Judith Sontoianni is the discussion leader of “Between the Covers,” a group of co-workers from the Valley Stream, NY area composed of women spanning in ages from 30 to 80+ who meet monthly during their lunch hour. In this interview, Judith shares insights into her club and its meaning for the members, offers advice to other reading groups, and reveals some worthwhile previous selections.

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

A: We are called “Between the Covers.” We have been in existence for two years.

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

A: We are a group of co-workers --- all women --- who range in age from 30-80+.

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

A: We meet at work, during a lunch hour, about one time per month. The one exception is December, where we do not read a book but have a “holiday extravaganza.” This consists of “festive food,” a book swap of a used book that a member would have in her house, and a discussion about the book that was read during the year that had the most impact in the member’s life.

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

A: Our meetings always include lunch. One member prepares the meal for everyone, and we all chip in a certain amount. The lunches are sumptuous and could be considered a dinner. The meal courses are usually at the whim of the person who cooks, although occasionally it has stuck to a theme (ex. “comfort food” for a book that members found depressing or sad).

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

A: The discussions are led by me, the “group leader.” I use reading group guides, or, if none are available, I search the web and find questions.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read a wide variety of books --- classics, historical fiction, nonfiction, short stories, “popular fiction.” We had read several of the Jodi Picoult books but, at the suggestion of members, have stopped using her titles as selections.

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 usually choose the books, or they are suggested by group members. We try to stay away from new books as many of our members get them from the library, and stick to books that are available in paperback. We choose about two or three books at a time, as some members read faster than others.

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

A: I would have to say that our best discussions have centered on books that involve mothers who have to make choices (i.e. Jodi Picoult books), and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls created a good discussion because not everybody believed the story. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is our latest book, and by the “office buzz” is shaping up to be a good discussion also. I would say that, since our members vary so much in age and have different life experiences, that affects the discussion also.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We have themes. In the past we have gone by the holiday of the month and the theme of the book. I used to scour the Internet for information such as who was having a birthday that day, things that happened that month/day in history, or if it was “National…Day,” but that hasn’t been done in quite a while.

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

A: We have had a couple of book choices that people did not initially like and/or wanted to change after reading a few pages. The first time we did change the book choice. However, the next time it happened the group was basically told that the purpose of a book club is to discuss, not necessarily to like what you are reading. I would have to say that, in those cases, the discussion proved particularly interesting.

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

A: Not really. Our group is made up of co-workers, and a lot of our discussing takes place in the form of “office buzz” before the actual meeting.

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

A: The fact that our group is so varied in both age and life experiences. This causes members to approach books from different angles and improves discussion.

© Copyright 2001-2012, ReadingGroupGuides.com. All rights reserved.

ReadingGroupGuides.com interviews special reading groups around the world, spotlighting a different group each month. We hope that you enjoy reading about their experiences and might find some new ideas to try with your group. If you belong to a group that you think should be spotlighted, click here to answer our interview questions.

Back to top.