LitClub:  The O2 Gals
Syracuse, Nebraska

What does it mean to be "oxygenated"?
We take in plenty of O2 to keep ourselves "oxygenated" so we can meet all the demands placed on us as mothers or working women or both. If we can't replenish ourselves, we can't possibly be successful at helping our children, family, friends—all the responsibilities we take on.

You've been in existence for 10 years. How did you get started?
A group of us read Nicholas Sparks' Message in a Bottle way back when...and then went to see the movie. We had so much fun talking about the book and film that we got to thinking...and here we are.

So how many heavy breathers do you have?
Altogether, we have 18, but there's a core of eight or so who come to every meeting—whether they've read the book or not. Fine by us: the more the merrier, that's how we see it.

Well, tell us what you've read.
Here's a list of our recent books:

Peyton Place
50 Shades of Grey (the trilogy)
Summer House
100 Year Old Man Who Jumped
   Out the Window and...
Devil in the White City
Testimony
Sarah's Key
Where'd You Go Bernadette?
Charles Starkweather

Any all-time favorites?
We particularly like books that show personal struggles and interesting life choices. Some of our favorites include...
Red Tent
Good Earth
Sarah's Key
11-22-6
Charles Starkweather

Have any disappointed you?
Not really. Being in a book club gets a person out of the rut of reading the same types of books. We all like different types.

How do you make your selections?
Usually just by suggestions of the members. Sometimes we talk more about the book we are going to read than the book we just read! :)

How about special activities.
We try to do several field trips a year. One of them was inspired by the book on Charles Starkweather, a killer in the late 1950's who went on a murder spree. He killed 11 people in Nebraska, terrorizing the whole state. Our parents were teenagers during his rampage, so we've grown up hearing their stories and how, as families, they protected themselves. We decided to visit a few of the addresses where some of the murders took place, and we ended up at his grave. It was quite a day. (See photos.)

What's the photo with all of you holding flower paintings?
For our 10-year anniversary we went out to dinner to celebrate and then off to the Corky Canvas to try our hand at painting. We discovered buried talents we didn't even know we had! (See photos.)

Is there anything else about your group you'd like to share?
When we formed 10 years ago, we each chose a particular word to live our lives by. As the time passed, as our children grew, and our relationships grew, the words changed. Every now and then, each of us reevaluates our word and adopts a new one that better fits our life.