What’s in a name?

Do you participate in a book discussion group, whether online or in person?  Does your group have a name?  What’s the story behind the name?  What were you looking for – Alliteration (Bev’s Busy Book Babes)? Identification (The Second Tuesday Reading Group)?  Affiliation (Unity High School Book Club)?

I’ve belonged to three book group over the years, groups that get together regularly (usually over wine, cheese, and other tasty treats!).  Even if the group doesn’t have an “official” name, I find that I give each group a nickname, so I can more readily identify it in my calendar.

Back in Connecticut I joined the Newcomers’ Pageturners non-fiction book group (there was also a Fiction Book Group and a parent-child group with the clever name Reading Rascals).  After several years of being affiliated with Newcomers, Pageturners broke off (no longer “new!”) and started meeting independently.  We usually just called ourselves “book group” (you know, like “the president”, no further identification necessary).  One summer we were discussing Reading Lolita in Tehran and adopted Nabokov’s Upsilamba! as our moniker.  It didn’t really stick, but my e-mail distribution list for this great group of women is still titled Upsilamba.

We moved to Massachusetts last year and I started inquiring around the neighborhood about interest in starting a book group.  Fourteen members strong, we’re Rev Road Readers in my distribution list.

I’ve also joined a group with a group of women from our church (abbreviated TriCon Book Group).

Looking back I confess a preference for the alliterative names, and I have a soft spot in my heart for the rallying cry of “Upsilamba!”.

What’s in a name?  Share your story here!