The Process

In July I started to become an avid reader. Our work had attempted to start a Book Club the year before, but it had fizzled out, and so I began the process of starting it anew.
I've taken the job of selecting books very seriously. I have a rigorous screening process before a book is selected for our Book Club.

1. I find the New York Times Best Seller Lists. I pick a couple of the more popular books.

2. I then go to amazon.com, and see how many reviews the book has received from customers. I try not to pick books that have under a couple hundred reviews.

3. I make sure that the majority of the reviews given for the book are 4 or 5 stars. If the reviews are pretty spread out in terms of 1 to 5 stars, I don't pick it. I need to find a book that will appeal to a large group of people.

4. I make sure that the book isn't sexist, meaning that I want a book that will appeal to both men and women.

5. I check the price of the book and the release date. I try not to pick things that came out too recently, because then they will be harder to get from the library. I also try to pick a book that is available in paperback so that it will be a cheaper price, although this doesn't always happen. Some books haven't been released in paperback yet.

If a book meets all these criteria and I have a strong feeling that it will be a good fit for the Book Club, I try to get it from the library and read it before I suggest it. Sometimes I like to read the book for the first time with my group, so I won't read it in advance on purpose.

After reading it, if I feel that the majority of the members will like it, then I put it on my Monthly Book List.

One of the best parts of this Book Club is the feeling when someone tells you that they absolutely loved the book that you recommended. It's become something that I cherish and it makes all the work worth it. This has actually become the highlight of my job.

You don't have to be a employee of Marriott to participate. You are more than welcome to read along with us. We have a discussion each month, and I am going to post the Discussion Questions, so that any of you can participate.

Happy Reading!!