Write Angle

Have you noticed the ever-growing list of book discussion groups available? Today’s happenings, for example, list everything from partners in crime to science fiction/fantasy.

Sue Zussman, community relations coordinator for Borders Books & Music in Thousand Oaks, explained the attraction.

“It’s fun to talk to someone who’s read the same book and get a different perspective,” Zussman said.

“It’s even more fun to include the author, as when the Partners in Crime mystery group invited author Michael Connelly in August. It was great to pick his brain about where he was coming from when he wrote ‘Angel’s Flight.’ ”

That group will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The Sci Fi/Fantasy group at Borders, consisting of three core members plus others who drop in occasionally, meets Thursday at 7 p.m. .

Mark Devoir has been in the group for more than two years.

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Besides enjoying other perspectives, he likes rotating responsibility for book selections.

“People recommend books that I wouldn’t necessarily read,” Devoir said.

“I may like it or not, but it gets me out of my own book-choice rut--it broadens my horizons too.”

The group alternates between science fiction and fantasy.

Devoir, who lives in Camarillo, has sampled other groups but said he never really clicked with them as he has with this group.

It happens that members all write science fiction/fantasy too.

Still, whether you are a writer, book addict or both, discussing what you are reading borders on compulsion, even among the younger set.

Zussman’s middle school-aged daughter belongs to a book discussion group that meets at lunch time. The kids’ choice--Harry Potter.

Plan Ahead: Get ready for the Harry Potter invasion next week when author J.K. Rowlings appears at both Adventures for Kids in Ventura and Barnes & Noble in Thousand Oaks. More about Rowlings next week.

HAPPENINGS

* Today at 10:30 a.m. The Meaning of Life Book Club, led by Rabbi Dov Greenberg, will focus on “Happiness is a Serious Problem” by Dennis Prager. Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., 446-2820.

* Today at 1 p.m. Gold Coast Fiction Writers will hear speaker Hugh Scott discuss how to create romantic greeting cards and get them published. Nona’s Cafe, 67 S. California St., Ventura. Contact Carol Givner at (310) 454-6264 or goldduetsaol.com for more information.

* Monday at 7 p.m. JFK scholar Richard Mahoney will read and sign “Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy.” Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

* Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. The American Girls Club will focus on Kirsten. Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 446-2820.

* Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Short Stories Group will focus on “The Little Regiment” by Stephen Crane. Borders, 497-8159.

* Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Partners in Crime Mystery Group will focus on “Four to Score” by Janet Evanovich. Borders, 497-8159.

* Tuesday at 7 p.m. Friends of Dorothy Reading Group. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St., Ventura, 339-9170.

* Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. Blues Clues Story Time. Wear jammies for the reading of “Blue’s Big Pajama Party.” Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Artist Elisa Kleven signs “City of Angels: In & Around Los Angeles.” Adventures for Kids, 3457 Telegraph Road., Ventura, 650-9688.

* Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Writing Group will read and discuss poetry, short stories, novels and other works in progress. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Wednesday at 7 p.m. Author and television talk show host Marc Summers shares his story of the effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder in “Everything In Its Place.” Book signing follows. Borders, 497-8159.

* Wednesday at 7 p.m. The West Ventura Chapter of Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network will hear author Patrick O’Kelly speak on “The Ins and Outs of Working With a Printer.” Contact Patricia Fly at 646-3045 or PLFryaol.com. The Book Mall, 105 S. Oak St., Ventura.

* Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. A group linking the worlds of books and music will read “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, then listen to Frand Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse’s “Jekyll & Hyde.” Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 446-2820.

* Thursday at 7 p.m. The Sci Fi/Fantasy Group will discuss “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. Borders, 497-8159.

* Friday at 7 p.m. Reba’s First Book Club, which benefits the national nonprofit organization First Book that gives disadvantaged children new books of their own. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Friday at 7:30 p.m. Preston Dennett, a Mutual UFO Network investigator and author of “UFOs Over Topanga Canyon,” will discuss his book. Calabasas Barnes & Noble, 4736 Commons Way, 818-222-0542.

* Saturday at 10 a.m. Author Barry Siegel will discuss and sign “Actual Innocence.” Mysteries to Die For, 2940 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 374-0084.

* Saturday at 10 a.m. Halloween stories and crafts at story time. Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 446-2820.

* Saturday at 7 p.m. Pajamamania honors “Pink Ribbon Day” and breast cancer survivor Mimi Dietrich and her book, “Pink Ribbon Quilts.” The story time will include stories about quilts and blankets as well as a coloring project. Borders, 497-8159.

* Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Robert Levinson will discuss and sign “The Elvis and Marilyn Affair.” Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

Information about book signings, writers groups and publishing events can be e-mailed to anns40@aol.com or faxed to 647-5649.