For six years, a group of ladies have gathered at each others’ homes once a month, Sept-Nov, Feb-May, for a book group. The first year I assigned the books simply because I was new in town and started the group by inviting lots of women I liked. The next year there was a general revolt against the length of books I had chosen, so we formed a consensus on further reading, with a rule that the spine of the novel could be no thicker than two fingers! Here are several of the novels which we read and loved over the years.
As we move to New York in a week, I am happy to announce that the book group is continuing, with only one of its original members, but a solid core of five-eight ladies.
If you are interested in starting a book group here are a few suggestions. Pick a date and time to host the first meeting in your home. Announce the book to those you want to invite. Invite by phone; go ahead and send out an initial email, but you will have a much higher response rate the more personal you are. Call again a week before the group so that people actually start reading the book and remember the date (trust me it happens every time).
Don’t worry about the questions. We generally gathered, chatted, and then I would ask, ‘What did you like about the book?’ Being rather opinionated, I attract similarly vocal and opinionated friends, so that was all that was really needed. Because we had a historian, we would generally be given an overview of the context of the novel. Because I like doing mini-masters theses, I generally did some background reading on the author and the literary analysis. If some people are reticent to talk, announce that the month's hostess is also moderator. She can decide how much extra prep she does and how so leads it.
But really, book group is an excuse for us to get together. Sometimes we discussed the book for an hour, other times for twenty minutes and then moved on to more personal news. Having academic husbands, the book group was something they supported; they were only too happy to watch the children so that the wives could develop their minds!
Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene
Silence, by Shusako Endo
The Virginian, by O. Wister
A Day in the Life of Ivan Ilych, by A. Solzhenitsyn
In This House of Brede, by Rumer Godden
In This House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton
Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Various short stories, by Flannery O’Conner
The Bethrothed, by Alessandro Manzoni
Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather
Oh, Pioneers!, by Willa Cather
Happiness and Contemplation, by Joseph Pieper
Diary of a Country Priest, by Georges Bernanos
My Antonia, by Willa Cather
Silas Marner, by George Eliot
Climbing Parnassus, by Tracy Simmons (apologia for Greek and Latin, only non-novel. Fantastic!)
Enjoy!
Beth
Thank you, Beth. These are wonderful book suggestions. May I add A Severe Mercy, one of my favorites?
Best,
Lucy
Posted by: Lucy | July 18, 2007 at 06:09 PM