The Berry Bookheads
Joy Penaskovic is a member of The Berry Bookheads from Phoenix, AZ. This small, closely-knit, Jodi Picoult-loving group of women meets quarterly and will discuss three or four books over lunch at each session. Read on to learn more about how they make their selections, the genres they enjoy reading and what they end up talking about when their discussions stray off topic.
Q: Does your group have a name and/or a theme? How long has your group been in existence?
A: We are called The Berry Bookheads. We have been in existence for a little over two years.
Q: How many members do you have? How many men, how many women? What age are most of your members?
A: There are four members who never miss a session. We have others on our "list."
Q: How often do you meet? Where do you meet?
A: We meet about every three months. We meet at our homes.
Q: Do you eat at your meetings? What do you eat? Who brings the food?
A: Yes, we meet on Saturday afternoons. It's usually lunch stuff...fruit, dips, sandwiches, chocolate. We all bring something to share.
Q: Who leads the discussion? Do you use reading group guides?
A: We take turns. Yes, we often use guides.
Q: What kind of books do you read?
A: Mostly modern fiction, sometimes romance or mystery, too.
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 decide together. We read 3-4 books every few months. Then we discuss all of the ones selected. Usually one of us has already read the book we suggest to the group. Our selections to be discussed in August are The Knitting Circle, Astrid & Veronika and The Elegant Gathering of White Snows.
Q: What were some of the best discussions or favorite books the group read?
A: We LOVE Jodi Picoult! Some of our best discussions were about her books.
Q: How do you keep things fun?
A: We laugh and often get sidetracked and talk about our own lives.
Q: What advice would you give to other reading groups?
A: Laugh, relax and enjoy the "stories" that come from the stories you read.
Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other special tales to tell?
A: Not that I can think of.
Q: Is there anything else unique or noteworthy about your group that you would like to share?
A: We always have a heartwarming time!
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