Q.Does your group have a name and/or a theme? How long have you been
in existence?
A. We are the Women's Reading Group of Jacksonville, Florida. No theme
in particularl, other than we are a diverse group of women who love to read.
We read just about anything except romance novels The group formed May
2000 and has been going strong ever since!
Q.How many members do you have? How many men, how many women? What
age are most of your members?
A. We have approximately 40 members, with 20-25 attending each meeting.
No men (sorry guys), we are all women in this group of all ages and backgrounds.
Our age range is approximately in the 20's to the 60's.
Q.How often and where do you meet? Do you eat at your meetings? What
do you eat and who brings the food?
A. We meet once a month and are lucky to be provided a meeting place by Books-A-Million. We also meet approximately once every other month for a movie. This is great fun and many times can tie into a book we're familiar with. Since we meet in the café at Books-A-Million, we are provided a free cup of coffee, but some people do partake of the goodies there in the café.
Q.Who leads the discussion? Do you use reading group guides?
A. As the facilitator, I lead the discussion (or at least I try to)! We are a fun group of ladies; not many shy ones in our club! I do try to keep us on course and to help with this I have an overall agenda I follow. When things get "off the road" so to speak, I try to nudge things back on course. As for guides I do use them, but not in their entirety. They spark great question ideas with their perspectives on the book and author that I miss.
However, since my group is a lively one I like to focus on our reaction to the book
and not dive in too deep.
Q.What kind of books do you read?
A. Everything but romance novels! We took a vote early on and it was unanimous.
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. I select a member each month to pick out books for the next month. The group them votes on these submissions. We do this one at a time, so no one, including me, knows the next book we'll be reading. We tend to like the element of surprise this method provides, plus the group itself determines the direction of the next read. Getting to know the members and their reading preferences after a bit of time, however, I am able to steer us
overall in a direction by asking a particular member to make the next submissions. This is helpful if we get in a rut. Additionally I take several turns myself throughout the year. I like to inject new things once in a while to keep us fresh and looking at new authors, styles, genres, etc.
Q.What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the group read?
A. One of the best discussions we had that comes to mind was about the book THE COLOR OF WATER by James McBride. The group absolutely loved the book,
which dealt with racially mixed families and challenges. Great response by the group to it and in fact there were several group members whose lives were similar to the author's. Their insight was particularly interesting. Another great discussion was actually one over a book the group hated. We read THE PROMETHEUS DECEPTION by Robert Ludlum. The group completely disliked this book but the meeting was really fun. Lastly the discussion about A THEORY OF RELATIVITY by Jacquelyn Mitchard was fun because the author joined us by speaker phone for the chat. She was such a hoot, she fit right in.
Q.How do you keep things fun?
A. Book choices, fun questions, trying to know who to ask for comment in the group. Also, going to the movie once in a while has made a difference in the group. We're also discussing dinners and other activities. Lastly, it's great to pick something completely off the wall now and then. Shakes us up and keeps things lively!
Q.What advice would you give to other reading groups?
A. First of all, do it! I am always surprised by the numbers of readers there are out there. And they are out there. Make sure you post information about your group where readers go, such as local libraries and community event calendars. And for goodness sake, don't forget web sites. Many have local event calendars. Finally, if you're in my area, get in touch with me at indie@alltel.net. I've started a roster of information on local reading
groups and can hook you up with someone.
Q. Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?
A. We are a great group of women and I'm fortunate to have become close friends with several, and other members have found the same. We've had several members face illness and tragedy and they just keep coming. We are very supportive of each other and I can honestly say they all have a special place in my heart. I would like to mention that our September meeting was on the 13th of the month, two days after the terrible attacks on our great nation. I was unsure of whether to cancel our meeting or not and so I put it
up to the group. They felt strongly that we should get together, then more than ever. We had a great meeting and high attendance. I was quite moved that they wanted to come together precisely because of what our country had just experienced.
Q. Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?
A. We are fun, very casual, and have a great time. I don't think it can get much better than that!
