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Book clubs allow women to socialize and share the experience of reading

BY KRISTIN MEHLER

Eagle correspondent

The handful of women sitting around a table recently at Watermark Books represented different backgrounds and lifestyles, but during the past month, they shared a common experience: They all read the book that sat in the middle of the table.

Between laughter, nods and comments about life, each brought her own experiences to a discussion about "Blind Submission" by Debra Ginsberg.

The relaxed but upbeat discussion was ultimately about life but was framed by a book about a fictional woman, Angel Robinson, that the women had come to know.

The monthly Chick Lit Book Club, which began in January 2005 and is one of several Watermark book clubs, brings women, many of whom don't know each other outside the meetings, together in conversations that dive deeper than those normally shared by strangers.

"Do you wonder why Lucy isn't married?" one woman asked about the antagonist, Lucy Fiamma.

"Want me to start a list?" came the response from another woman, sparking laughter among the group.

As this month's discussion wandered from sexy Italians to betrayal and deception to the aspirations of a young girl, the group members' differences gave way to commonalities, including a shared love of books.

Within 90 minutes, a short novel can seemingly turn strangers into friends.

A feeling of community characterizes all book clubs, Watermark owner Sarah Bagby said, "regardless if it's for mothers or neighbors or people who have just come together because they saw the book."

There is validation, she said, that comes from reading a book, bringing your own experience to it and hearing other people's experiences.

In the Internet age, in which readers can find convenience in online book clubs and discussion groups and where Oprah commands millions of reading followers, traditional book clubs like Chick Lit are flourishing.

"The experience is just to be in the physical presence of people," Bagby said.

"It just has this whole other sensual element to the experience -- a physical element."

Girls' night out

Private book clubs among friends or in neighborhoods remain popular, too.

When Jennifer Robison moved to Wichita from Chicago last summer, she made it a priority to become part of a book club. Not only would it motivate the mother of two young children to invest valuable time in reading books she otherwise wouldn't finish. But it also held potential to create deep friendships.

"I was in a really good book group in Chicago with a real tight group of women," Robison said. "When I moved to Wichita, it was actually one of my priorities to find or start a book group, for a couple reasons -- to meet women or develop deeper friendships with women."

The more she spread the idea, the more interest began to build among her new acquaintances, many of whom were neighbors in College Hill and also recently transplanted young mothers wanting to get out of the house and get to know other women.

As the book club became a reality, the small group of women found it to be not only a motivation to read, but a scheduled time to socialize as friends and to interact on a deeper and more stimulating level than shapes and alphabets.

"It's really good for me to use my mind in a different way," said group member Joanna O'Malley, who also is involved in Watermark's Chick Lit club.

"It's nice just to have adult conversations and also to have conversations about different continents and characters and places."

Different from the club that sticks rigidly to the book and literary discussion, meeting in bookstores and libraries, this type of group uses books as an excuse to have a regularly scheduled girls' night of conversation and relaxation, whether out to eat or at a member's house over drinks.

"In our book group, not everyone always reads the book," Robison said with a laugh. "The book is just a really great impetus to come up with a regular time to meet. Sometimes you talk about the book 10 or 15 minutes, sometimes longer, but inevitably, we always go off on tangents. It's a great way to read books you wouldn't otherwise read, but also just to have a standing girls' night with your girlfriends."

If you go

CHICK LIT BOOK CLUB

What: A book club that explores women's literature and is open to the public

Where: Watermark Books, 4701 E. Douglas

When: The group's next monthly meeting is at 6:30 p.m. May 12. Participants will discuss "Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America" by Firoozeh Dumas (Random House Trade, $12.95).

How much: Free

For more information, visit www.watermarkbooks.com or call 316-682-1181.

Other Watermark book clubs

Watermark provides a broad variety of book clubs, including mystery and foreign language clubs. Each club meets one night a month. Find reading selection information at the store or online at www.watermarkbooks.com. All books are available for purchase to be read before attending. All clubs are open to the public and require no advanced registration.

The Shakespeare Aloud club is scheduled to meet for an hour at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Watermark, 4701 E. Douglas, to read "Twelfth Night" aloud. No experience is required.

How to start your own book club

Interested in organizing a book club? Find tips for getting started and information about the Wichita Public Library's book club resources on Page 7.

Reach Kristin Mehler at 316-268-6562 or wichitalk@wichitaeagle.com.