Susan Marteney is a prolific reader. Every year she reads somewhere between 75 and 150 books.

For years she's kept a book diary of sorts where she notes down all the books she's read, with a short plot summary and a thumbs up or down. So starting a book club wasn't exactly a stretch for her.

She began the First Monday Book Club five years ago with a group of about 12 friends of hers who were also avid readers. Since then, they've met on a regular basis- the first Monday of every month- to discuss books, drink coffee and enjoy each others' company.

"I'm a big reader, so I put feelers out to friends and asked them over for coffee. None of them knew each other," said Marteney, executive director of the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Despite not knowing one another in the beginning, the group took off. Today they have about eight members, and while no one has quit the group, some have moved out of the area.

Book clubs and reading groups have been around for ages, but in the last five years, they've become quite the thing to do. Thanks in large part to Oprah's Book Club, followed by the "Today Show" and "Good Morning America" book clubs, reading has become cool again and reading groups are sprouting across the country.

Book clubs have traditionally appealed to women more than men, but the Cayuga Museum is trying to do something about that with its new History Book Club. The group will meet the second Wednesday of every month for six months to discuss new and older works of historical nonfiction.

Eileen McHugh, executive director of the museum, sees the book club as a way to get more people exposed to the museum.

"We want to involve more people in the museum. We have various programs for various types of people," she said. "History is our thing and people like to read so they can read and talk about history together."

The history book club is a natural marriage between historical topics of contemporary interest and current museum exhibits. The last book on the list, "The Hunter's Game: Poachers and Conservationists in Twentieth-Century America," by Louis S. Warren, will coincide with the summer exhibit on conservation in the Finger Lakes.

McHugh selected the books based on recommendations she'd received from others, or books she had read herself. Some have Auburn ties, and others she felt would be interesting to the Cayuga County community.

"We tried to tie the books locally and nationally," McHugh said.

She expects that some people will come just to discuss specific books, while others will come to every meeting. The people will vary with the books, she says.

The discussions will be led by people with some expertise in the field, like historians or academics. All the books will be available for purchase at the museum.

McHugh, who herself is in Marteney's book club, believes that reading groups enhance the reading experience and she hopes people will take advantage of this new book club.

"Book clubs change reading from a solitary activity to an interactive activity when we talk about what we read," she said.

For Marteney, belonging to a reading group allows her the opportunity to discuss ideas with a diverse group of women.

"I do it for the intellectual stimulation. It's nice to have a large group of women who have read the same stuff and like to discuss it," she said.

Over the years, Marteney's group has read everything from the classics to bestsellers to the occasional guilty pleasure book. They've read "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown, "Midwives" by Chris Bohjalian and "Botany of Desire" by Michael Pollan. Next month they're slated to read "Mrs. Dalloway," the Virginia Woolf classic that Marteney is sure will bring about a spirited discussion.

With so many books these days equipped with reading guides at the back of the book, organizing discussions, has never been easier. And if you still need some help, there are any number of Internet resources available for those just starting a book club.

If you're not keen on starting one yourself, Seymour Library sponsors two reading groups in their Coffee and Conversation initiative. There is a morning group and an evening group to accommodate all readers and both are casual and open to new members. The groups pick their own books and reference librarian Lisa Carr facilitates the discussion.

Carr hopes that the groups help spur an interest in discussing literature, something she sees as just as important as reading itself.

"There didn't seem to be people talking about books before," she said. "The groups are a fun way to hear about what other people think and what they're reading ."