Tessa Bartels is a member of the JoAnn Book Club, which consists of a spirited group of women from Bayside, WI who prefer to conduct their discussions in a flexible and lighthearted fashion. In this interview, Tessa explains how they manage to keep their meetings fun --- by participating in such activities as going on trips, having themed dinners, casting roles for imaginary movie adaptations, and holding book club pool parties in February. She also shares the group's varied reading tastes, while explaining that so much of their dynamic is based on everything BUT book discussions.

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

A: Our group is the JoAnn Book Club, named by me (Tessa Bartels, coordinator) after Joann Corrao, one of the founding members and the person who really got us going by inviting a ton of women to join until we finally gelled. The group began meeting in 1996 (I joined in November 1996 after they'd been meeting for several months.)

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

A: There are 15 members on the current roster, all women. Most of us are between 55-65, but one is in her 80s and another is in her 30s. We have had male members in the past, but currently we are all women.

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

A: We meet monthly, on the third Tuesday of each month, year-round. Our usual meeting place is the coffee shop in Schwartz Book Shop in Shorewood, WI, but in summer months (June-August) we try to meet al fresco, either at a member's home or at a restaurant that offers patio dining. The last two years, we've had our December "Christmas" meeting in a member's home.

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

A: We usually meet at the bookstore coffee shop, so eating is confined to a dessert and coffee or tea. If we meet at a member's home (3-4 times per year), the hostess provides whatever she likes --- from cheese and crackers to a full meal --- and usually wine is included as a beverage choice. The very few times we've met in a restaurant everyone orders whatever she likes.

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

A: The person who recommends the book is responsible to lead the discussion. If she's not available, another member steps in. We DO use reading group guides, as well as other information available through the library or on the web.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We're pretty eclectic --- we read current bestsellers, mysteries, classic fiction, international titles, biography, nonfiction, poetry, short stories. We tend to prefer fiction mostly because we find it easier to discuss.

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: Twice a year, members send their recommendations to me (the coordinator). I send out the list to everyone and we each can vote for up to six titles. The top six vote-getters are our next six book selections. Not everyone makes recommendations each time around; not everyone votes each time. This last round we had 17 titles suggested by eight members, and 10 members out of 15 voted.

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

A: It's hard to choose favorites. To Kill a Mockingbird is certainly high on the list. Out of the Dust, A Lesson Before Dying, Wild Swans, Montana 1948, Interpreter of Maladies, Stones from the River, What the Body Remembers, Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, and Suite Française are certainly among the books that engendered the most discussion. When group members say they've purchased hardcover copies for themselves or have given the book as a gift, we know we've hit on a favorite.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We don't take ourselves too seriously. We occasionally meet for a themed dinner (e.g. French cafe for Suite Française). We've taken a road trip to Las Vegas to meet with a member who moved out of state. One member offered her indoor heated pool for "Beach Blanket Book Club" in February (a 90F pool when it's snowing and 20F outside in Wisconsin just can't be beat!). We have a fun December potluck at a member's home, including singing Christmas carols and exchanging little gifts. This summer we've decided to have one "open" meeting: bring whatever you've been reading this summer --- serious or frivolous.

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

A: Give everyone a voice. Be open to new members or guests. Take turns being host and/or discussion leader. Agree to disagree. Be willing to read something you wouldn't choose for yourself. Our group doesn't have any "know-it-alls." Everyone's opinion is respected. Differences of opinion are welcome.

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

A: We kept hearing good things, so we read A Confederacy of Dunces. Our response? "THIS is a Pulitzer winner? Was the committee on drugs that year? What paucity of candidates must they have had to give it to this work!" It was universally hated by our group. Another miss was The Rule of Four --- a "hot" book at the time, but panned by us as a knock-off of The Da Vinci Code. The best comment of the night was, "If we read the first letter of every 8th word backwards, it will spell out ' YOU SUCKER'."

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

A: One of our members wrote this: "What makes us special? The incredible intelligence, the ability to share ideas in a feisty manner, the silliness that hits us occasionally and we lose ourselves in laughter, the caring, the love that is there to share, the support in times of need. It's amazing how much of our book club is based on anything BUT the book discussion!"

One item I would add --- we frequently try to "cast the movie." Our rule is that any actor, living or dead, is fair game --- so if we think John Wayne would be perfect for a part, we cast him. It's been especially interesting when we've read a book long before a movie comes out...somehow OUR picks never wind up in the movie. (My own personal favorite casting comment came when we read The Rich Part of Life --- one member suggested "Kevin Spacey, for ANY role!")

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