Susan Kosior is the president of “NoVa Lit Chicks” in Fairfax County, VA. In this interview, Susan talks about how the group’s monthly meal together, which is usually themed to the title they are reading, brings a “communal spirit to the gathering.” Club members originate from Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. and have a MySpace page, which they use to connect with one another and swap recipes. She also describes the pre-publication review discussion in which her group participated and the big party they throw annually to celebrate another successful year in the book club.

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

A: The group is called the “NoVa Lit Chicks” --- a tribute to our living, working or playing in Northern Virginia and being all women who love to read. We began meeting in November 2004 and have met every single month since.

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

A: There are 12 of us, all women. We are all in our 20s and 30s.

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

A: We meet every month, usually on the first Monday. Since the majority of members live in one local area, those members take turns hosting at their house. People are welcome to attend from all over the greater Washington, DC metro area, but the meetings are all in Northern Virginia. In the past, we’ve had members from Maryland, and currently our club president drives 50+ miles each way to attend and we have a member living inside Washington, DC.

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

A: We do eat at our meetings. Since we meet on a Monday night after work, everyone is usually looking forward to eating dinner, and we find that having a meal brings a communal spirit to the gathering. We always have a potluck dinner, and each member is expected to bring something. Whoever has chosen the book we are reading for the month selects a dinner theme. It can be based on something in the book, or their preference. Members then cook along that theme. For instance, this month we are reading Pete Jordan’s Dishwasher, and everyone is bringing a dish inspired by their favorite restaurant. We have also had such themes as North vs. South when reading a book about the Civil War, foods you loved during your childhood and foods that are round.

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

A: The discussion leader is whoever selected the book for the month. That way, everyone gets to lead a discussion once per year. It is up to each leader how they want to lead the group. Often times, they use the guides in the backs of books or on websites, but sometimes people are brave and make up their own questions. It sometimes takes only one or two questions to get everyone talking, and then the discussion takes on a life of its own.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read absolutely everything. When the group started, the club president thought that it would be a “chick lit” or “Oprah’s Book Club” type of club. Instead, we have been reading general fiction, autobiography, nonfiction, short stories, young adult fiction, and yes, some chick lit.

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 decided that we would pick every October for the coming year. Names are drawn from a hat, and in that order people select books from November to the following October. Everyone is supposed to bring their book picks with them, but they must have their selection in at least three months in advance so that people can get on library and book swapping waiting lists if they use those methods to get their books.

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

A: Some of our favorite books have been The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Giver by Lois Lowry and Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik. We have also had some very lively discussions about books we didn’t like, such as Hanna’s Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson and Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Sometimes we really get going about books we can’t stand much more than about the books we like!

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: At the end of each year, we have a big party to celebrate another successful year in the book club. We gather for a big meal out, and there are games and prizes. For instance, this past year the club president handed out a quiz with the first line from each book we had read the previous year. The Lit Chicks had to try and match up the correct book with the correct first line. We also had a quiz to see who could remember the most details about club meetings, who knew little tidbits about their fellow members, etc. At the end of the year, we also hand out awards we call “the Bookies.” There are awards for favorite book, most creative dinner theme, favorite club member pet, best discussion leader and so forth. Prizes have included book lights, magazine subscriptions, book journals, etc. It is a great way to get people invested in the club and keep them reading!

We also try to have as many authors as we can call into the group. We get three or four authors per year, and if we are lucky and are reading a local author’s work, we sometimes have them at the meeting. This has happened twice: Patrick Sanchez attended a meeting during our first year and Carolyn Parkhurst attended last year. We’ve also gotten authors to call in, which has been fun, and they have spanned the spectrum. We also participated in a pre-publication book review session for The Lost Diary of Don Juan by Douglas Carlton Abrams. We read the book before he and his publisher printed it, and he called to get our feedback. It was pretty cool! Other authors who have called in have included Philip Gulley, Leah Stewart, Kris Radish and Laurie Notaro.

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

A: Each group runs differently. It is important to our group that we have consistent attendance and that everyone participates, whether they enjoy the book or not. It can be a challenge to keep all members invested, especially with so many people so busy with their lives, but we have found that giving each member a voice and a say in what happens during the year with hosting, reading and eating has kept everyone feeling like an integral part of the club.

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

A: All in all, it’s been pretty smooth sailing. We always laugh over reading The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald. We read it in December; it was 800 pages long, and most people absolutely hated it. Only two members out of 12 actually finished it. Now, when new people join and ask what types of books they should pick, the old timers unanimously yell, “Not the Crow!”

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

A: We do keep up with each other via MySpace. Our MySpace group is at http://www.myspace.com/novalitchicks. We do a recipe swap, members who participate in MySpace can connect online, and we can meet up with authors and other readers that way. It’s also great to keep in touch with women who have moved away and with whom we might otherwise have lost touch.

Additionally, the book club has become so popular with such a long waiting list that this year we formed a splinter, or sister, club. “Lit Chicks II” (as it is presently known) has had two meetings so far and is being led by an original member of the “NoVa Lit Chicks.” Apparently word has gotten out about our great club, and we are so excited and happy to have the new group off to such a great start!

© Copyright 2001-2008, ReadingGroupGuides.com. All rights reserved.

ReadingGroupGuides.com interviews special reading groups around the world, spotlighting a different group each month. We hope that you enjoy reading about their experiences and might find some new ideas to try with your group. If you belong to a group that you think should be spotlighted, click here to answer our interview questions.

Back to top.