We read a variety of titles and authors—usually focusing on mid-list books (vs. bestsellers) as we like books with lots of character development vs. those that are strictly plot-driven. (We love to read the latter on our own, but find there’s not much to discuss for a book group.) We read fiction and non-fiction, and both new and established authors. We particularly like books with historical or multi-cultural themes, and use on-line sources like BookBrowse.com and ReadingGroupGuides.com for recommendations. We like to experiment, so if we get an occasional dog, that’s o.k., too. It’s kind of nice to dive into a book and not know what you’re going to find. There are several that many of us never would’ve picked up on our own, that we ended up loving—Under the Banner of Heaven and The Color of Water readily come to mind. Please refer to our Book Recommendations page for a history of the books we’ve read so far to give you an idea of the diversity of our past selections.

How far in advance do you select your books, What process do you use, and who leads the book discussions?

We usually select our books 2-3 months ahead of time. We ask all Readers to come prepared to recommend a title. After hearing an overview of the book, the group then votes on which one they want to read. If the vote is particularly close, we select the top two titles, so that at any one time, we have our titles planned for 2-3 months in advance. Members purchase their own books, and although we recommend buying locally at the independent bookstore downtown, some Readers prefer to order on-line, or from another favorite book haunt. Typically, the person who suggested the book facilitates the discussion using a reading group guide. If she’s unable because of scheduling conflicts etc., another Hoodie readily volunteers.

What expectations does RITH have it its members?

One of our primary expectations is “Commitment.” This doesn’t mean you have to read every single book, or attend every single meeting—But it does help. We’re all very busy with work, school, family, travel, and other commitments, but Readers in the Hood is what each member makes it. Those who’ve read the book, and come to the meetings with good insights, comments and questions help make for richer discussions.

Members should also be prepared to volunteer to host a meeting and facilitate a book discussion about once a year—although not on the same night…Hosting consists of providing the home and some light refreshments—usually just snacks and/or dessert—and, of course, our requisite Chardonnay. Facilitators lead the discussion and often use their creativity to devise games, costumes, and other value-added extras (like videos and pictures) to enliven the meeting experience.

Our main member expectation, however, is “Just have fun!”

What makes RITH different from your typical Book Club?

We passionately believe in group involvement, strong communication and having fun while celebrating books. Therefore, we pay attention to group dynamics, utilize email and newsletters, and sometimes (usually about twice a year) go over-the-top doing book-theme-related fun things. For example, when we read The Secret Life of Bees, we all wore hats like the ‘Daughters of Mary’, the hostess served food from the book—laced with honey, of course—and sent us home with our own miniature jars of ‘Madonna Honey.’ And when we read The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters, we dressed in pastels, and wore our own princess tiaras—just like the sisters in the book. We also enjoy inviting author’s to our book discussions—check out our Celebrations page for some of our favorites.

So, although we love a rich book discussion, we are more about member involvement than intellectualism; we prefer stimulating versus stuffy conversation; and above all, we stand for provocative partying instead of pompous pretentiousness.

Please check in with us often to see what crazy thing we’re up to next…

To contact our Communications Coordinator, click here.