BookBrowse interviews A Book Group for Women Flourishes Online about all aspects of their book club.

A Book Group for Women Flourishes Online

BookBrowse: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me about The Bibliophiles’ Book Club, Gerrie! How did your group get started?

Gerrie: After Covid, I found that the book clubs I had belonged to were gone and weren’t starting back up again. Everyone was still nervous or had moved on. I had started and successfully run in-person book clubs for many years, but over time they fell apart as people moved away, or like me started their families and just no longer had the time. I saw an article in the New York Times about an online group for women on a site called Peanut. So, I went online and joined at no cost.

BB: Can you tell us more about Peanut?

Gerrie: According to their website, “Peanut is a safe space for women to connect. The ultimate motherhood app connecting women through all stages of motherhood, helping you find your village.” They offer a lot of different services, but I was interested in their “Pod” feature, which allows live audio conversations.

BB: How did that lead to a book club?

Gerrie: I linked up with two young women who enjoyed talking books with me. They kept encouraging me to start an online book club. I had zero interest as I just couldn’t wrap my head around not actually sitting in a room with someone to talk books! The thought of fooling with a phone or a computer to make it work was, to say the very least, anathema to me. One of the young women said she would start one and I could join hers, so the three of us would be there together and one would be responsible for all the tech. She started by choosing a book we all liked and set up a podcast. As others joined, she let people who showed up pick the next book.

BB: Did you run into any problems with your new book club?

Gerrie: Yes, for sure. The person who picked a book frequently didn’t show up to the discussion of the one they selected. Often, none of the people who attended even wanted to read the books that were chosen. Some selections were such drivel I was sure the person who selected them had to have been joking.

BB: The club transitioned over to you after a time, didn’t it? How did that come about, particularly since you weren’t a fan of technology?

Gerrie: It became difficult and more of a chore than a joy for our leader. She had young children and life got hectic, and after a few months she had to stop the club. But she gave me a huge gift before she quit, though: She convinced me that I too, could start a book club. She and the other young woman I mentioned supported me as I set up my own group. Both women helped me learn to set up a podcast and navigate the site, and gave me endless encouragement.

BB: How did you move forward from there?

Gerrie: After I saw some of the issues my friend faced with her online book club, I decided I would do things in ways I had never done before - I decided that I was going to choose all the books. I felt this was a huge risk because I have ALWAYS felt it vital to have members of a book club pick the titles; It builds ownership and membership as well as offering many other necessary benefits. However, quite frankly, after seeing some of the titles people chose for the earlier group I decided there were too many books I really wanted to read and discuss with people to spend time reading books I just couldn’t stand. So… I picked the books and formed the club with the attitude, “This is what I am reading, please come and discuss it with me.” And if no one showed up? Then I had lost nothing, I had read a book I wanted to read.

BB: What does your group look like now?

Gerrie: Now that I have this core group I make a concerted effort to pick books that I feel will offer a valuable experience to everyone in the group. I will also tell you that this group, with these intelligent, insightful, amazing women, is so wonderful and dear to me that I will re-read a book just to discuss it with them – something unusual for me, as my mantra is “so many books, so little time.” I know I will be further enriched by sharing a book discussion with them, so a re-read in this case is worth my time.

BB: Do you still meet on Peanut? How does that work?

Gerrie: Yes, we still use a Peanut Pod. Everyone has their own avatar - usually it’s a small photo or image by their name - and their images show up on a line across my iPad screen. We usually take turns asking and answering questions but if it’s a smaller group than usual we do more of a freeform discussion. Sometimes you get the odd heckler who just pops in because they are bored or want to be a nuisance, but as the moderator I have a button for that! I mute them and report them, they vanish, and I move on. We meet on a Sunday evening at 9PM ET. These women pop in from the West coast, the East coast, the Midwest and all over. Our meetings usually last an hour but sometimes we go longer. While I have my core group of 5-7 regulars, we also have people join us for the first time and the group has 253 members who have signed up and can follow what we read. I post our reading list about 6 months out. The group is a wonderful mix of women over 50 and younger women. We all have children and even though our kids might not be close to the same age, this bond makes the discussion very poignant as we can all relate as mothers. Some are retired, some are stay at home moms, most work in some capacity outside the home.

