Michelle Garren and the members of her book club view their monthly discussions as so much more than social gatherings --- each woman credits the group with expanding their horizons and opening their minds to worlds outside their upper middle class suburban lifestyles. Read on to learn more about this club from Rancho Murieta, CA, including their practical advice on conducting meetings and selecting books learned from two years of experience.

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

A: Two years. We have not named our group.

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, no men, all between the ages of 32 and 42.

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

A: We meet once per month at our country club.

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

A: We usually eat at the country club, in the main dining room. There are special times we meet at each other's houses and bring a dish to share.

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

A: The person who picks the book that month leads the discussion. We recently started using discussion guides, which have helped tremendously. They keep the group on track.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read nonfiction, fiction, memoirs, biographies, Pulitzer and Nobel Peace Prize winners, and multicultural, spiritual and self-help books. Letting each member pick their own book has allowed for some versatile choices.

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 draw a name each month, and that person brings the next book. After everyone has had a turn to pick, we start over.

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

A: The Lovely Bones led to some emotional discussions. We are still discussing A Million Little Pieces due to all the controversy. The Glass Castle was enlightening --- who knew people lived that way in America? The Da Vinci Code and Memoirs of a Geisha were great. The Kite Runner and Princess expanded our views on the Middle East. My favorite of all was Night.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We have some social discussion before we start our meetings. We have done weekend getaways with the club. When a book is made into a movie, we go see it as a group. We recently saw Memoirs of a Geisha and are getting ready to watch Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. We are looking forward to watching The Da Vinci Code. During the summer, we meet at each other's homes. The children swim while we eat lunch and discuss the book.

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

A: I actually have just started a second reading group. Learning from past mistakes, I'd advise to pick books that have been highly recommended, or that you have already read and enjoyed. Also, if someone does not read the book for three months in a row, that person needs to consider dropping out.

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

A: We once had a member who continually drank too much wine at our meetings, which caused a lot of problems.

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

A: Reading has taken us from our upper middle class suburban lifestyles to places all over the world. We have expanded our minds and realize that there is a world out there different from ours. I believe we have all grown in so many ways. Before the reading group, I did not read more than four books per year. I now read three or four a month. I am so thankful to Oprah and others who have encouraged this phenomenon. I love it! I have found that after reading a book, I will go out on my own and a read a few more related to that topic.

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