Featured Book Club: Read ‘em and Eat!!
Formed in: 1997
Number of Members: 8
Accepting New Members: By invitation, only when someone leaves
Frequency: Monthly for dinner
Location: Rotates alphabetically at member’s homes
Janice Adams, Benicia Unified Superintendent, is one of the founding members of her book club, whose name practically guarantees a good time. The “Read ‘em and Eat!!” club meets for dinner once a month for socializing and dinner. Everyone has a chance to express their opinion, and they sometimes discuss author’s questions. The group occasionally takes field trips to hear authors speak, and they once traveled to San Francisco’s Palace of the Legion of Honor to see paintings by Franz Hall after reading The Diary of Franz Hall. Sometimes meals are based on the book. “We find ways to spice it up and keep it interesting, says Adams. “We laugh a lot and enjoy each other’s company.”
The club reads mostly contemporary books, and occasionally, classics or non-fiction. The books are chosen by the hostess, sometimes after extensive research, sometimes as a recommendation from a friend. Adams says, “We’ve had lots of successes and a few bombs. I have read books I would never had chosen on my own, which is one of the best parts of belonging to the club. The other is the friendship of amazing women.”
The group recommends these favorites:
Angela’s Ashes (The Club’s first book)
Beloved
Cutting for Stone
The Language of Flowers
Middlesex
Glass Castle
Double Bind
Walk in the Woods
