The club, begun in the early 1980s by women who were supporters of the Howard County library, has a core of about a dozen members, mostly retirees. Over the years, there have been a number of deaths of members or their spouses. "Each time, we collect some money and ask the library to purchase books that the person was interested in. The library puts bookplates in those books. It's hard. But we talk about … what the person liked," says Nancy Berla.  

Selections tend to be novels, though the club has read non-fiction, poetry and short stories. One annual theme was Pulitzer Prize winners.

Now reading: The Good Priest's Son by Reynolds Price
 
Liked a lot: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.
 
Not so much: Everyman by Philip Roth, The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian

Read Street features book club profiles on Mondays and Thursdays.