Carol Hanthorne of Spencer, IA talks about her reading group, The Prose and Palate Book Club, appropriately named for their practice of rewarding themselves with delicious food after their discussions. Read on to learn about their theme dinners, fondue parties, and various other activities that keep their meetings lively and enjoyable.

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

A: Our name is The Prose and Palate Book Club (because we have to read the book in order to eat the delicious food provided). We have been in existence since July 2001.

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

A: We have six female members ranging in age from 46 to 58.

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

A: We meet monthly at our members' homes.

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

A: We definitely eat! During the summer months we meet in the morning and the hostess provides brunch/breakfast food. From September through May we meet in the evening with a meal provided by the hostess. We have had theme dinners. For example, when we read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, we had honey in most of our dishes as well as cheese grits. We also have ordered out pizza, brought in homemade soup from a local restaurant, and had a fondue party.

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

A: The hostess usually leads the discussion with the help of reading group guides.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We have read a wide variety of books: John Adams (nonfiction), Beneath a Marble Sky (historical fiction), Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind (humor) and Plain Jane (romance), plus a variety of popular and recommended fiction.

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: The hostess for the next meeting chooses a book. We decide one month at a time. Most of us like to read the book right before our discussion so that it is fresh in our minds.

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

A: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors, John Adams by David McCullough, and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We do some outings as a group, such as attending an out-of-town Lorie Line concert, going to our Garden Club's annual Christmas luncheon, having breakfast at a restaurant at a nearby lake, and meeting in a different home each time.

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

A: Have members who are committed to always reading the book and coming to the meetings. We also like a small group, which fosters that commitment.

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

A: When we read The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc by Loraine Despres, one of our members read her book in the basement as she was embarrassed to read it in front of her husband! (It really wasn't that bad!)

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

A: We had a wonderful experience when we read the book Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors. We were able to have the author join us at our discussion! He was a wonderful young man who gave us great insight into how he wrote the story of the Taj Mahal. We thoroughly enjoyed him and would highly recommend his book.

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