So How About That Emma Bovary Then, Eh, Lads?

His wife's passion for books -- and for book groups -- made Gerry Duffy of Portsmouth sad, lonely and jealous: ''My wife was in three different book groups at the time, reading all this great stuff. I thought, why should she have all the fun?"

So, says the Boston Globe, he began The Lads, a men's only book group:

"Duffy suspected that a good read would bring men together. He was right. He put the word out in 2003 and 10 men -- an eclectic mix of writers, engineers, and teachers -- came to the first meeting. This was the start of the Lads. Duffy finally had a group of his own, one that has been going strong ever since."

A recent favorite? J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace: ''He's a jerk, but you find yourself pulling for him even though you're supposed to be sensitive and politically correct. We talked about this small book nonstop for two hours, why we loved it and some of our wives hated it."

The Lads also supply refreshments, from venison sausages to chips to beer. Ah, that might explain their love for literature.