RitaSue Harrison is the spokesperson for “Novel Chicks” of Clarksville, TN. In this interview, RitaSue reveals that members of her group bring dishes in honor of the books they are currently reading, which have ranged from Indian cuisine to circus fare. She also describes the group’s monthly “bookpot” as the means of selecting the next title and expresses her appreciation for the sharing of ideas.

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

A: Our group's name is Novel Chicks, and we have been meeting for 14 months.

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

A: We have 10 female members. We are a very diversified group of teachers: one dental assistant and two homemakers with our age range of 30 to early 60.

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

A: We meet monthly usually at a member's home, but occasionally we meet at a really nice restaurant so that we can be pampered.

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

A: Oh yes, do we eat! We each bring dishes in honor of the book we are currently reading. For example, when we read The Kite Runner, we had a fabulous meal of lamb, naan, figs, etc. When we read Water for Elephants we had every kind of circus food imaginable --- from hot dogs to snow cones!

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

A: As one of the primary organizers of the group, I usually lead, but all of the members carry the meeting with questions and insights. Yes, we use the guides but simply as a jumping-off point for open discussion.

Q: What kind of books do you read?

A: We read all types of genres.

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: Each member has contributed three to five titles to our "bookpot." Each month a member selects one randomly. I then order all books and present them with a guide for the next read.

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

A: We all loved The Time Traveler's Wife, but we were all touched by Those Who Save Us. We enjoyed Life of Pi, which led to a great discussion of a very difficult read.

Q: How do you keep things fun?

A: By not taking ourselves too seriously, enjoying each other's company, and sharing a glass of wine with our wonderful meals. We also have a special Christmas meal and exchange book-related gifts. This month we are bringing books that we want to swap. We are also planning to attend a book festival nearby. We also have black book bags embroidered with pink Novel Chicks on them.

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

A: Be open to any type of book, appreciate other's insights and enjoy the varied opinions of each of your members.

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

A: For a while, many of the group did not realize that there were two sisters as well as two mother/daughter groups. At our last meeting one member also had a pool that many put to full use. Toward the end of the evening, one visitor had not come prepared to swim and, without prompting, dove in with full clothes, watch, etc. on!!

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

A: Our group is much like six degrees of separation --- one friend is a patient of another, who is a teacher with another, who is also a friend of her daughter, and so on and so on.

© Copyright 2001-2008, ReadingGroupGuides.com. All rights reserved.

ReadingGroupGuides.com interviews special reading groups around the world, spotlighting a different group each month. We hope that you enjoy reading about their experiences and might find some new ideas to try with your group. If you belong to a group that you think should be spotlighted, click here to answer our interview questions.

Back to top.