Anna Robinson is the facilitator of "Anna’s Book Group" in Oak Ridge, TN. She began leading the group’s discussions 11 years ago when its founder relocated. In this interview, Anna describes both the benefits and challenges of being in a large book club ("Anna’s Book Group" has over 30 members), explains why she thinks of her fellow members as a "book club family" and discusses their plan to create a cookbook.

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

A: The name of my group is "Anna's Book Group." It started 12 years ago as an Oprah book discussion group. I wasn't the discussion leader when the group started, but when the leader moved she asked me to take over and I said yes. I have been the leader for 11 years.

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

A: There are 30 women and one brave man! The ages range from early 40s to late 60s. My daughter is a member of the group.

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

A: We meet once a month, the third Tuesday at 10AM. We are currently meeting in a church hall.

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

A: We normally don't have food. One of the ladies always makes coffee and tea. About twice a year we have a pot luck luncheon following our discussion. We always have a Christmas pot luck luncheon at my daughter's home. Everyone brings a dish. The variety of food is delicious and wonderful. We are planning a cookbook.

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

A: I lead the discussions each month. The exception to this is if I am out of town. Last October my daughter led the discussion because I was in New Zealand with my husband on a fantastic trip. I often use reading group guides to help develop questions to stimulate discussion.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A:We read a wide variety of books, from historical fiction to current bestsellers to 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: Most of the time I choose the books we discuss. However, I always try to choose books that members of the group have suggested. The one request I have when a person has suggested a book is that they have read it. I know this group pretty well and know what kind of books appeal to them and will be good for discussion.

I have the books chosen for at least three months ahead. Several members of the group buy one book and then share it. This gives them time to get the books read.

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

A: Some of the books that were excellent discussions were: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky, The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian and Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez.

With 30 people, not everyone likes the same book. The books I listed are the ones in which we had the most interesting discussions. Most of the members have told me they like the variety of books we read because it introduces them to an author they didn't know or we read a book they wouldn't have chosen to read by themselves.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: Most of the people in the group have been in it for years and I don't have to try to keep things fun. They enjoy being there and look forward to our discussions (as do I). We have fun being together and have welcomed some new members in the past few months. The new people have told me this is the best book group they have ever been in.

I work very hard to develop good discussion questions and make sure everyone has a chance to speak. (No easy task with 30 people.)

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

A: My advice to other reading groups is to pick a variety of books for discussion. Go from bestsellers to classics, or a biography to a book that is just "fluff."

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

A: One of our members recommended Naked by David Sedaris for our October meeting. She said it was "delightfully funny." So I said okay.

It turned out that was the first time I was not going to be there to lead the discussion. My daughter volunteered to do that for me. Well, this book was unlike any other we have read. There was no middle ground. The members of the group either loved it or hated it. (Most hated it.)

(For the first time in the history of the book group, I didn't finish the book. For me it was awful and a waste of time when there are so many good books out there.) I did put together the discussion questions for my daughter to use as a guideline.

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

A: I think this group is unique because so many of us have been a member of it for so many years. We are a "book club family" and care about each other. Also, the differences in the ages of the members with different viewpoints make for really lively discussions.