I can hear the Fiddler on the Roof tune now, ‘Tradition!’ Every lasting book club should have at least one or two traditions to look forward to. Whether it’s an annual book club party, reading a classic novel once a year, or choosing a genre of books that is out of your comfort zone, each and every book club sets the standard. and the tone to keep some worthwhile traditions alive.
One of the traditions of our book club is to choose a novel by the same author each January. Yes, the same author. The trick of this tradition is to choose a prolific author who has not only written many independent novels, but also occupies a special place within the heart of our group. By starting this simple New Years tradition, you not only help us make a quick decision about the book (in an already busy December), but everyone knows who we will read next. Our group’s only problem is agreeing which novel to read from the author’s many books!
Prolific authors:
The definition of a prolific author: producing or being able to produce (especially in abundance) a multiple of published books. Believe it or not, there are authors who have published hundreds or even thousands of novels. How great it would be to select an author with more than a hundred novels! Your book club will have a guaranteed reading for years to come. The best would be at least five books or more that are not in a series. A series would be a continuation that you might not want to wait a year for the next book, and so on. Here is a list of authors and their many books posted on Amazon.com’s author page.
Popular Classical Prolific Authors:
Bronte Sisters: up to ten novels between them
Jane Austen – six complete novels
Agatha Christie: more than sixty novels and short stories
Charles Dickens: Fifteen Novels Plus Short Stories
Modern prolific authors:
PD James – Twenty Novels
John Grisham – more than twenty novels
Stephen King – Fifty Novels
Nicholas Sparks – up to twenty novels
Tracy Chevalier – Seven Novels
Consider these book club traditions:
Have a month of author’s debut novel! Read the first novel by a new emerging author
Journey from the book to the cinema
If your group tends to read more modern fiction, try reading a biography or a classic once a year.
Holiday book or theme parties (these are my favorites!)
