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Books and Wine...that pretty much sums it up!

What does it take to start a book club? What makes one book club shine where others may pale? How often should you meet? These questions and more will be answered here because inquiring minds want to know! At least, that's what my editors are telling me. And you know what? I am not surprised in the least. There is a plethora of information to share here, so this will be a multiple post entry. Enjoy...

I have derived more enjoyment out of my book club and the friendships fostered therein than you can shake a stick at. And yes, I will end that sentence with a preposition. And my Book Babes won't even fault me for it! Oh, how I cherish my book club. Let me count the ways...

Allow me to start at the beginning. Many years ago, when "Tween in Line" (very soon to be Teen in Line...) was still in preschool, the mother of one of her best friends and I started discussing the various books that we'd been reading while waiting for the girls at their dance lessons. Well, we immediately learned a few things:

• We were two pretty well-read women.
• Even so, we hadn't necessarily read the same literature but were very interested in what each other had to say regarding the books that we had read.
• We wanted to discuss these books in greater depth -- and perhaps over a drink with something to nosh on...

It doesn't take a genious to figure out what happened next. We started thinking about who we knew who might like to join us. My friend was the serious one, and she got the ball rolling by officially starting our book club soon after. I invited my sister (best decision I ever made...) and shortly afterward one other friend. Long story short, we became a book club!

While the club has evolved over the years, many of our original core members are still with us, and the list of books that we have read is getting rather impressive if I do say so myself (and I do...). I wish that I could say that every selection was a winner. However, I would be lying through my teeth to utter such words. What I can tell you is that nearly all of our selections have provided good discussion, and in the rare instances that the book discussion was lacking, the social discussion has never lost its lustre. I would challenge anyone to ever find this group at a loss for words.

In no particular order (except for perhaps the first, it truly being my all time favorite book), some of the books that received a collective thumbs up:

• The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
• Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
• Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
• Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns
• The Persian Pickle Club, by Sandra Dallas
• To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
• Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
• Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson (this one is non-fiction)

Tune in for more tips on starting your own club:

Part Two - Members, Scheduling and Menu

Part Three - Book Selections, Timetable, Discussion Topics, Rules

Part Four - Extra Tips for Your Club