Long Distance Book Club

Erica Cain Thurman, ’03, is part of a new book club for friends living in four different states.

A book club of friends can be great fun, but what do you do when all your friends live miles apart? Rely on technology, of course!

Erica Cain Thurman (’03, Chattanooga, TN) and her friends are launching just such a book club this month. It’s called the Blue and Gold Book Girls and its membership is made up of young alumnae from the 2003-2004 eras: Caryn Wachenfeld (’03, Knoxville, TN), Kari Kitts Rothstein (’04, Centreville, VA), Brenda Kiekhefer Pottinger (’04, Ft. Wright, KY), and Christine Greene McCallum (’04, Raleigh, NC).

Undeterred by distance, these young women initially planned to hold their meetings via Skype, but realized it was placing limits on participation. So they’ve decided, instead, on a monthly conference call. Their first meeting is set for November 30, 2010.

The first book will be The Worn Out Woman: When Life is Full and Your Spirit is Empty by Dr. Steve Stephens & Alice Gray, and Kari Rothstein is leading the discussion.

Erica feels the conversation will be lively, “We are an outspoken group, so I know there will never be silence on the line!”

Future books will be chosen by nomination, but Erica suggested this first selection, having found it in a Charlotte airport bookstore during a layover on her recent honeymoon.

“I thought it would be something we would all enjoy,” Thurman said. “The book club actually started because we often suggest books to each other. This is a way to share them with one another.”

This particular book conveniently includes a list of discussion questions, but Erica feels that the book club members’ knowledge of each other as friends will add depth to the discussion.

“Given that we know each other pretty well, we will provide insight on how we feel the book is applicable to each other.”

The word is still out on how they’ll handle long distance refreshments.