They’ve turned the page on early life and know how to have fun. It’s Thursday night. They drink wine together. They read together. They venture into new experiences together, but mostly, they share their lives.
They call themselves the Read (pronounced “red”) Winers and, true to their name, each month they read a new book and taste and learn about wine. “In the beginning we called ourselves Book/Wine Club. Boring!” says one of the founding members, Ruth Ann Pauley. It took a few gatherings for the group to come up with the better moniker, and because one member was not a red wine fan and was whining about it, the name Read Winers seemed all the more appropriate.
It all began six years ago with two co-workers at Weaver Lake Elementary who liked to read. They invited women they knew who shared their interest in books, wine and laughter to join the group. Additional members didn’t always know one another, but they took care of that detail fairly quickly. The ladies range in age from late 40s to mid-70s, and they’ve settled on keeping it at no more than 15 members to assure that “everyone has a chance to contribute,” explains early member Jami Haugstad.Contribution is a key element with this group. Haugstad explains that the hostess gets to choose the book for the month and everyone else signs up to bring food or a bottle of wine for tasting (three white and three red). Ladies who bring wine also share a little about the wine such as the history of the winery, the type of grapes used, pairings with food, tasting notes, etc.
“Sometimes we try to see what we smell and taste in the wine and then compare to the tasting notes,” Haugstad says.
“Some nights we laugh so hard my face hurts,” says member Terry Derksen. Their monthly Thursdays can be a lot of fun, but at the heart of the group, there lies a book. Pauley says, “My husband does not believe we actually read a book, let alone discuss it.”
But, after six years, this group has indeed read and discussed more than 60 books. “It’s been fun because there are many books that we’ve read that I never would have chosen on my own, and I’ve absolutely loved them,” Derksen says.
The group tends to pick historical fiction in which they can learn something new, or they land on authors who include social issues in their narrative or “books with good character development,” says founding member Colleen Steele, adding that these types of books tend to spark great discussion.
“We joke that these evenings are like a therapy session, but in reality they are. Our girls have weathered some storms, both big and small, through the years and we have been a source of support for each other,” Steele explains.
Moving through the ups and downs of life can be a lot easier anchored by a group of friends and a monthly date you can count on. “Even my family knows that they should avoid planning something on ‘Mom’s Book Club Night’, says another early member, Dawn Caven. “This is my time to spend with a delightful group of women. We have shared happy and sad times together. We have laughed until we have cried. It is the best remedy for our busy lives.”
Join the Discussion as the Read Winers react to A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. The club will read the book this month and meet to discuss it in December. Read their initial thoughts and add your own to the running thread at maplegrovemag.com/bookclub discussion in January.
Favorite Books
Jami Haugstad
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
“It addressed death with dignity. We read this around the time that Brittany Maynard ended her own life in Oregon and we had an interesting discussion about this timely topic.”
The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang.
“Yang immigrated to St. Paul with her family when she was 6 and describes her family’s experience from Laos to the refugee camps of Thailand to the United States. I wanted to learn more, so I did a lot of reading online about the Vietnam war and the effects on the Hmong people. I teach first grade and felt this book gave me a better understanding of the Hmong families that are a part of our school community.”
Terry Derksen
“The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford and Molokai by Alan Brennert were both based on historical events that I never knew about and found fascinating.”
Colleen Steele
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
“That is a book that I may not have read on my own, but I’m happy to have read it. A great story, but difficult to read at times because it is based on a true story.”
Fun-n-Games
The Read Winers know how to enjoy a good read as well as reveling in one another’s company. Besides pontoon rides, pool parties, and summer sipping on the patio, this group does a Christmas gift exchange. They also share the fun of simple games.
“Once, we all brought [to the club meeting] receipts from a local liquor store that was supposedly putting the birth dates of the customers on the receipts. It was a riot seeing what was guessed.” says Terry Derksen. “We gave prizes for the youngest and the oldest birthdays given,” adds Colleen Steele.
