October Meeting

 We returned to Dolly's for the October meeting.  A beautiful fall day, we sat outside at a good distance from one another.

 

Not a big crowd, but we chatted until almost 10pm!

 

Interesting discussion about various topics.  This month's book was a mixed bag.   Sortof a "shrug"....a fun little read, not difficult but a bit silly.  We all agreed it's OK to read that kind of book now and then.

 

 

And we all agreed that Dolly's poundcake was wonderful (forgot to snap a photo of it, darn) - the secret ingredient is Almond brandy.  Yummm.  Plus we all got to take home a slice for later!

 

And she shared some wonderful empanandas.  Here's the recipe for the dough - fillings can be anything you'd like.  Empanadas

 Next month's book will be American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, a story about a Mexican woman who had to leave behind her life and escape as an undocumented immigrant to the United States with her son.

 

As usual, check out the "Other Interesting Books" link for reading ideas.

 

We usually skip the November meeting and have a Christmas meeting the first few weeks in December.  No plans for this are in place - so email the group if you'd like to volunteer to host the Christmas meeting.   And remember, bring a small gift to share in the "grumpy Santa" game.  

 

And on a sad note, Jean's father passed away recently - our sincere condolences.  It has certainly been a rough year.

September Meeting

 Many thanks to Dolly for hosting the meeting at her lovely home.   

 

 Lindy's sister Valerie was visiting from Indiana and came along.  Nice for her to meet everyone.

 The ladies were interested in meeting the avians in the back yard!

Then it was inside for a cozy chat.  

 Many things were discussed, but not a lot about the book!  Almost no one had read it - but that seemed OK with everyone.  Three of this series was apparently a bit too much for the group, happy to move on to a different book.

 

We got a bonus "information session" by Dolly's hubby Matt concerning high-speed internet in the area - an issue we all seem to have.  Will be wonderful if we can take advantage of this new info.  Thanks Matt!

The next book will be "Nothing to See Here" by Kevin Wilson.  This book is about twins that apparently spontaneously combust when they are agitated.  Should be a fun read and definitely something different!!

Dolly has volunteered to host again - next meeting will be October 27th.

Be sure to check out the "other books read" link for reading ideas.

August Meeting

 Diane graciously volunteered to host - first out on the pool deck, later indoors when the bugs started annoying with bites!

Next book to read is the last of the trilogy by Laila Ibrahim entitled “Golden Poppies.”  We will be meeting next at Dolly’s home on September 22.

 

Be sure to check out the link on the right for other books our members are reading for ideas.

 

July Meeting

Once again we gathered outside at Jean's lovely pool for a warm but pleasant meeting.

It was fun to meet a new member - Dolly invited her friend Denise to join us.  I believe we've found a new friend!

And MJ convinced Gretchen to join us again.  Glad to see her!

We all enjoyed the chat.  Good reviews of the book Yellow Crocus.  

And of course, we all shared the other books we're reading.  Be sure to check out the link to the right - there are a lot of new interesting books there to expand your library.  I've included the list from Vilma's books as well.

And we ended the meeting with a little dip in the warm pool.  

Next month's book will be the #2 in the Yellow Crocus series - Mustard Seed.  We'll continue to have our outdoor meetings at Jean's house.

But for the August meeting, let's all relieve Jean of the the food/drink duties.    Anyone who has time, bring a small snack, dessert or bottle of wine to share!

June Meeting

Finally a near-normal book club meeting!!!  

Thanks to Jean for giving us a splendid space to have our Covid-spaced meeting  at her new home.

A few of us that had not been there before  got a quick tour of John and Jean's ultra modern house.  Beautiful!

With seating liberally spaced, we were able to have nice catch-up conversations.

And did we mention the cupcakes?  Oh yeah, they were good!  (In addition to all the other goodies and wine, of course!)

We had a nice discussion of the book - Magic Time - serveral ladies enjoyed it - but a few voiced negative reviews - too long, too much like a textbook.  

A great round-the-room discussion of other books we've been reading.  Be sure to click the link at the right - there are A LOT of interesting books on this months list!

As night was falling, we got our feet in the just-perfect water and continued our chats. 

And before long it was time to say our goodbyes.  

We'll continue to meet at Jean's for the next month or two since it's so easy to maintain our separation there and she's so kind to offer to host!!!  

Next month's book will be  Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim - the first of a trilogy.  If you have Amazon Prime, it's $0.00 for the Kindle Edition.  

Covid 19 Social Distancing ZOOM meeting May 7

Thanks to Sharon for setting up the Zoom meeting.  This was a first for many of us and it was a hoot to see everyone again!  Slow internet connections made discussion difficult, so not an ideal fix.

We had a great number participate - Donna was in there but we just couldn't see her!!  This particular screen shot doesn't capture any of us smiling.....but there really was much laughter!

The current book - Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano was well liked by all who had read it....although it made some cry!   Heavy material, for sure.  Some did not like the change-in-time-reference format of the book, others did not mind it.  Fun to have Dolly's inside info.

Good to chat - and fun to hear about everyone's quest for flour and yeast.  Strange times!   Go to the Phoenix Bakery for your supplies!


We decided that we could tentatively set the next meeting for an IN PERSON gathering outdoors at Jean's house on our regularly scheduled date of June 23rd.

The next book is Magic Time by Doug Marlette

Be sure to check out the other interesting book link for reading ideas.

February Meeting

Sorry, no one snapped any photos!!!

MJ will host next month at Virlies on March 26th.

Next month's book is  Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Be sure to check out the other books we're reading list!

January Meeting

We met at Donna’s last night.  Per usual, we began in her kitchen enjoying the many snacks/dessert laid out.  Regarding “Loosing London,” most of us thought it to be an okay book, not great nor horrible.  Donna wants to read another of Joey Jones’ book entitled “The Date Jar.”

Our next meeting will be at Dolly’s home on February 25.  Donna has chosen “Behind Closed Doors” by B. A. Paris.  It is a mystery/thriller story.

Be sure to check out the long list of "other books" our busy members have been reading!