June 2006

The DoubleTime Bookworms have a very unique origin; this group of women found each other through an online support group for mothers of twin children, and they soon discovered that they all shared a passion for reading. Carrie Mann from New Albany, IN details how they run their discussions, despite the fact that they've never met in person. Read on for tips on choosing moderators and book selections, as well as some amusing anecdotes involving "duds" and less than PC reading guides.

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

A: Our group's name is DoubleTime Bookworms. "DoubleTime" comes from our Yahoo group, DoubleTime, which is a support group for moms of twins. Our twin mom group has been in existence since 2002, but in April 2004, we formed the book club when we realized that so many of us were avid readers. One of our members, Nicki, was the one who suggested the book club, and every month since then, we've been reading and discussing books! We had first set up just a database in our group, but when the book club really took off, we made a whole new Yahoo group just for that!

Q: How many members do you have? How many men, how many women?

A: We have had a few members come and go, but we currently have 7 members. We are all women, particularly twin moms. The ages of our members range from mid 20s to age 40.

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

A: Because we are solely an online group, we have not actually met in person. We vote on a book for each month and then we discuss it at the end of the month. But we do chat throughout the month --- either about our current book, or other books we have read.

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

A: Since we are an online group, unfortunately we do not meet in person. The only food that anyone eats is whatever they bring to the computer with them during our discussion.

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

A: In the past, it was me who led the discussion every month, but sometimes it was hard for me to keep up with. Therefore, we now have it set up so that our members can choose to host a month. It's not mandatory, but everyone has participated and really enjoyed it because it gives them the opportunity to recommend books that they prefer. We have a database in our group for members to sign when they want to host. They choose 3 books for us to choose from, and then we vote on what we want to read. We always look for guides at readinggroupguides.com first! There have only been a few times that we couldn't find a guide so we had to go solo, but for the most part the guides you all provide on your website have been really helpful for us.     

Q: What kind of books do you read? 

A: We read a wide variety of books, including chick lit, mystery and nonfiction. We have even tried classics, memoirs and a collection of short stories too. 

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: Whoever is hosting the book club for the following month will set up a poll in our group sometime around the middle of the current month. When polling concludes, we know what book we will be reading well before the first of the month. Then at the end of the month, we will have our discussion. We only choose one book at a time, but we also have another database set up where members can add their book recommendations too, in case anyone needs any ideas for book choices.  

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

A: We have had a few favorites: The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, and also Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. It was The Saving Graces that really brought our group together. Everyone seemed to relate with at least one character in the book. 

Q: How do you keep things fun? 

A: By giving everyone the opportunity to run the club, it's kept them more involved and it's helped to keep the club fresh and exciting. Plus it helps when we read something everyone enjoys.

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

A: One thing I can think of is to be open to new things...maybe a genre you've never considered reading, or an author you've never heard of. You never know what you might enjoy! Granted, we've had a few duds, but for the most part, we've really enjoyed our book choices; because of that, most of us have new favorite authors!
 
Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?

A: When we read our first book club choice --- Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs --- I used the guide that was apparently made up by the author, and the questions were a little off-color! That seemed to throw a few people off, including me!

The horror story we have is when we read The Hacienda by Lisa St. Aubin de Teran. It was so hard to get through that most of the group gave up on it.  Two of us made it through and were so let down that we never even discussed it! 

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

A: I think the one thing that is unique is that we are all moms of twins and that our club is online. We've had a few trials and errors before we found a system that really works for us.