Afternoon Books Interest Group
We are a small, articulate, and spirited group of AAUW members with a shared love for reading, reflection, and analysis. Male and female authors, non-fiction, fiction, dense tomes or light and frothy novels, there is so much to learn from every book and member’s viewpoint. Deliberating over a book that enthralled is a joy, but discovering unexpected appreciation from a differing perspective, especially from a book that didn’t quite ‘speak’ to you before, is pure serendipity.
Our monthly selections are available at BookSmart bookstore to purchase. If you mention this group, you will get a 10% discount.
Our Meetings
Every month, a presenter leads the discussion. Marked-up books, pages of notes, and extra research and analysis enrichening our understanding, are just par for the course at meetings. Riveting, open-ended, and honest discussions are our hallmark. Monthly attendance has always been small from the start over 15 years ago, (6-12 members), which makes it easy for everyone to contribute and be heard and delve into the depths during discussions.
Of course, we have time to catch up and socialize too. We take turns to provide light refreshments each month and have a fun holiday party with a book exchange and potluck too in December.
When and How Books Are Selected
At our June meeting, members present their recommendations of up to 3 books of a maximum of 500 pages each (we make exceptions for exceptional books). Then we vote for our favorite one from each member’s suggestions. Our yearly cycle runs July-June, with June being the month for selecting books for the following year.
P.S. We welcome new members, and are adaptable, so if we grow larger, we are ready to tweak the process. We constantly refine and burnish how we operate.
When and Where We Meet
We meet generally on the fourth Monday afternoons of the month (except May and December when we meet a week earlier) at Kathy Hansell’s home.