Patricia Haddad is a librarian and an active participant in The Church on the Bayou’s two book clubs. In this interview, Patricia talks about the benefits of being in a larger group and shares an effective method to encourage participation from all members. She also includes a listing of all the titles her book club has read since its creation in 2007 and highlights some of the most memorable discussions.

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

A: Our name is “The Church on the Bayou Book Groups”; our month of inception was August 2007.

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

A: We have two groups that read the same book (we started reading different books, but now we find it helpful to mix and match our schedules to each book group date). One of the groups usually has 15 members; the other has approximately 8. Our ages vary from 50s to 70s. Several of our meetings have included a couple of men!

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

A: We meet bi-monthly. One group meets on Tuesday evenings at 7 PM at members' homes or clubhouses; the other meets on Sunday at noon at the Church on the Bayou meeting room.

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

A: Usually, a couple of the members will prepare or purchase goodies. We try to include something from the theme of our current book, e.g., for Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, we spread some kibble on the table in case Dewey or any other cat decided to show up at our meeting!

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

A: We have a group facilitator for each group. Reading guides are always emailed a couple of days in advance of the meetings. We invite each person's voice to be heard in making book recommendations. New and/or recommended books by members are introduced at each meeting (for future voting).

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We have read many different genres, including cultural and historical fiction. Here is a listing of the books we have read since August 2007:

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Light from Heaven (Book 9, Final Book of Mitford Series) by Jan Karon
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Finn by Jon Clinch
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
The Shack by William P. Young
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light by Mother Teresa, edited by Brian Kolodiejchuk
Norah’s Children by Ann O’Farrell
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Empress Orchid and The Last Empress by Anchee Min
Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
Dewey by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

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: Last year we started choosing books for several meetings ahead, and members enjoy knowing what books are on the agenda. Besides, now we don't have to take time to choose books at each meeting.

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

A: We always have lively, friendly, diverse conversations. There were several books that stand as most inspiring: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin; The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner; Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky; The Shack by William P. Young; Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund; and The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman. The meeting that had the most attendees was Norah's Children by Ann O'Farrell, who attended our meeting. Everyone loved having an author join us.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We have grown to know each other over the course of meetings, and it's always fun to bring up information about one of the members that creates a humorous link to our current discussion.

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

A: Give each person the chance to say something, especially the quiet ones. We go around the table and let each person read a question, and then everyone has the opportunity to join in.

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

A: One of our members, a retired journalist, never seems to have the time to finish the book. We are always amazed how much she contributes to the conversation, and it's become a tradition to poke fun at the fact that she ends up reading the book from the back as it narrows into meeting date!

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

A: Our Tuesday evening group usually has about 15 people attending. We love being large because everyone wants to hear as many different viewpoints about the book we've read --- what people liked or didn't like --- and we never offend anyone who has a different opinion.

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