Buffy Pipolo is a member of the “Wyndham Hills Book Club” in Cresco, PA. In this interview, Buffy talks about how their meetings are enhanced by incorporating the book’s theme into the experience. She also shares several anecdotes, including one about a very emotional discussion for A Thousand Splendid Suns that lasted several hours longer than usual.


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, just our neighborhood --- "Wyndham Hills Book Club." We have been meeting for one year.

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

A: There are seven members, no men --- not that we wouldn't want them --- ages 32-55. Occasionally we have a guest member, usually someone who read or is reading the book we are discussing and would like to sit in.

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

A: We meet once a month. Whoever chose the book for that month is the hostess.

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

A: Yes, we eat light snacks and usually we try to stay with something that goes with the book we read. As always in our neighborhood the wine flows throughout, sometimes making the discussions even better.

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

A: Whoever chose the book for that month leads the discussion. We sometimes use reading group guides from the back of the book and ReadingGroupGuides.com.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: All kinds, including biography, nonfiction, fiction. However, we still have not read a classic and would like to --- it’s a matter of which one to pick.

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 month, whoever is the next month’s hostess chooses the book. She brings the book to that meeting, tells us a little about it and why she chose it. You can pick any book you would like.

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

A: One of the best discussions was for A Thousand Splendid Suns. We all cried, and that meeting did not end until 1:30am (meetings start at 7:00pm). Although, the one book we all did not like made for a good discussion, The Inheritance of Loss.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: Keeping the wine flowing is one way, but we try to make a theme out of the night relating to the book. With The Inheritance of Loss, the hostess did everything Indian, with Suite Francaise it was French. When we read The Time Traveler's Wife, the hostess had a pile of clothes on the floor and broken furniture. When her husband came home, she asked him to make a lot of noise when he came in.

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

A: Try to keep it fun and always keep an open mind --- not everyone will like the book or even see the same point of view, but that’s what makes for a good discussion. If you try to take it too seriously, it will seem like work and may not be as enjoyable as you would have hoped.

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

A: One book we read was chosen because of the great reviews. Well, not one of our members liked the book. We all thought it was awful, one member said she could not even finish it no matter how hard she tried. The hostess made up for it by going all out on the theme with the right decor, music and food that all pertained to the book --- thank god. We still laugh about it and tease her when it comes time for her to pick her book.

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

A: What makes our book club unique is that the women have different backgrounds. We have two doctors, an owner of a preschool for 25 years, a "professional volunteer” and stay-at-home moms. Only one member does not have children, and our children range from ages 2 to 30. We are neighbors and see each other regularly, and we try not to discuss the book when we do see each other.

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