This interview is with Sherry Rainey from "Swim Chicks Book Club" of Horton, Michigan. Read on to learn more about this group.


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

A: Our name is Swim Chicks Book Club. We all aerobic swim together at the local college and formed our book club through our swimming class. We have been in existence for 2 years.

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

A: We only have 8 members. We all chose to keep the group small. No men --- we all are retirees, 58 years old and up.

Q: How often do you meet? Where do you meet? Do you eat at your meetings? What do you eat? Who brings the food?

A: We meet monthly at a local restaurant for lunch and then discuss the book afterwards.

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

A: There really is no leader. We all just join in when we have a comment. It's very informal. The conversations do fly! Yes, we use reading group guides when available.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: Fiction and nonfiction, of course, books of interest for women. Some are A Long Way From Home by Tom Brokaw, Girl With a Pearl Earring, and Sanctuary.

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 a book at each meeting, but we are doing something different for next month. Each of us will read a different book by Stuart Woods; then at the next meeting, we will discuss all the books. It should be fun.

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

A: One of our favorites was The Red Heart by James Alexander Thom. It's an American Indian story.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We always have fun enjoying each other's company. We all laugh a lot and de-stress together.

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

A: Don't be too serious and be open-minded about books that you think you won't like. We have found trying new books and authors to be one of the best parts of being a member of a reading group.

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

A: No, thank goodness!

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

A: We seem to be a well-rounded, great group. Every person has a story to tell of her own --- I've found that true with this group.

© Copyright 2003, ReadingGroupGuides.com. All rights reserved.

Back to top.