ReadingGroupGuides.com Editor Shannon McKenna and I had a lovely meeting last week with a New York area book group, Zagati Literati (named because they "love great eating and memorable books"), at Trattoria Alaba in the city. What a terrific and welcoming group of women! They discussed Atonement, which had many angles to explore both in the plot and the characters. We were impressed with the way they handled their discussion. There were no "egos" at the table, but rather a terrific conversation in which everyone's voice counted. Our contribution: giving them suggestions for their upcoming discussions, as they said they were tired of reading about "dysfunctional families." Given their love of eating and reading (and probably inspired by the terrific Italian meal), we suggested Lucia Lucia by Adriana Trigiani for their next read. And then, for their following title, we suggested Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which we have been raving about at Bookreporter.com.

I know I have a one track mind when the email from the Gap says, "Get Great Deals on Summer's Bestsellers" and I open it thinking it's about books!

Love Lois Lowry? Wondering where's Waldo? Crazy for Cool New Books and curious about what's coming soon? Then read on!

Do you and your kids love Lois Lowry? Are they always wondering where's Waldo? Are they crazy for Cool New Books and curious about what's coming soon? Then make sure they are checking out Kidsreads.com!

As school winds down, your Summer Reading List becomes top of mind. A lucky group of you will not have a required reading list; others have been handed a list of books you need to tackle this summer. Many of these titles will be less than inspiring reading.