In this interview, Diane Mayr --- the Adult Services Librarian at Nesmith Library in Windham, NH --- demonstrates just how useful libraries can be to book clubs, especially when using the interlibrary loan system. She also explains the process of choosing her reading group's monthly selections and shares her observations on stimulating discussions and controversial books.

Q: Does your library host any book clubs? If so, are they based on a certain theme or genre (i.e., mystery)? How often do the groups meet?

A: We have one group (not theme/genre-related) that meets once a month in the library. There are several book groups around town that we provide with interlibrary loan services in an attempt to get enough copies for their members.

Q: How many members are in each group? How many men, how many women? What ages are most of the members? Are the groups open to accepting new members?

A: We probably have a group of 20 names, but some come very irregularly. Last month we only had 4 show up (3 were staff members!), but other months we have as many as 12. It is almost exclusively women (we did have one elderly man and his wife attend, but he tended to try to dominate the discussion, and he also wouldn't let his wife read certain books if he thought they contained offensive language! We were quite happy when they moved out of town!)

Q: Who leads the book discussions? Are reading group discussion guides used?

A: It is generally self-led, but I always have a guide handy for any lulls.

Q: How are books selected? Is a new one chosen at each meeting, or are they chosen for a number of meetings ahead of time?

A: It is a rather complicated process, but it works best for us. I bring about 10 books to the group. These have been preselected by me with these criteria: usually no more than 300 pages (longer books don't get finished, and people do not attend if they haven't finished the book); there is a discussion guide available; there is a sufficient number of copies available in the state (NH) so that we can ILL enough for the group; it is not a recently published title. At the meeting, each book has a sticky note on it, and people review the book and check off if they are interested in it. We usually pick about 3 or 4 books at a time on the basis of interest. We are always open to suggestions by individuals, but in that case I make sure there are enough copies available to ILL.

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

A: Some best discussions occur when there is some controversy within the book. These titles led to good discussion:

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A Death in the Family by James Agee
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Curtis (this is a children's book)
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
A Country Year by Sue Hubbell
Dust Tracks on the Road by Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious (this might not work well for a group that isn't based in NH!)
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsuikiyama

Q: How are book club meetings kept interesting and fun?

A: Pick discussable books! (Some of the "light" reading titles were absolutely awful for discussion purposes, for example, The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini.) Generally speaking, I've found that biographies and memoirs are highly discussable (for example, Growing Up by Russell Baker or Ava's Man by Rick Bragg).

One time we read A Room with a View by E.M. Forster and showed part of the film to see how closely it followed the text (an excellent adaptation, by the way). We have watched parts of other films also (Pay It Forward by Catherine Hyde, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett).

Q: What advice would you give to other libraries that would like to start hosting book clubs, or provide resources for ones in the community? What are the benefits to hosting book clubs at a library?

A: No advice! Benefits: it provides an evening out for lonely or normally child-bound people; it gives another reason for visiting the library; good p.r. (especially if the local newspaper owner is a group member!); mental stimulation. Q: How can book clubs better utilize resources at their local libraries?

A: We've had many problems where outside groups pick books that are either brand new or are the hot item around the state for discussion groups. They become rather perturbed when we can't promise to get enough copies!

Q: Does your library offer anything special for book clubs?

A: No, although last year I attended BEA and some of the freebies I received I gave out to the group. I'm going again this year, so I plan on doing the same. (But once BEA moves out of the region again, I won't be able to attend.

Q: Do you have any horror stories, amusing anecdotes, or other tales to tell that you have heard from book clubs?

A: We had one book that no one could get through and had to cancel the discussion! (Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan). The elderly couple mentioned above judged books on the basis of "morals." I remember the woman being appalled that a character who had cheated on her husband wasn't punished by the end of the book! She also brought in a packet of information about irresponsible sex when we read another book that had a teenage character (1960s, prior to the time of AIDS) who had had sex.

Q: Are you a member of a book club? If so, what do you enjoy most about the experience from a reader's perspective? Does being in a book club enable you to better suggest both titles and discussion ideas to reading groups?

A: Yes, since I'm the library representative! From a reader's perspective, I've found some good books that I would never have picked up by myself. On the other hand, I've read some awful books that I'm sorry I had to waste my time reading!

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