In late summer, Shane-Malcolm Billings, one of the librarians at the Charles M. Bailey Public Library in Winthrop, organized a book group, with September being the starting month. I like reading just as much as I like eating, and with a slight hesitation, I signed up to be part of the group. My hesitation stemmed from the fact that I was diagnosed with breast cancer in late summer, and I knew I’d have surgery in September. A busy time, to say the least, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel or look. But I decided to give it a try, figuring I could always drop out of the group if I didn’t feel up to it.

What a good decision to join this group. As it turned out, I didn’t have chemotherapy, and aside from being tired, I felt pretty well. In addition, book group gave me something positive to focus on—it sure beat thinking about cancer—as each month we read a challenging book and then had a discussion about it.

Aside from Shane, the group comprises about twelve women with varying opinions on the books we’ve read—Strangers at the Feast by Jennifer Vanderbes, The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen, The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall, and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Differing opinions, of course, make the group lively, and there was an especially lively discussion about Cutting for Stone, a book about doctors set in both Ethiopia and the United States. (At book group, a question has emerged over the past few months: Do readers need to like the characters in a novel in order to like the book?)

With all the women in the group, Shane might be outnumbered, but he never seems overwhelmed. His wit, his love of good literature, his good humor, and his outgoing personality help keep him from being overpowered by so many women with strong opinions.

Over the months, I have really come to look forward to book group, to hearing what Shane has to say about the books—sometimes I pop into the library to have a little pregroup chat with him—and what the others have thought. Therefore, for the December meeting, I volunteered to bring refreshments. I figured it was a way to give something to a group that has given me so much.

I made crackers using half unbleached flour and half whole-wheat flour from Aroostook County; a cream cheese spread with olives and rosemary; and toffee bars topped with semi-sweet chocolate and walnuts. For balance, I brought apple cider and clementine oranges. I was gratified to see everyone dig right in, that this book group has good eaters as well as good readers. There were few leftovers, and nothing can be more pleasing to a cook than empty plates.

So thank you, Shane, and thank you, book group. I look forward to 2011’s books and discussions. Speaking of which…our January book is Exley by Brock Clarke, who teaches at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He will be speaking at Bailey Library on January 11—a week before book group meets. It will a bonus to hear him speak about the book before we discuss it.