Book clubs can expand your reading horizons or pique your interest in reading. They stimulate thinking, get you out of the house and introduce new friends. Each new book can open new worlds, entertain, educate or soothe. Reading even can keep your brain young! The conversation at the book club meeting will shed new light, create fellowship, inform and delight. Heck, book clubs may be the answer to all the world's problems!

So, what is a book club? Each group will select a book to discuss, read the book and then meet to discuss it. There are no dues, fees or actual membership requirements. Just read the book and come to the meeting (in fact, we're happy to see you at the meeting even if you haven't read the book).

What happens at the meeting? At most of our book clubs, participants will bring a pupu to share. We have a facilitator on the book and author or subject. We talk and eat; cats frolic.

How do you choose the books? Each group is slightly different. We usually put forward suggestions and then either the group votes or we come to a consensus.

Who's job is to keep the conversation flowing and ask (what we hope are) meaningful questions. The facilitator will also usually research background.

What if I don't have time that month? If you can't read the book that month, you're welcome to come to the meeting anyway. (The discussion will either make you want to read the book or glad you didn't!) If you can't make a meeting, no worries; we don't take attendance or keep score. No one can make every one; just come when you can.

What if I hate the book? The goal is for most of us to like the book selected most of the time, but one of the best reasons for book clubs is to expand our reading scope. If I don't occasionally dislike one of our selections, then we probably haven't pushed ourselves enough. Plus, the best discussions are those when there is a variety of opinion about the book; it's not nearly as much fun when we all agree! (By the way, Brenda and I met at a book club where we disagreed (and still disagree) about the book "House of Sand and Fog". She hates it; I love it.)

We welcome other book clubs to meet on our lanai; call us if your group needs somewhere to meet.