Book Club Celebrates 200th Read
In January, we received a letter detailing a book group that has been meeting for more than twenty years. They sent us their selections for 2022, and we were amazed to learn that we had inspired a diverse year of reading. We were lucky to get the chance to interview group member Ginny Hipple, who put together the group’s reading list after perusing a Bas Bleu catalog.
We hope that, like us, you’ll find inspiration in this incredible group. And if you have similar stories, please share them by emailing [email protected] or writing us at 150 E Ponce de Leon Ave, Suite 440, Decatur, GA 30030.
BB: How did the book group begin? How has it changed over time?
Our book group was started by an associate pastor at our church in the fall of 2000 or 2001. At first we met every week, reading a predetermined number of pages or chapters. We changed to meeting twice a month, then eventually settled on reading the book in its entirety prior to meeting once a month. We read ten books a year (taking off July and December), meeting on the last Wednesday of the month. The associate pastor moved, another woman kept the group together, and I became the leader with our 35th book. When the book group began, we just happened to be people who attended the same church. There were a few men initially but after reading a decidedly feminine book, we lost the guys. Every once in a while now a spouse will join in. Through the years, real connections and friendships have developed. We currently have a group of about 24-25 women ranging in age from late 20s to their 80s.
BB: You pulled together an amazing collection of Bas Bleu recommendations for your 2022 meetings, centered around the theme of “various roles and positions of women during different time periods.” Why did this particular theme strike a chord?
We have chosen our books in various ways over the years. When I began to think about what to read in 2022, the Bas Bleu catalog arrived. As I read the synopses of your book offerings, I noticed female protagonists in different time periods and different roles and thought it might be fun to use that as a theme and compare and contrast to watch the evolution of women’s place in society. I proposed the idea to the group and they voted for it.
BB: What have your anniversary celebrations looked like over the years? How did you land on American Cake for your 200th celebration?
January was our 200th read. I wanted to mark this significant milestone with something special. For our 50th read, we met with the author. For our 100th book, we Skyped with the author in California (it was “new” technology then), and for the 150th, a travel agent created an itinerary for us to travel to Tunisia where the story took place; we pretended to travel there, sat down for a meal of Tunisian cuisine, discussed the book (The Tremor of Forgery), and then a hand writing expert gave a presentation on how to analyze handwriting. What could we do for the 200th? Thankfully another Bas Bleu catalog arrived and I found American Cake by Anne Byrn. We’ve read many different genres but had not read a cookbook. What better way to celebrate than with cake? American Cake was a fascinating read on the history of cake baking in America.
Our ladies met the idea enthusiastically. The 200th celebration was an event and had all the makings of a great birthday party. The decorations were snowmen and snowflakes. Around the room, there were eight tables with 25 books each, information, memorabilia, and pictures. A “Passport” booklet with 25 questions and activities created a journey to remember and reflect on all our reads. There was also a world map and book titles with instructions to pin a title to the story’s setting, illustrating how we have traveled the globe and been to all seven continents with our reading. Each person received a gift, a packet of Novel Teas (five tea bags with literary sayings). And of course there was cake! We enjoyed Cowboy Cake, Boston Crème Pie, Lady Baltimore Cake, Burnt Leather Cake, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Dione’s Chocolate Roulade Cake, Orange Chiffon Cake, The Wacky Cake, Pink Champagne Cake, Coffee Angel Cake, Tunnel of Fudge Cake, Cola-Cola Cake, Italian Cream Cake, Silver Palate Carrot Cake, and Chocolate Earthquake Cake. Our readers are great bakers! What an evening we had!
Right: The book group meeting with author Anita Diamant for their 50th read
The group’s 200th American Cake celebration
BB: In February, how did you celebrate Anna Downes’s The Safe Place?
I kept the cake theme for our February discussion. I wrapped the edges of tiered cake pans with construction paper, wrote questions on heart shaped papers inserted around the edges like cake decorations and we “unfrosted” the cake as we discussed the book. We loved this thrilling read!
The February meeting was also the day after my birthday. When we finished discussing The Safe Place, the ladies surprised me with a cake and presents! A prized, treasured possession is a photo book from our 200th celebration with pictures of all the cakes and the group and at the back they wrote lovely notes to me! Our book group is an amazing group of wonderful people!
Excerpts from Ginny’s photo book
BB: What have some of your favorite meetings been over the years?
