Donna Grant belongs to “The Bookgangstas,” a 12-member group in Northern California that is heading into their 21st year. In this interview, Donna shares an anecdote about one member getting stuck in an unusual place and tells a touching story about the group banding together to help another member and her family during a medical crisis. According to Donna, the highlight of their year is their annual retreat to Pajaro Dunes along California’s Monterey Bay.

Q: Does your group have a name and/or a theme? How long has your group been in existence?

A: The Bookgangstas is our name, and we don’t have a theme. We've been meeting since February 1989.

Q: How many members do you have? How many men, how many women? What age are most of your members?

A: We have 12 members, and one lives across the country. We usually have about nine at each meeting. The youngest member is 53, the eldest member is 73, and the average age is around 66 (?).

Q: How often do you meet? Where do you meet?

A: We meet on a monthly basis, alternating at the homes of members. We have an annual weekend retreat with our members, often at Pajaro Dunes. We also have an annual Christmas party.

Q: Do you eat at your meetings? What do you eat? Who brings the food?

A: YES! The host provides the food. We have some fabulous cooks, and often the snacks, desserts, etc. are prepared to coordinate with the theme of our monthly book selection.

Q: Who leads the discussion? Do you use reading group guides?

A: We rotate leading the discussion on a volunteer basis. Sometimes we use reading guides as a starting point for discussions. Other times we create our own questions, and have departures into other related topics and book comparisons. Often we flag passages for discussion.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: A little bit of everything. Whatever appeals to us.

Q: How do you choose your books? Do you choose one new book at each meeting, or do you choose the books for a number of meetings ahead of time?

A: We select books through member recommendation, then members vote after reading reviews. We try to select about four books at a time so we can plan ahead. We are considering getting books through a public library program that requires we have a list of books for six months ahead to give them time to acquire the copies needed.

Q: What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the group read?

A: Our best discussions are often of books that have not been well liked or books that we can't agree upon. Our recent favorite book was Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Past favorites have been Walking with the Wind by John Lewis, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. Our best discussions are usually of "meaty books" that we pick for our getaway weekend when we have a longer time to discuss a book in depth --- such as Walking with the Wind. We also have great discussions when people have strong disagreements about a book, and it usually makes us like the book better afterwards.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: How could we not have fun? We've been friends for so long! We share updates about kids and grandkids. We are involved in community projects, such as Christmas sponsorships of families in need, collecting food for a local food bank, and fun activities like beading workshops, attending luncheons, plays, etc. Our getaway weekend is the best. We have a three-day weekend at the beach to be together to talk, laugh, have fabulous meals, and participate in such activities as card games, dominoes, puzzles, rubberstamping, jewelry making and beach walks. In the past, we have been known to dress in costume appropriate for our book theme! We keep our book list on a blog with reviews of each meeting and photos or web images to share with anyone who is interested.

Q: What advice would you give to other reading groups?

A: One conversation at a time! Try to keep "visiting" to a time before the book discussion and after the discussion.

Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?

A: There are loads of stories after so many years!

There are ones of getting lost: One member got stuck in an artichoke field trying to get to Pajaro Dunes at night. The GPS was going dead and made a simple 40-minute trip across the bay into a 2 ½-hour loop around the intended destination.

We had a getaway weekend when our East Coast member could not come, so she was represented by a nearly life-sized cutout that was posed in our activities with the group. And one time someone had their cards on the floor because she couldn't hold them in her hand. Q: Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?

A: The "Gang" was started by a group of women who had kids in the alternative school. Their kids were growing up, and the moms were not seeing each other often, so they began the Book Gang. The original members are still attending.

Just last month, a favorite member to us all passed away. During her eight-month battle with ovarian cancer, our group helped her in every way we could. We worked with her family to coordinate meals, and provide emotional support and visits throughout the process.

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