Novel Women
Book Club

Reading List

Located in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Novel Women began in 1996. Our group has changed somewhat over the years, but six of the women are the originals. When we formed, we made an outline of a few things to keep the meetings running smoothly--like keeping the group to a maximum of 10 - presently we have eight members, who fill a person's house quite nicely-- and asking everyone to arrive on time and to finish reading the book. These basic rules help us run smoothly.

We meet the second Wednesday of every month except July and August. Over the summer months we try to pick a longer novel as we have more time to read. One person will host the evening and another will lead the discussion. The leader is the person whose book we are reading that month.

Discussions vary widely depending upon the leader and her style. One thing the leader does try to do is to keep everyone on topic and also to make sure everyone has a chance to give some input to the discussion. Our discussions are usually very lively as our group is full of unique women.

After the discussion we feast on appetizers and desserts that our host has prepared.

The method we use to choose our books is to have everyone bring two selections that she would like to read. Everyone presents her books and then we vote on their two selections, so that we read something that each member would like. We have one person collect $15.00 from each person at each meeting and she buys the books for all of us. By buying in bulk we sometimes get a discount at the book shops.

The women in our group vary greatly but have the love of books in common. Some are working on their careers, some are retired. Some members have toddlers, some school-age children, and yet others are grandmothers, which gives very interesting points of view. It is neat to see it from another side. Although we only see each other once a month, the evening flies by as we talk and laugh.