Some groups are by invitation only, tapping waiting lists only when members die.
Others are geared toward women, or mystery lovers, or formed randomly through newspaper ads. The crowd at the New Dominion Book Shop spilled into the upper and lower staircases and the landing, after all the seats were taken, eager to hear the advice of panelists Mariflo Stephens, Mickey Pearlman, Karen Jaegerman Collins and Ruth Klippstein. I choose works that will generate a lot of talk. Pearlman, also a writer, thought her mother's 40-year book group membership was an anomaly. She discovered her assumption was wrong while interviewing people for two other book projects and seized on the opportunity.