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Based in Houston, Texas, this book club has no name, hence the use of the moniker 'www.HoustonBookClub.com'. It was started in 1989 by Rita K. and Beannie B., though I (Louis Hemmi) am now the most senior member, joining in 1991.

I met Rita when I worked for ENRON, and we have had several members who have worked for ENRON.

We are all on journeys through life, and our paths intersect to discuss books, and share each others life events, interests, and concerns.
MEMBERSHIP
Our ideal number of members is six, and we prefer if possible to have about half male, and half female. We find that enjoyment and perception of books varies quite a bit by gender. We vote on a topic, and stay on that topic for six months, unless there are objections. Click here for pictures, starting with past members at the top, and current members near the bottom of the page.
Since we prefer to remain so small, there is a very slim chance at any given moment that we are ready to have a new member. Once a group gets to be over six, it becomes a burden on the host to provide silver, china, crystal, food, parking, etc. We like having a sit-down dinner, and don't want to go the "buffet with paper plates" route, and we work all day, so it's not practical to get us to skip dinner.
Each month, a member agrees to host the club meeting. This involves providing dinner and buying a copy of the book for each member. The host is the one who is buying the NEXT book, so he/she doesn't moderate the discussion. We each pay the host for the books, and the cost varies widely, depending on the book, whether used, etc. I usually buy on the Internet, because I get a better price for six books than locally. We've read used, new, paperback, hardback, trade paperback, etc. We have not yet read an e-book, but it's a possibility.
That privilege belongs to the person who selected the current book that we have spent the last month reading. This member moderates the discussion, asking members what their impressions were, favorite characters, what they'll come away with, etc.
We also discuss other topics, since we've become friends, though it's not a requirement. By each of us taking turns hosting and book buying, we each only have to take an active role once every six months. This works out better for us, as we don't each have to scour the city looking for a book every month. If you don't have a place to host the meeting, we may consider your using someone else's place, or a restaurant.

We have met at the famous Michelangelo's on Westheimer (across the street from 'Numbers' night club) and Giorgina's which used to be a block closer to town.
You may notice some 'holes' in our meeting dates. That's because we are all busy, and if one of us knows he/she will be out of town, or fall ill, we generally don't have a problem with postponing the meeting. That's why a small book club is easier to manage than a larger one. The input we get from each member is so important that we figure it's worth a little trouble to have a meeting where everyone is able to participate.
If you are interested in joining, kindly send me e-Mail . The only requirements are that you will read each of the book club selections, participate in the discussion, act as host when it's your turn, and be generally amiable.