The Mondavi Center is taking the
BackStage BookClub global in late August.

But there's no need to wait…

Music…Dance…Theater…and Books...Last winter, we launched a Mondavi Center book club to great success. Sign-ups far exceeded demand, which got us scratching our heads as to how we might best fulfill the apparent interest in the idea.

Our best idea—so far—is to have Mondavi Center be a partner in the book club you put together—with people you know, in a living room near you. Let us provide access to artists, lecturers, UC Davis faculty and more—all aimed at deepening your involvement with a great book.

With that in mind, we'll launch the Mondavi BackStage BookClub formally at the end of August.

But you can get started now: gather a group of people you would enjoy reading books with. All kinds of books, from fiction to non-fiction, from novels to poetry…. Choose one night a month to meet, and figure out whose house gets invaded when. Designate one person in your group to be your key contact.

We've chosen four books that tie into Mondavi Center artists, lectures and themes—uniting the performing arts, spoken word events and the literary arts.

Have your group read with us in September (Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres), November (Tracy Kidder's Mountain Beyond Mountains), January (Anne Sexton's Transformations) and March (Ishmael Beah's Long Way Gone).

Choose your own books in October, December, February, and April. Meet every month for a discussion with your friends; every other month, we'll give you a couple of reasons to get out of the house and drop by Jackson Hall for a further deepening of your reading experience.  

We'll have more details for you in late August.  But don't wait—gather your friends, get organized and start in on A Thousand Acres.

It will be fun.

FAQs

How will I be notified when the bookclub launches? By e-mail. Or keep an eye on www.mondaviarts.org/bookclub. Or, better still, go to the aforementioned page and sign up for the BackStage BookClub NOW. We'll have coupons, notices and other cool stuff to you later this month.

What can Mondavi Center add to a bookclub of comprised of me and my friends?  Conversations with authors, artists, speakers, UC Davis faculty; coupons for discounts on books; resources to make your read more enjoyable—a blog, links, questions for discussion... All for free.

Any advice on how to put together a bookclub? Why, sure:
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahsbookclub/20080701_orig_bookclub/2
http://www.bookbrowse.com/bookclubs/index.cfm?fuseaction=starting_club
http://www.bookclubs.ca/pdfs/resources.pdf http://classiclit.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How_Start_Book_Club0962934774.htm