The Northeastern Readers' Advisory Round Table's Genre: Popular Nonfiction Biography

Benchmark: Everyone Reads Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra.

**After a four-meeting arc covering Historical Fiction, we decided to cleanse the literary palate with nonfiction.  In September 2013 we talked about Literary Historicals, in November 2013 Historical Sagas, in January 2014 Christian (Inspirational) Historicals, and in March 2013, Historical Biography. So we are reading nonfiction Popular Biography for the May 2014 meeting. The list of books and the notes on what we learned in our discussions can be found on our blog.

Please read a 2nd title in the Popular Nonfiction Biography--look on the RA RT blog: for a list of suggested titles and some supporting materials.

Appeal to be read for May meeting: ***Focus on all the appeal factors, but really think about detail, pacing, and tone.

Meeting every other month, the NE RA RT reads from one genre--and then discusses the appeal of that genre with each other emphasizing the building of a skill set of appeal categories and familiarity of genre particulars. They cover a different genre every meeting, allowing each of the participants to be introduced to the discipline of reading for appeal, as well as an initiation to broad genre categories. Everyone participating will be able to share analysis of titles and authors in unfamiliar genres that will stretch their capicity as readers' advisors.  The discussion leaders are Leane Ellis (ellis@noblenet.org) and Nanci Milone Hill (nhill@mvlc.org).