Booktalk
Our thanks go to Judy Lovett, who took the time to share her reading group "Booktalk," from the towns of Stockton and Lodi, California, with us.
Q: Does your group have a name? How long has your group been in existence?
A. Yes, "Booktalk." Our first meeting was in September, 1993.
Q: How many members do you have? How many men, how many women? What age are most of your members?
A. We have 13 members, at present. All are women. We started as an offshoot of AAUW, but separated from that affiliation after a couple of years.
Q: How often and where do you meet? Do you eat at your meetings? Who brings the food?
A. We meet the 4th Tuesday of each month and meet at each other's homes. The hostess of the month provides beverages and a dessert.
Q: Who leads the discussion? Do you use reading group guides?
A. As with hostessing duties, we rotate leaders. We do use reading group guides some of the time, but not always.
Q: What kind of books do you read? How do you choose your books?
A. All kinds, fiction and nonfiction. At our November meeting, each member recommends two (or three!) books for the following year. The only limitation is that it has to be available in paperback. In December, we do not have a regular meeting. Instead we have a potluck holiday gathering. After we eat, we vote on books from the following year. The top 11 vote-getters are determined and we then set up our schedule of books, leaders and hostesses for the entire year. We are quite proud of our very efficient system and we have a lot of fun pitching our recommended books to the group.
Q: What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the group read?
A. This is tough. We've discussed over the years so many wonderful (and some not so wonderful!) books. Favorites would include ...And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, Correlli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres, The Color of Water by James McBride, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. We also seem to favor certain authors, although not by design, including Barbara Kingsolver, Isabel Allende, Wallace Stegner, and Michael Dorris.
Q: How do you keep things fun?
A. We have such a diverse group, that having fun has never been a problem! In addition to our monthly meetings and holiday potluck, we started going away together for a long weekend about 13 years ago. We have missed one or two years in that time, but try to do it every summer. These getaways have let us get to know each other really well and we've all become good friends. We also occasionally get together to go to a movie version of a book we've enjoyed and/or for dinner.
Q: What advice would you give to other reading groups?
A. The fewer "rules" the better. Flexibility is so important.
Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?
A. There are quite a few, some of which probably best are kept among ourselves! However, one year during our weekend getaway, two of our members were stuck in traffic for 8-10 hours due to a forest fire. The same weekend, four of us (including yours truly) got "lost" while taking a hike. I still say we were not lost! We had a former member who got in a huff trying to lay down some rules and stomped out of the meeting, never to be seen again. (Like I said, we've found the less rules the better!). Another member spent an entire discussion commenting "I can't believe I spent $11 on this ----- book!" It was very funny. Our group is made up of strong women who are not afraid to voice their opinion, but are always ready to listen to the other person's opinion, so we have some pretty intense discussions, but never in a judgmental or heavy-handed way.
Q: Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?
A. I think our weekend getaways are probably the most unique thing about our group and have played a huge part in our bonding as friends. We are tentatively planning a trip together to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and want to go somewhere that a book we enjoyed was located.
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