What is The Reading Lounge?

The Reading Lounge is an online community of readers just like you - people who take books with them everywhere they go, people who can't pass a bookstore without stepping in, people who willingly sacrifice precious sleep time to finish one more chapter, people who just plain love to read.

At the Reading Lounge, you can satisfy your need to discuss good books by participating in online book clubs with readers from around the country. And soon, you will also be able to post book reviews, browse through book suggestions from other members, and glean useful tips about what to read next from our quarterly newsletter.

How do I become a member of The Reading Lounge?

Simply follow this link and complete the form.

How are book clubs at The Reading Lounge different from traditional face-to-face book clubs?

• There is no set meeting date. The book clubs last four weeks, and during that time, you could log on one time, ten times, or fifty times. It's up to you how involved you get!
• You have more time to develop your answers to the discussion questions, and you can give as long of a response as you'd like - without worrying about whether you're monopolizing the book club or taking too much time. No one can ever interrupt you, and you will never be told that you're talking too much.
• You participate with people from all over the country and from all backgrounds - people that you would normally never have a chance to meet.

How are book clubs at The Reading Lounge different from other online book clubs?

• Members of The Reading Lounge choose the books that we discuss. If you don't see anything you want to read in the Upcoming Book Clubs, let me know what you do want to read.
• Moderators of the book clubs set a limit on how many people can participate in a club. No more scrolling through hundreds of messages every time you check your book club!
• Book clubs at The Reading Lounge use a message board style forum - there are no chat rooms. You never have to log on to the site at a certain time. Simply post responses to discussion topics at your leisure. You can be as active or inactive in the club as you wish.
• I am not selling books. This means that I am not scheduling book clubs based on publisher demands - I am dedicated to bringing you the books that you want to read.

How do the book clubs work?

Moderators select books to discuss on the site. These books are listed as Featured Book Clubs (for books that are currently being discussed) or Upcoming Book Clubs (for books that will be discussed in the future). Members of The Reading Lounge then have the opportunity to join a book club - or several clubs. The moderator of each book club will post assignments and discussion topics, and the club members can respond to the discussion topics - as well as to the responses of other members. To get an idea of what a book club looks like, visit our Past Discussions page.

Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions and History pages for additional information.