Lidia Dormier of Smithtown, New York provides a wealth of information about her book club, "The Novel 8." Her love and enthusiasm for the group is particularly evident when she talks about two fellow members. Read on to learn more about this close-knit group.

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

A: Our group name is The Novel 8. We have been in the book club for two years.

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

A: There are eight female members in the 30-33 age bracket.

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

A: We meet every two months at a member's house in Brooklyn, NY. This is a location that every member can reach at a comparable time.

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

A: We usually eat fresh vegetables/spinach dip, fresh fruit salad, and some sort of dessert. The date that we meet determines whose birthday we celebrate in the book club. Therefore, we bring a cake to celebrate the respective member's birthday. Each member, sans hostess, brings a snack and the hostess is responsible for the beverages.

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

A: I usually lead the discussion with a reading group guide. I keep the discussion running smoothly. Should it get deterred, I am there to regain focus. I also send the club members an email and/or newsletter every month to let everyone know what is going on.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We give every genre a try. Every member has an interest that we respect, and by the end of the year we usually do pretty well in covering most.

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: Each member is responsible for two titles per meeting. Should there be repetition amongst member's titles, we vote on those since there is more than one interest. When our meetings occur in June, we usually choose two titles and take the summer off. We resume our meetings in September. That has been the protocol thus far.

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

A: We had fun with Big Stone Gap and a wonderful conversation with Girl with a Pearl Earring. Bel Canto was interesting, and of course we cannot leave out The Da Vinci Code --- brilliant! So much to talk about, so little time. We enjoyed observing the book cover for clues.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: Our discussions digress to personal anecdotes and/or experiences, which allow for appreciation of one another. We always enjoy seeing each other and catching up on current events. There is always sarcasm amongst the group, which keeps the members alive and attentive. I would be the first for that! Ask any member!

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

A: Appreciate your literary counterparts; they are the ones to give a different point of view, one of which you may appreciate better than your own. I cherish the time I spend with these seven other brilliant women --- we learn a lot from one another. I wouldn't trade them for the world!

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

A: Who doesn't have amusing anecdotes, especially in this club. One of our members, Ellie, almost always has a problem with the book selection. I think the only book she has enjoyed thus far is The Da Vinci Code. Of course, we think it's hilarious --- we enjoy her spin on things. She has a very dry sense of humor, and an outsider who sits in on our meeting would leave with the impression of "Ellie the pessimist!" Also, we have a cheater among us … Heather. She is always looking for the Cliffs Notes to all the books, yet she always provides the most interesting conversation. Go figure! She makes a mean fruit salad.

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

A: We have the U.S. postal service motto, "Neither rain nor sleet will stop us!" We traveled in an ice storm once to get to the book club. That was exciting ... sarcasm there! All of us make efforts to be there, regardless of our home situation (children, husbands, dogs, chores, etc.).

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