Paragould, Arkansas
Many thanks to Beverly McClure of Paragould, Arkansas for telling us about the TWO book groups she belongs to!
Q. Do your groups have a name and/or a theme? How long have your groups been in existence?
A. Our names are not very imaginative, but they are Book Club and First Monday Book Club. Book Club has been in existence over ten years. First Monday Book Club has been together eight months.
Q: How many members do you have? How many men, how many women? What age are most of your members?
A. Book Club membership is limited to 10, by invitation only. We are all women, mostly in our sixties, with four almost sixty, one in her seventies, and one in her eighties.
First Monday Book Club has seven members, all female, by invitation only. With one exception, myself at 57, the ages are in the late sixties through mid-nineties.
Q. How often do you meet? Where do you meet?
A. Book Club meets the fourth Thursday of every month, except December. Some years we have to forego August meetings because many members are traveling. We meet in each others' homes.
First Monday Book Club meets every month, in members' homes. In December we have a "social" and do not review a book. One month a year we have a "field trip" to a location of readers' interest, such as a delightful book store some 40 miles from us, an exhibit at a university 20 miles away, or a tour of a literary or historic site.
Q: Do you eat at your meetings? What do you eat? Who brings the food?
A. Book Club: Our hostess serves ONE homemade dessert (we specifically limit ourselves to only one), coffee, some sort of cold drink, and occasionally a plate of some small item purchased when on a trip to an upscale hotel, gift shop, etc. --- some special treat we have purchased to share with Book Club.
At First Monday Book Club we do not eat anything at our meetings, though the hostess serves a hot and a cold drink.
Q. Who leads the discussion? Do you use reading group guides?
A. Book Club: Each month someone volunteers to lead the discussion the following month. We do not systematically rotate. The decision is made on personal interest in the book to be discussed, "I have time this month," "it's been a while since I led the discussion," or some other such reason. We are casual in our procedures, all being close friends and dedicated to our group. The leader does use reading group guides when they are available, but only one or two follow them exactly ---- for others they are a resource.
First Monday Book Club: We generally rotate discussion leaders by volunteering, but everyone leads before anyone is a repeat leader. The leader does use reading group guides when they are available, but most do not follow them exactly --- they are a resource.
Q. What kind of books do you read?
A. Book Club: We read novels mostly, with an occasional biography, autobiography, or non-fiction book. Usually we choose books that are one to three years old --- not intentionally, but it seems to happen more times than not. On very rare occasions the club reads a classic, such as Pride and Prejudice or The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
First Monday Book Club: We read novels mostly, with an occasional biography, autobiography, or non-fiction book. Usually we choose books that are one to three years old --- not intentionally, but it seems to happen more times than not. We frequently choose classics.
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. Book Club: We usually choose one book each meeting, and it will be for the month after the following month. In other words, in April we will select a book for June. Someone volunteers to purchase the books for the entire group, and by choosing two months in advance, the volunteer has a month to buy the books and will then bring them to the next meeting.
First Monday Book Club: We usually choose one book each meeting, and it will be for the month after the following month. In other words, in April we selected a book for June. Because I am the only member on the Internet, I always order the books for the group and take them to the meeting the month before they are to be discussed.
We decide on books according to ones one of us has read and enjoyed or based on a recommendation from someone's acquaintance or friend who has read and praised a book. A very good source of selections for us is books various daughters who are in book clubs in other cities have read and enjoyed.
Q. What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the group read?
A. Book Club: We particularly enjoyed Patricia Gaffney's The Saving Graces, Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers, Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring, Kate Chopin's The Awakening, Bernice Kert's The Hemingway Women, and Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich.
First Monday Book Club: Although this club has not met long, we have had some great discussions. Our three favorites so far are Terry Kay's To Dance with the White Dog, Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers, and Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.
Q. How do you keep things fun?
A. Book Club: "Keeping things fun" is easy. We are all close friends in a small town with many shared interests, friends, activities, and values. We, by common unspoken agreement, do NOT gossip, although we share news about illnesses, marriages, children, grandchildren, misfortunes, and joys of our families and of mutual friends.
First Monday Book Club: We are not all as close personal friends as are the ladies in my other book club, though we are bonding firmly through our book club discussions. We are all old enough to bring many life's experiences to the group, and we take great pleasure in other members' sharing "stories" or episodes from our personal lives that are particularly similar or different to the lives of our books' characters. We take great pleasure in each others' ideas.
Q. What advice would you give to other reading groups?
A. Book Club: The factors that work well for us seem to be (1) limit membership to friends of similar reading interests, (2) really focus on the discussions, (3) mutual respect for the opinions of others, and (4) honoring the (no longer ever spoken) agreement not to gossip.
First Monday Book Club: The factors that work well for us seem to be (1) limit membership to women of similar reading interests, (2) really focus on the discussions, (3) mutual respect for the opinions of others, and (4) honoring an agreement not to gossip.
Q. Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?
A. We have not yet experienced any horror stories or other noteworthy experiences in either group.
Q. Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?
A. Book Club: Probably because we are close friends, we are able to be very candid during our discussions. We share our personal reactions to the books we read, the insights garnered through the books, how the books made us feel, etc.
Whether unique or noteworthy I am not sure, but there are various distinguishing characteristics of this particular book club. Interestingly, I think, we definitely focus seriously on our book discussion before enjoying visiting with one another; we each serve our dessert and drinks using our fine china, crystal, silver, and exquisite tea napkins. While none of us are women who consider blue jeans the "uniform" of choice and all dress at least in public as befitting our ages, each one in the group dresses very nicely for our meetings. I do not mean with hats, high heels, and "Sunday" dresses, but we each exhibit our interest in and respect for the group by dressing really nicely. I suppose these peculiarities are characteristic of the "Southern ladies" I think we all are.
Only two in the group (myself --- a college professor, and the 80-something year old, who once owned a successful beauty salon) have been gainfully employed since our marriages (all to professionals and businessmen). We have each been married over 30 years, and all but the 80-something have children and grandchildren. One is widowed. All but one hold at least one college degree. Most are involved in community activities and some heavily involved in church activities. Most attend the same church, but certainly not all.
All but two are from the immediate area; I am from another Southern state, and one is originally from a city in Illinois.
With few exceptions, these book club members read only the book club selection each month. Two of us are voracious readers and may average 4 - 6 books a month. A couple of others occasionally read a book "on their own."
First Monday Book Club: Whether unique or noteworthy I am not sure, but there are various distinguishing characteristics of this particular book club as well. Interestingly, I think, we definitely focus seriously on our book discussion. Attire is far more casual than in my other book club; one or two members occasionally dress in "sweats," though no one is sloppy or adorned by the ubiquitous blue jeans. Most members of this group focus on relaxed comfort in their dress selection.
Every member of this group has had a lifetime career; all except me are retired. All are college graduates. Most are involved in some community activities and volunteer work, and some are rather heavily involved in church activities. All enjoyed long marriages, but four are widowed.
All except me are natives of this area.
All in this group are voracious readers, probably averaging six books a month each.
