Sue Murray from Kalamazoo, MI is a member of Circle of Sisters. Consisting of nine enthusiastic and dedicated women, this lively group has created not just a reading forum but also a sense of community. In this interview, Sue describes their collective passion for reading and their tried-and-true method of organizing and conducting their discussions. She also shares details about their active participation with local bookstores and libraries, as well as events they host, trips they take and fun traditions they keep.


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

A: Our group is called Circle of Sisters, and we have been in existence 5 years this March.

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

A: Circle of Sisters (COS) has 9 active members and 5 honorary members. They can't meet with us monthly, but they read the books and offer their insights. Our group consists of all women, and everyone is at least 25. We won't accept anyone under 25. Although we don't have any men in our group, we do have at least two honorary members who read everything we read.

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

A: We meet the third Saturday of every month. Active members rotate hosting in their homes.

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

A: We eat good! The hostess is responsible for the meal, which ranges from tacos to bourbon chicken. Everyone expects a hot, filling meal. We have a holiday celebration in December. The hostess provides the meat and all place settings. The rest of the menu is discussed and agreed upon with each active member bringing something to add to the feast. We also pull names in November for gift exchanges during our holiday event. The limit is $20.

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

A: The hostess leads the discussion. We use reading group guides if it asks questions that we like! If not, the hostess develops her own or contacts the author. However, everyone is free to ask any question. The hostess facilitates the discussion.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read books by African American authors.

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: We are all avid readers, so our books are chosen in various ways. We all subscribe to various organizations that supply us with book listings, we read the newspapers and websites, and we pay attention to word of mouth. We are very involved with our local bookstore and library as well.

Books, which are chosen one meeting at a time, are selected by the following month's hostess. However, if a member knows what she wants to read and her month is approaching, she may let the group know in advance.

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

A: One of the best discussions was garnered from the book Church Folk by Michele Andrea Bowen. Our meeting began at 5:00 pm and we didn't leave until 11:00! The book invoked deep conversations about relationships, church, religion and God. It was great. We also love J. D. Mason, Bernice L. McFadden, Eric Jerome Dickey, E. Lynn Harris and Earl Sewell.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We all have our own unique perception of the world, and all opinions and emotions are accepted. No one has to feel they can't express themselves. We keep in touch with each other during the month before and after meetings, often going shopping, to the movies, lunch or dinner. We have at least one road trip a year to a book signing. We maintain a Yahoo group page and a MySpace page that we update frequently. We also take notes at each meeting; the fun is finding out if everyone remembers the events in the same way! We order T-shirts or book bags every year, so when we host or go to an event, it will be obvious that we are a group. We have silver engraved name tags and sometimes we wear those, but all will have on the same colors, i.e., black shirts and jeans. We have developed a rating system for the books we read, and one can lobby to get the book a high rating.

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

A: Make sure the members' commitment to the book club is there. We are passionate about our group and at least two ladies were "dis-invited," if you will, because they didn't share our enthusiasm. Also, get involved with local bookstores and libraries. They are a great resource if your club wants to sponsor an event.

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

A: One of our members suffered a couple of seizures during one of our meetings! It was quite scary, but now we know everyone's vital medical history. One time an author made up a reader guide just for our group, we have had an author call in during our meeting to discuss the book with us, and we have been mentioned in acknowledgments or thanks by at least four authors.

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

A: We sponsor at least one author to our hometown for a book signing a year. We have a unique relationship with our local bookstore, and this event benefits the store, the author and us, via discounts. We also have an annual barbeque just for fun, and our famous Male Appreciation Day. We invite male friends and family to read a book about relationships. We cook them a huge dinner, serve them and give them little gifts as our guests. We then discuss the book, usually using questions that we have gotten from the author whenever possible. The questions and discussion are recorded and everyone gets a copy. It has been requested that we host this event more than once a year, but we are still discussing that.

Male Appreciation Day is held in a club house or another rented space, as no one's home could hold all our guests. We also host an annual Friends and Family Day, inviting them to read the book and come to our meeting. If they are interested in joining, they must complete a Member Profile Form. We meet as a group, discuss the application and let them know if they have been accepted or not.

Our group is very cohesive, and since we host in our homes, we work hard to make sure that the Book Club is not a source of stress for anyone.

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