You are all so wonderful. Kath started me out with some great suggestions and the rest of you are equally brilliant. Let me see if I can add more info. We don't get LOTS of snacks, but we get some GOOD snacks. I like the idea of everyone bringing a plate or a snack. That seems a fair compromise. Our reading is a bit limited due to our shared interests: the books must be based in the UK - from Beowulf to Bridget Jones, but they must be based in the UK. I think it is limited, but perhaps not by that much. The members all tell me that it is just lovely and fantastic and wonderful but yet... but yet... commitment is a big problem. Jan mentioned charging. Since it isn't really a class and we have no handouts at all, I don't think that will work too well. I can see how paying for something increases the level of commitment, but I honestly think it would be viewed in a negative manner. It is a rather small community and most of these folks I see on a regular basis on a social level or at the schools. cece and bookmom both suggested that we meet in restaurants. This idea is simply grand. I will approach everyone and see how they feel about it. It would definitely take a lot of pressure off of the hostess. And we could order food/drinks if we wanted them or not. And, like bookmom said, the hostess's family wouldn't be umm, interferring. Time of day is an issue. We have three stay at home moms who gave up professional jobs to raise kids. And two women who work full time. Daytime meetings aren't really an option at this point with our current members. And interestingly enough, it's not just the moms that show up or just the moms that don't respond, it's everyone. I think at this point, I'd be just as happy if people showed up who have not read the book just to have people attend. Maybe I am just too "into" reading and for the others it is more of a hobby, something they do IF they have time. I MAKE time for reading in my day. I do not know how they feel about books and reading, I only know how I feel about books and reading. Perhaps it's not that they aren't committed, but perhaps I am overly committed. (I am going TO BE committed if I keep over-analyzing this, aren't I??) Do your book clubs have commitment problems? I know some of you mentioned that your members are commited and that you hound the ones that don't show up.. that's hilarious! I envy that very much. My other book club seems more commited... the books are worse, but the level of commitment is greater. We all get along really well when we finally do get together. I think the biggest problem is the commitment to the club. For example, the meeting is tonight. I've heard from one person to say whether or not she'll be here (she won't be attending as she's out of town.) From the others, nothing but silence. Like Liz, I am the instigator. I started it all. It is my fault that the ground rules were specific about books, but not...

Hi Carolyn -- It's good to be remembered. I guess I just got busy. We moved (downsized) in 2011 and yet we still have two storage areas of "stuff" to go through, and, I hope, get rid of. And I waste too much time on Facebook. I still check in here on occasion, though, to see how you all are doing and what you are reading. I'll try to check in more often. Reading books for two book clubs and reading my own choices in between keeps me busy reading. But like all of you, I love it. Sorry to hijack you thread, Paula. Just to bring us back to the topic I will post some of last year's book club reads. :-) 2013 List - It was a pretty good year. CalebâÂÂs Crossing by Geraldine Brooks Heft by Liz Moore Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Wild by Cheryl Strayed The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen Gone Girl and/or Psychopath Test The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar Blame by Michelle Huneven The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Hi Lisa - I've been in a book group since 1995, so we have read over a hundred books. I do try to keep some ratings of the books we read, but I'm not always up to date. And not all the books we've read have been rated. But according to my records, here are some of our favorites - based on how much we enjoyed reading them and how discussable they were (not necessarily in any order): A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving Bean Trees - Barbara Kingsolver A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood A Yellow Raft in Blue Water - Michael Dorris The Girls - Lori Lansens Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks Some that haven't been rated but were group favorites were: Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner Because of Winn Dixie - Kate DiCamillo (a YA book) Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri Peace Like a River - Leif Enger To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Also, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, received a perfect 5 out of 5 from all of those who read it. Much of this is pretty standard book club fare, which is what my book group seems to prefer. The above books were not necessarily my favorites, although I agreed with many of the ratings. If I were to list my faves, they would be (not in any order): Sarah Canary - Karen Joy Fowler (Surprise!) Cider House Rules - John Irving East of Eden - Steinbeck Smilla's Sense of Snow - Peter Hoeg Motherless Brooklyn - Jonathan Lethem House of Sand and Fog - Andre Dubus Montana 1948 - Larry Watson Life of Pi - Yann Martel (close to the top of my list) Each book group has it's own personality, just as individuals do. Over time, you will discover you group's personality and will learn the types of books that work and the type that don't work. Good luck ... and happy reading and discussing.

Thank you all for sharing! So many of you have mentioned excellent books that I had not mentioned. The Historian, for example. Others, like Kristin Lavransdatter, I still want to read, have gone through the trouble to buy, and look at them every now and again as they wait patiently on my shelf. Frieda, I have read Collapse and found it hard to put down. That book formed the basis for many side books into the societies mentioned therein. I have Guns, Germs, and Steel; see note in above paragraph re: books waiting patiently. As for 1491, I KNOW I read it. I remember bits of it, but cannot find it listed in my book journal. I have searched back to 2001 and found nothing. This is odd as I find a perverse sort of satisfaction logging a book into my journal. I also read Tony Horwitz's A Voyage Long and Strange (only 445 pages)which covers a bit of the same ground, but I do not believe I am confusing the two books. annpan, your post made my laugh. You've been robbed! Love it! I recently read the new Elizabeth George book. Most of her Lynley titles are doorstops. But I cannot truly put any of them on a "fan club" list. They were okay, some better than others, but nothing I truly remember, nothing that was thought-provoking. And this last one felt choppy, disconnected, and just plain "off". PAM