Barbara Higdon of San Antonio, TX talks about her reading group, the BBC. The process of choosing books to be read and discussed takes place each November, with nominations and then elections to determine selections for the following year. 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: We call ourselves The BBC and we've been meeting since 1993.

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

A: We have 14 current members, all women. Most of us are in our 50s.

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

A: We meet monthly (excluding December) in members' homes.

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

A: The hostess always selects a nearby restaurant and those who wish to eat meet there for a short dinner. We don't discuss the book at all at dinner to be fair. Then we go to the home where the hostess gives us dessert and coffee after the book discussion.

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

A: One member, not the hostess, leads discussion and brings author information, reading group guide questions, reviews, etc.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: Most of our selections are literary fiction with a few biographies and memoirs.

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 meet in November to nominate. Most members nominate one to three books, and they make a "sales pitch" followed by a vote. We usually have spirited discussion and lobbying for our choices. We vote for 10 books and the top vote getters are the books for the next year. There's often a tie and run-off elections as well.

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

A: Our favorites have included Barefoot Heart by Elva Hart, Seabiscuitby Laura Hillenbrand, Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger and The Devil, Delfina Varela and the Used Chevy by Louie Garcia Robinson.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: All of the women are bright, well-read and interested in many things, so discussion is always lively.

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

A: Just do it! There are few, if any negative incidents, and the payoffs are great. We all agree that we read things we wouldn't ordinarily read, we stretch our minds, and we've made new friends to boot.

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

A: One time we voted for a novel that turned out to be a hideous romance novel. Everyone was trying to be polite, but we started calling around and sharing mutual disgust. We finally scrapped the book and chose a substitute over the telephone. The substitute turned out to be a group favorite that received very little notice elsewhere!

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