Jennie Mulhall is the leader and one of the founding members of The Gamma Girls Book Club of Louisville, KY. As she describes in this interview, friendship comes first with this closely knit group of women, and they make it a point to spend time together apart from their book discussions. Read on to learn more about how they keep things fun --- both in and out of their monthly meetings --- their eclectic reading habits and the story behind their unique name.


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

A: We are the Gamma Girls Book Club and our group is 6 years old. We christened ourselves in 2002 when we were reading Reviving Ophelia. One of the members found an article talking about how adolescent girls were “divided” into 3 categories: the alphas (the popular girls), the betas (the girls who wanted to be alphas) and the gammas (the girls who were happy being themselves --- well-rounded, friendly, confident in doing their own thing). Our choice was clear.

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

A: We have 12 members, all women, between the ages 25-40. We have five who have been in the group since the beginning, and our newest members joined in 2003. We have morphed over the years, gaining and losing members, but the same 12 of us have remained for the last four years or so. We have two sets of sisters and one set of cousins; five moms (seven kids so far); four singles and eight marrieds. We are all friends now --- a true sisterhood.

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

A: We meet one Tuesday a month at a member’s house. Sometimes, in the warmer months, we’ll meet outside at a coffee shop, but we feel we have better discussions when we’re in our homes.

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

A: We always have lots of yummy food, which is provided by the hostess; although, we have done potlucks before.

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

A: As the group’s “fearless leader,” I usually begin the discussion. We have used guides in the past --- or someone will find an interview with the author or a related article to spark our discussions.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read all kinds of books --- fiction, nonfiction, juvenile fiction, classics, modern novels, essays, memoirs.

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: Each month, a different member gets to pick three books they want to read and the group votes --- majority wins. In cases of a tie, the person who chose the books gets to break it. I send out the choices (with a synopsis of each) via e-mail a week before the meeting so that everyone can have time to think about their choice. Right now, we have our books selected seven months ahead of the current month. We only have two caveats when it comes to picking books: it has to be available in paperback, and there must be ample copies at the library. We read 11 books a year. In December, we have a “choose your own” month when everyone reads whatever book they want, and then tells the group about it. It works out well to do this during the busiest month of the year.

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

A: Three of our best discussions were Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. Some of our favorite books have been: Cane River by Lalita Tademy, The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, Wicked by Gregory Maguire, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: Thankfully, keeping things fun has never been a problem for us. We have so much fun together! We meet outside of book group meetings for lunches, movies, etc. Each July, we celebrate our anniversary with a shared dinner. Each October, we take a weekend “retreat” to a cabin in the woods --- we look forward to it all year. Each December, we do a holiday cookie exchange --- everyone brings a few dozen cookies and empty containers. We all go home with lots of yummy, sweet treats to share with our friends and families. We laugh a lot --- deep, hearty (often cackling) laughter that sometimes makes you cry. Our group is blessed with wonderfully diverse personalities that complement each other.

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

A: Friendship comes first with us --- it’s not just about the books and our shared love of reading. Also, it helps to have someone with organizational skills keep track of all the “business” of the club --- member info, book lists, e-mail updates, scheduling, etc.

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

A: We have tons of stories --- happy, funny and heartbreaking --- most of which we have sworn our “gammacratic oath” not to repeat outside of the group. That being said, we have shared a lot with each other --- some first drunken experiences, new marriages, new babies, moves, breakups, sickness, health, family, friends.

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

A: We have agreed that 12 members is plenty for us, so we have instituted a moratorium on new members.

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