Connecting Through Books

The Seminole Heights Book Group will celebrate it's fourth anniversary this October. It started when I posted an email on the OSHNA website to see if there was an interest. About ten of us showed up at Rigo's restaurant (ah, those were the days!) and a bookgroup was born. Originally, all of our members were from this area, but we now have two from north Tampa. We are an eclectic mix of women, young to middle aged, single and attached, with career histories in televison, art, anthropology, construction sales, tech data, military, teaching, physical therapy and library science. Men have been welcome guests, but none have yet to join.

In the past year we've read books such as, "House of Spirits", "The Beekeeper's Apprentice", "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking", and "The Rule of Four". Future books include "The Devil in the White City", "Cold Sassy Tree", "Revolutionary Road", and "Behind the Scenes at the Museum". Book discussions are informal and led by the person who chose the book. We rotate hosting duties. Food is potluck and ranges from simple snacks to lavish book- themed fare, depending upon the mood.

When we first gathered, only two of us had met. Now, we are friends who continue a ritual of good conversation and enlightenment through literature. We have space for a couple new members. Our meetings take place on the fourth Tuesday of the month, starting at 7:30 p.m. If you're interested email me . We also have a website, where you can view the entire book list and check out a sampling of our meeting recaps. That I know of there are two other bookgroups in Seminole Heights, one at the library and one in Hampton Terrace.