Paula Mielke from St. Paul, MN talks about her reading group, Women in Communications East Metro book club. About once a year, Paula and her fellow members invite authors to meet with the group and discuss their books. This is a great way to spice up your meetings --- and get more people involved in the discussion. Read on to learn more about this group.

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

A: Women in Communications East Metro book club. We have met for 6 years.

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

A: 8 women, ranging in age from 30 to 60.

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

A: We meet monthly at a neighborhood coffee shop.

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

A: We opted to meet at a coffee shop --- after working all day, no one needs to bother with having a clean house and snacks for entertaining. Once or twice a year we will meet for dinner.

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

A: Paula Mielke, who organized the group, leads discussion --- and loves your site as a source for discussion questions!

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: Each year we read one classic and one memoir. We read a book that is "an upper or perky" in February, which can be a dreary month in Minnesota. Beyond that, it's a mix.

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 discuss books at the end of each meeting and I maintain a list. We like to know what we're reading a minimum of three months out. Right now, we have titles slated for the next 6 months.

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

A: The Hat Box Baby by Carrie Brown.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: About once a year, we invite an author to meet with our group. Last month, Robert Alexander met with us to discuss Kitchen Boy. Faith Sullivan, author of Empress of One, met with us, as well as Theresa Monsour, author of Clean Cut. The book critic for the local newspaper leads our discussion one month.

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

A: Ask an author to meet with your group --- we have had great success with that!

Q: Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?

A: Many of us are former board members of our local chapter of Women in Communications. We decided it was time for fun in our lives after all those board meetings!

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