The books have given us a language to connect with one another. Over the years, we’ve bonded and created relationships, so sometimes it’s just the joy of getting together, but we’ve had various activities to keep it interesting. On two separate occasions we had a progressive supper at a nearby retreat and conference center. Everyone was to read a children’s book and any other book of their choosing. We gathered on an outside patio for appetizers and discussed the children’s book, moved into the dining room for a lovely meal, and half the group gave a presentation on the book they chose to read. Finally we moved to another space for dessert, where the rest of the group shared the book they read. One October we read a mystery, had a potluck supper and came in costume, something related to the book. We’ve read a working draft copy of a book and had a day long adventure to Martha’s Vineyard, the story’s setting. We had lunch with the author, discussed the book and visited Split Rock, a large erratic boulder on one of the beaches and the title of the book. The book was published and we traveled there again the next summer, met with the author and had our books autographed. We’ve also enjoyed meeting with other authors, both in person and via video. One member has a beach house and we’ve been there in the summer for potluck suppers, scavenger hunts, and “beach reads.”
Left: Author Holly Hodder Eger signing her book Split Rock for a book group member
Several years ago, we read The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright, another Bas Bleu offering. In the novel, a couple dies and their adult children gather to grieve and prepare for the funeral. They discover boxes and boxes of letters. Unbeknownst to them, their father had written to their mother every Wednesday since their wedding night. In the reading of the letters, the story gets told, and a family secret is revealed. For our discussion, I brought in note paper and we drew names to write each other a note and read them aloud. One woman wrote to her recipient, “Perhaps this will be your first Wednesday letter.” Lightbulb for me! I have a friend who spends winters away in a warmer climate. I decided to write her a letter every Wednesday while she’s gone. She in turn has written to me! We’ve been doing it for several years now. You never know where reading a book will lead!
The book group reading an advanced proof of Split Rock
BB: What have some of your favorite books been over the years?
There have been so many wonderful books, it’s hard to pick favorites. A definite winner last year was The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. One of my mantras is: “Part of being in a book group is to be challenged to read something you wouldn’t necessarily pick up and read on your own.” There have been times when I didn’t feel particularly excited about a book we were going to read, but I read it and loved it, or was trudging through a book, not wanting to finish it, but plugged away and ended up liking it in the end.
BB: How have your book group recommendations driven your personal literary tastes?
We’ve read such a wide variety of books from classics and Pulitzer Prize winners to nonfiction and biographies, to spiritual, fantasy and current bestsellers. We read a number of books on World War II that so distressed us we put a moratorium on books about that time period. We have been fortunate to read well-written books, so if I read one that isn’t of the same caliber, I find it to be a real disappointment.
BB: What is your process for selecting books? Is it fairly democratic?
At first we’d settle on the next read when we finished the most recent one. Now we pick the books for the whole year and put out a list before the Christmas holidays. We have chosen what to read in numerous ways: someone makes a suggestion; we put together some ideas and vote on the winners; we identify ten categories where each person can make a suggestion on an index card with a brief synopsis and we randomly drew out a title; and last year each month was given a direction. For example: chose a book with a color in the title, chose a book written before 1900, choose a book that was also a movie… We try to be creative and allow everyone to participate in the process of choosing.
BB: How did the pandemic affect your meetings? Was it comforting or more difficult to have that semblance of routine and structure while navigating the unknown?
Despite restrictions from the pandemic, we managed to keep together. We met on Zoom, tried a hybrid session (in person and on Zoom), and have moved to a larger, more open meeting space wearing masks. For the 200th celebration with cake we brought take home containers for samples to be eaten at home for those uncomfortable removing masks and eating at the party.
BB: The book group was recently featured in the Wilmington Town Crier. What’s next for you, now that you’ve achieved local fame?
Our book group enjoyed a front page picture and article in our town paper about our 200th celebration. When I shared with the group about my correspondence with Bas Bleu one woman asked, “We’re getting famous, what’s next?” An eighty-year-old woman in the group responded, “We aren’t going to do a naked calendar are we?” (Think 2003 movie Calendar Girls with Helen Mirren.) There were gales of laughter! I suspect we’ll just keep reading and enjoying one another’s company.
BB: Thank you so much for your time and inspiration, ladies! What fun.
Right: The group’s 200th celebration…with cake!
Loving this list? Find the titles here:
American Cake by Anne Byrn
The Safe Place by Anna Downes
The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
The Barbizon by Pauline Bren
Come Fly the World by Julia Cooke
Tisha as told to Robert Specht
A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier
The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslein Charles