Donna Houser is a member of the “Pages & Sages” book club in Carlisle, PA. In this interview, Donna talks about the importance of diversifying a group in order to give discussions a “broader base of viewpoints.” She recounts some of the club’s highlights since its founding in 2001, including a phone interview with Debra Dean, author of The Madonnas of Leningrad, and their yearly summer retreat, during which they select many of the books for the upcoming year.

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

A: The name of our group is "Pages & Sages." We were founded in 2001.

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

A: We have eight members, all women. We range in age from 50 to 68.

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

A: We meet once a month except for December, June, July and August. However, we have a weekend retreat during the summer months at one of our members’ lake house or another member's beach house. At that retreat we select our books for the upcoming year. Our monthly meetings are held at our members' homes on a rotating schedule.

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

A: Yes. We eat snacks (finger foods) during our book discussion, followed sometimes but not always with a dessert. The member hostess for the month supplies all the food.

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

A: The discussion is led by the member whose book was chosen as one of our eight selections for the year. We use guides most of the time, but not exclusively. Our discussion leaders also create discussion guides.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read fiction (novels and historical fiction), nonfiction, biographies and memoirs, and classics.

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 choose our books during our weekend summer retreat. We try to choose all eight books at that time. If that is not possible for whatever reason, then we choose the first three or four books of the year.

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

A: Some of the books we enjoyed are The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, Beach Music by Pat Conroy, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter and Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The list could go on and on.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We never seem to have any trouble having fun. We interject a lot of personal stories that relate to our discussions. We support each other in our personal dilemmas and laugh about our shortcomings (as well as those of our spouses).

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

A: Accept the fact that not everyone will have the same opinions or viewpoints about a book or its characters. Don't allow any one member to dominate your discussions. Diversify your group in religious and political affiliations as well as professions. That gives the group a broader base of viewpoints.

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

A: Our book club had a 55-minute phone interview with Debra Dean, author of The Madonnas of Leningrad, during our meeting in January 2008. Our discussion leader for this book set up the phone interview ahead of time via e-mail. The interview was done by using a speakerphone that allowed all of us to participate in the interview and discussion of the author's book. What a highlight this was!

Our club has also gone together to hear lectures by several authors we have read: Azar Nafisi (Reading Lolita in Tehran); Karen Armstrong (A History of God); Jeffrey Shaara, the son of author Michael Shaara (The Killer Angels); and Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter and The Mermaid Chair).

Our club also likes to get together to watch a DVD or go to the theater to see screenplays of books we've read: We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, The Killer Angels by Michael Shaar, Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and The Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam.

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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.

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