush verbal invention is his real genius."
    --Los Angeles Times

  • Browse inside the book, read an excerpt and print our free Reading Group Guide.
    Buy the book.

     



  • In the Land of No Right Angles
    A Novel
    by Daphne Beal

    AN ANCHOR BOOKS ORIGINAL

    "An unpredictable journey of the spirit and flesh.... [An] enchanting, at times perilous, tale of love, magic, and illusion."
    --Elle

    Read an excerpt and an interview with the author, check out Daphne Beal's tour, and print our free Discussion Resources for Reading Groups.
    Buy the book.

     



    The Water's Lovely
    by Ruth Rendell

    New York Times Bestselling Author

    "The queen of the psychological suspense novel.... [A] subtly horrifying story."
    --The New York Times

    Browse inside the book, read an excerpt, print our free Reading Group Guide, and find out more about this and other mystery/thriller titles on our Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Web site at www.blacklizardcrime.com.
    Buy the book.

     



    Practicing
    A Musician's Return to Music
    by Glenn Kurtz

    "Graceful.... A lovely, unique book.... A personal journey [that] becomes universal, elevating all in the process."
    --Los Angeles Times

    Browse inside the book, read an excerpt and an interview with the author, and print our free Reading Group Guide.
    Buy the book.

     



    Fire in the Blood
    by Irène Némirovsky

    author of the acclaimed international bestseller Suite Française

    "An almost perfect miniature, a tale of divided loves and loyalties set in an insular rural French village."
    --O, The Oprah Magazine

    Browse inside the book, read an excerpt and print our free Reading Group Guide.
    Buy the book.

     



    The Exception
    A Novel
    by Christian Jungersen

    "Excellent on so many things.... There is a hugely empathetic imagination behind this novel."
    --The New York Times

    Browse inside the book, read an excerpt and print our free Reading Group Guide.
    Buy the book.

     


    Check out these great reads to share with your book club, then see the films in theaters or on DVD!

    Visit our Screening Room Web site to watch movie trailers, view movie art, and find out more.



    The Dying Animal
    by Philip Roth

    Puliltzer Prize-winning author of American Pastoral

    The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture ELEGY

    "A disturbing masterpiece."
    --The New York Review of Books

    Read an excerpt, print our free Reading Group Guide, watch the movie trailer, and visit the movie site to find out more.
    Buy the book.

     



    Brideshead Revisited
    by Evelyn Waugh

    "A many-faceted book.... Beautifully [written] by one of the most exhilarating stylists of our time."
    --Newsweek

    Print our free Discussion Resources for Reading Groups, watch the movie trailer, and visit the movie site to find out more.
    Buy the book.

     



    Fugitive Pieces
    by Anne Michaels

    #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
    A New York Times Notable Book
    Winner of the Lannan Literary Fiction Award
    Winner of the Guardian Fiction Award

    "Extraordinarily magical."
    --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

    Read an excerpt, print our free Reading Group Guide, watch the movie trailer, and visit the movie site to find out more.
    Buy the book.

     

     


    On the Big Screen
    Check out the books that inspired the latest movies! Find out more at the Screening Room.

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    Click here for everything from classic crime to the latest in suspense from Black Lizard.

    Para lectores de español

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    From Sharon B. of Queensland, Australia:

    "We've been meeting once a month for about 6 years now and a few years ago the meeting seemed to lose something and conversation was no longer primarily about books. So I chose each person's name at random, they each have their own month and its their call. They choose the book, venue and how the meeting will run. I feel that this has given ownership back to each member, applied a tiny amount of pressure (which is healthy) and we never know how the meeting is going to pan out until we are there."
    Read more....

    What is your group up to? Share your novel ideas here.