Leslie Pugmire Hole • Spokesman staff
They meet in back rooms, in church basements and private homes. Some are old, some are young and most are somewhere in the middle. A few are rich, many are struggling and some are just getting by.
They all share one common interest: a love of reading.
Yes, the great American tradition of book clubs is alive and well in the high desert.
“Different groups function differently,” says Brad Smith of Redmond’s Paulina Springs Books. “Some are very social in nature and made up of groups of friends or coworkers. I know many people who belong to more than one book club because each one offers something different.”
Many area book clubs are populated by a predominance of retirees – not because younger folks don’t like to read but because they have less time to sit around and talk about it.
The Eagle Crest Outback club fits the typical profile. Named for its membership of retirees who mostly live on the west slopes of Eagle Crest, the Outbacks count more than 25 members, with an average of a dozen members at every meeting.
“We have so many members that if we ever had the entire group show up at a single meeting we’d have issues with space,” says member Kathy Kuhl. “We’ve even talked about possibly breaking the club into smaller groups. When you get this large, you tend to have some hard-core readers who want more substantial books and others who enjoy lighter reading.”
Initially, when there were fewer Outbacks , members suggested titles to read and the membership voted on the final selections. This year, they opted to form a committee to vet nominations and make the final selection, but the jury is still out on whether everyone liked the change.
“I haven’t heard complaints yet but it’s early,” says Kuhl. “My personal philosophy is you shouldn’t have to read a book you don’t like; however, I started one of our books and didn’t finish it because I didn’t like it. But when I heard so many great things about it during our discussion I went back and read it, and ended up enjoying it very much. ”
Her current mission is to persuade more members to host the group for meetings and lead the discussion. The Outbacks have been meeting for four years, September through June, with one summer meeting that functions as more of a social event, with casual discussion of good “beach reads.”
According to Kuhl, her club tries to read at least one classic a year and steers away from politics and religion in discussions.
“It’s important to keep the discussion on ideas and not let it get personal,” she says. “We try to be well-rounded in our book picks but imagine getting 20 women to agree on anything.”
Eagle Crest Outbacks
2nd Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
541-504-1289
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The Shrieking Violets are another Eagle Crest club, a group of about 13 mostly retirees.
“If you knew our group, you’d know the name fits,” says member Chris Gross. “We have so much fun we have to remember to talk about the book.”
The group formed about two years ago, with many members newcomers to Central Oregon.
“Many of us wanted to meet people and make connections,” says Gross, who stresses that the Violets aren’t restricted to Eagle Crest residents.
They read about a book a month, with members taking turns suggesting titles. While there isn’t universal agreement about book selections, most members are open to new ideas, Gross says.
“One of the first books we read was 'Eat, Pray, Love’ and nearly to a person we all thought it was one of the most self-serving, me, me, me books we had ever read – but maybe because that’s because we’re older (than the author).”
Early on there was discussion of inviting men into the club but that was soon nixed.
“We did discuss it, but the more we thought about it the more we thought 'Why do that?’” Gross laughs.
Shrieking Violets
3rd Tuesdays
541-548-8990
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Although the Book Lusters typically meets monthly for brown bag lunches and casual discussion, during their last meeting they were inspired by their topic book. “Luncheon of the Boating Party,” to go all out.
Eight of their 14 members showed up in full 19th century Parisian costume, dining on quiche and champagne while chatting about the fictional account of Renoir’s famous Impressionistic painting.
“What’s fun about our community is we’re from all over and everyone can bring our backgrounds, viewpoints and knowledge to the discussions,” says member Joan Sheets.
Lusters gathers annually to nominate book titles and vote for that year’s picks.
“We haven’t ever picked a dullard but some are better for discussion than others,” she says.
Susan Vreeland’s book seems to fall into the latter. While nibbling truffles during their last meeting, the Lusters talked about art, hedonism, convention, food, French culture and tradition and how society viewed artists – then and now.
“We try to get a balance in the books we read,” says Sheets. “We try not to read anything too trendy – no Oprah books or Danielle Steel for us. If we pick something political, we try to read books from both sides.”
Book Lusters
541-548-4244
3rd Thursdays
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The official name of the book club is “The Seekers” but Nancy Smith amuses herself by thinking of the group as The Heretics.
“Our books tend to be on the cutting edge of faith,” she explains. “We believe in a historical Jesus and think the church should move into the 21st century.”
Most of The Seekers are members of the Redmond Community Presbyterian Church, although not representative of the whole congregation.
“When we first started we had some people attend but they didn’t return, it wasn’t a good fit for them,” says Smith. “But that’s OK because some of them started their own book club.”
The Seekers have read “Jesus for Non-Believers” and “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time” and will be beginning “The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer” soon.
The club is open to members from outside the church – in fact, Smith welcomes the idea.
“We don’t have all the answers, we just have a different view of how the early church changed the message of Jesus,” says Smith. “We have a spectrum of beliefs that take us on our journey but we love each other.”
The Seekers
Last Tuesdays
541-548-5004
snoopysmith_7@msn.com
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When Belinda Hampton moved to Redmond six years ago, she didn’t know of any book clubs in the area so she started her own with friends and friends of friends.
BBC, or Belinda’s Book Club as members jokingly call it, has been meeting four years and averages about 10 members. They meet in homes for the most part, with the occasional get-together in restaurants or wine bars. Once a year they have a weekend retreat.
“We didn’t read at all, only talked,” Hampton says with a laugh.
The group takes turns suggesting book titles and tries to get a good mix, she said.
“Sometimes you can get into a rut with what you read,” says Hampton. “With a book club you surprise yourself sometimes by what you end up liking. We’re all very open to suggestions and are aware we can’t pick a perfect book every time. Even if someone picks a book we don’t like, we can have a great discussion about how much we hated it.”
The club often relies on suggestions from Paulina Springs bookstore staff, saying “they haven’t steered us wrong yet.” The store works with BBC and other clubs to order titles in sufficient quantities for their membership.
BBC has also tried to keep it local, reading at least one title by a local author every year and asking the author to visit the club.
Its membership is varied, with working and retired members of all ages, says Hampton.
“I think the reason we’ve been meeting so long is because we’re casual and fun; no one’s afraid to own up to making a bad choice. Our mindset is there’s always something to discuss.”
BBC
Last Wednesdays
541-923-4276
bthampton4@msn.com
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Redmond Library has its own book clubs for the community. One club tailored for homeschool students has proven so popular it can’t accept any new members right now.
“Good Chair, Great Books” meets monthly during the week and averages around a half-dozen attendees. According to Renee Borys, public service specialist with the library, a title is chosen every month and extra copies are on hand for check-out, typically a mix of fiction and non fiction.
Members bring lunch and meet in the multi-purpose room of the library for discussion; members are a mix of retirees and people on their lunch hour or day off, said Borys.
Next spring, the library is considering kicking off a book club for teens if there is enough interest, said librarian Mercedes Hubbard.
Good Chair, Great Books
2nd Thursday, noon
541-312-1063
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