Jude Fricano of Ballston Spa, NY talks about her diverse reading group and the range of fiction they enjoy. She shares her thoughts on "fluffy" reads, their unofficial mascot, and the importance of simply getting out of the house.

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

A: We don't really have a name; we have been meeting since January 2004.

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

A: We have seven members, all women, ranging in age from 32-45. Only one has children, and all are married. We share the commonalities of reading, laughing and friendship.

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

A: We meet once a month at my house. We have not outgrown my family room yet!

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

A: We always nibble on something. Members tend to contribute different things from month to month --- from finger sandwiches to cookies, pretzels, ice cream bars, as well as fresh fruit, veggies and dip.

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

A: I guess I lead the discussion. We use Reading Group Guide review questions to facilitate each meeting. We gather at my house. I have a connection to each founding member.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read a variety of fiction. We started with fluffy (The Nanny Diaries) and have worked our way up to The Stone Diaries this month. We like books with characters we can grasp, identify with and grow to love. We don't always agree, but we do appreciate each other's view.

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 choose our next book at the end of each meeting. Several members come equipped with several choices that are passed around the room. When a few are selected, the names go into a hat and one is pulled as the winner.

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

A: We loved Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, although some of us were embarrassed to be caught reading something with that title outside the house. We've read Jodi Picoult's Perfect Match and it got mixed reviews due to the subject matter. We didn't agree on Ann Patchett's The Magician's Assistant either, but it provided the liveliest discussion. It wasn't mainstream and that's why I'm glad we picked it. We all felt The Nanny Diaries was too light, not believable, and we were ready for more when that one was complete.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: I don't think we work at keeping it fun. We always laugh, take turns talking and genuinely like each other --- so it's fun just to be together. My sister and I have wanted to start our own book club for years --- and finally when I was settled into a house we started one! We each invited two people and it's grown from there.

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

A: Vary your book choices. Go around the room encouraging members to each take a month and pick a book. Food makes it seem like more of a celebration --- for some women just getting out of the house is a celebration. So add some!

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

A: My puppy Jack always makes an appearance at the end of the book club. My husband brings him back from his evening out and he makes his way around the room sniffing! It seems like the book club was easier before the dog, but the group seems to like him just the same.

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

A: Our group includes a librarian, a chiropractor, an insurance professional, a Fortune 500 executive, and an RN. We are diverse!

© Copyright 2001-2012, ReadingGroupGuides.com. All rights reserved.

ReadingGroupGuides.com interviews special reading groups around the world, spotlighting a different group each month. We hope that you enjoy reading about their experiences and might find some new ideas to try with your group. If you belong to a group that you think should be spotlighted, click here to answer our interview questions.

Back to top.