Karen Rappaport McHugh from Santa Monica, California talks about her group, the Westside Women's Wreaders. Members love to eat during their meetings; each month the host prepares dinner and chooses potential books to discuss. Read on to learn more about these "wannabe cooks" who believe you should never talk about books on an empty stomach.

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

A: I started our book club almost seven years ago when pregnant with my second child (I now have three). We began to call ourselves the Westside Women's Wreaders because most of us live on the West side of Los Angeles. Our theme is GOOD BOOKS and GOOD WINE!! We serve dinner (the host cooks and cleans and gets to pick the book that month and then we vote). Research and leading a good discussion are very important. We also have a book club moderator (a member) to keep us in line so we don't stray off-topic and delve too deeply into personal chatter!

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

A: We vary between 10-12, so every month is hosted at a different person's home, and then we have a holiday party at the end of the year. There are no men ... we're all women between the ages of 35-45.

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

A: We meet once a month at a member's home.

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

A: We are a group of wannabe cooks, so each month we are served a delicious meal! The host cooks and then gets to pick books. Sometimes we theme the meals to the book, and that is really fun!

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

A: Whoever picked the book leads the discussion --- they usually do Internet research. Sometimes we use guides.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We tend to choose literary fiction, and we've read quite a few Booker Prize winners.

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 host brings a selection of books, shares information about them and then we vote.

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

A: We loved Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson and Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We are a fun group!!

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

A: Make sure to pick READERS when inviting in new members, not people who think a book club sounds fun ... they never stick! Keep personal chatter in the front of the meeting.

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

A: YES!! Before we settled on the idea of the host cooking, we used to do potluck with the host making the main dish. One new member didn't understand the concept --- she was assigned the potluck and didn't make a main dish. Then, several people canceled and we were practically eating our hat by the end of the meeting. Needless to say, she didn't last!!

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

A: We love that we are a group of women who might never meet and mingle in ordinary life --- we rarely see each other outside of the book club, but we all hold it very near and dear. We are from different countries, different states, and different religious and cultural backgrounds, but we all share an interest in great books!

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