Librarian Debbie Jack is in charge of the “Main Library Adult Book Club” at the Sussex County Main Library in Frankford Township, NJ. In this interview, Debbie discusses the formation of the group four years ago and how its members have bonded since then. They value their time together because it gives them the opportunity to read and discuss titles that they would not have experienced otherwise. She also describes the thrill of chatting with author Connie May Fowler about her book The Problem with Murmur Lee.

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

A: Our group is called the “Main Library Adult Book Club.” The group has been in existence since 2003.

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

A: We have about 6-10 members, depending on the week, all women ages 35-65.

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

A: We meet monthly on Thursday nights at the Sussex County Main Library in Frankford Township, NJ.

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

A: Sometimes we eat. The librarian or a member of the group brings either a dessert or healthy appetizer like veggies and dip or fruit and dip. Next month we are reading The Red Hat Club by Haywood Smith and each choosing a recipe from a Red Hat Society cookbook to bring to the discussion.

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

A: The person who leads the discussion is the librarian at the library. We do use reading group guides if they are available for the particular book we are reading (they usually are!!).

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read a lot of different types of books: bestsellers, well-reviewed books, nonfiction, biographies, fiction.

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 librarian chooses the books the year ahead and gives a list to participants before the New Year so they can get started ahead of the meetings.

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

A: Some of the best discussions were of Marley & Me by John Grogan and The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: We try to keep things fun by involving a lot of personal stories and perspectives and not just sticking to the book itself. Our group tends to laugh a lot!!!!

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

A: Just pick books that you think will be different from the everyday fiction you can pick up. One book club member always tells me that she loves the books I choose because they are books she probably wouldn’t otherwise read. I force her (well, she joined the group!!!!) to read these books, and she is always (well, almost always!!!) glad she does because they were such great stories.

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

A: Last year, I was able to have a phone/conference call with Connie May Fowler, and it was so much fun for all of us. The book we were discussing was The Problem with Murmur Lee. It was a very good mystery with many interesting twists and turns. We couldn't wait to ask the author why she chose to use certain symbolism or have certain characters behave as they did. It was a great book, and she was just as delighted to talk to us as we were to talk to her. To ask the author directly why she wrote it a certain way and why it ended the way it did was just a huge thrill for our members!!

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

A: Not really. We are just a great group that got together not because we were friends trying to form a book club but because they all saw my flyers and ads in the local papers about a new book club. The members who have joined and stuck with us through the years are just gems, and we really have become friends now through the years while reading!

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