BB: How do you attract and retain new members?

Gerrie: I keep the Bibliophiles’ page updated and occasionally post it on a main Book Club Page. If I see someone post that they like to read, I often send them a link to our club. People can contact me via the Peanut Bibliophiles’ page, or they are welcome to just join the podcast. It is listed every last Sunday of the month in Peanut’s podcast section. When new people join the podcast, we acknowledge them and welcome them into the group, and quickly explain how we go around the group so everyone gets to answer and ask questions.

BB: What types of books do you read?

Gerrie: Our group has a broad focus, but generally we choose books that would be labeled literary fiction or historical fiction. Just a few are There, There by Tommy Orange, Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, Great Circle Maggie Shipstead, and The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. We just finished reading The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan and had a very in-depth discussion. Trust by Hernan Diaz was another book that jumps out at me. Fire Season by Leyna Krow was another, it was so much more than it appeared on the surface, and we had a really good time peeling back the layers as a group. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is one of my favorite books, I had read it before I had introduced it to the group, and they loved it too!

One of the very best discussions, which some might find surprising, was about Tinkers by Paul Harding. We had a night where everyone had to cancel except one. So, she and I met, and we had such a thought-provoking discussion about that book, and we talked well over an hour. That is a lesson I learned a long time ago; it only takes two people to have a fantastic and meaningful discussion about a book. There is a certain thrill I get when I talk about a book/s with people who just get it, who expand my thought process, who are able to understand the concept that is sparking in my brain and bring it to a full flame. I only hope I am able to give my members the same thrill.

BB: How do you pick your books?

Gerrie: I use BookBrowse as one of my main resources for choosing books, but I also read New York Times Book Review, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc. I choose books I want to read but also those I think others will enjoy reading too.

BB: Do you feel your book club choices are evolving over time?

Gerrie: Yes, I am making a concerted effort to include a very diverse group of authors and a variety of styles. However, one of the reasons I started this group was to force myself to read books I had initially bought and then put in my stack and kept choosing around them. Which is weird since I bought the books in the first place, but sometimes I just couldn’t get in the mood for a certain book, and if I put it on the list, well then, I had to read it! This worked out exceptionally well; quite early in our history I finished a big pile!

BB: What about other book clubs? Are you or any of your members in more than just this one?

Gerrie: I am in other book clubs, and I lead our local DAR chapter’s book club. Most of my members are in at least one other book club that meets in person.

BB: Is there something in particular that makes your group special to you?

Gerrie: We have all become friends. We all text and chat about books, life, motherhood, politics etc. We care about each other, and we like each other. Many have invited me to come out and visit and when my life slows a bit, I intend to visit each of them! I’ve got one member who lives near my daughter. She told me if I didn’t hear from my daughter, she would do a “drive by” ?. We joke that if she has to, she will run over to my daughter’s place of employment, hunt her down and tell her “Your mother sent me, call her!” ?

Here’s how other members answered this questions:
Sharon: The comradery between the ladies is what makes it so special to me. They are encouraging. My favorite thing is how I feel each of us can be 100% different in our opinions and our views, but we’re listened to and accepted even if we disagree. We all respect each other.
Leah: Everyone is so thoughtful in their answers to questions, and in the questions they bring. My reading experience is always enriched by our discussions. Everyone is really lovely as well and I wish we could meet up in person!

BB: Are there any tips that you’d like to pass on to others who might be thinking of starting a book group?

Gerrie: Be organized, do some research, bring something fresh to the discussion. Prepare for the book club so that if you have someone presenting the book you can bail them out if they falter, and if you are leading it take time to present thoughtful comments and questions that will stimulate the thoughts of others. Don’t monopolize the discussion. If you can throw something out and get people excited and engaged in discussing it you have done a fabulous job. If you truly love books and enjoy sharing that love with others by hearing their thoughts about books, do it. Sharon adds “Let members have a chance to talk which this group does very well. Choose books that could be thought provoking. And if a member isn’t a fan of a book that’s 100% okay.”