Update :: baci's book club

Image from The Guardian

While we've loved hosting baci's book club online each month, the response just hasn't justified the time and dedication it takes to write the posts (it's not easy writing a book report each month, lol!).  So while we'll keep updating our baci's book club reading list (after all, the main reason for starting the club was to help people find great books to read!) and we'll still be sending book marks to anyone who becomes an eMember, we will discontinue the posts for now.  So sorry if we've disappointed you :o(

baci's book club | January + February 2012 - Silver Sparrow + The Hunger Games

Hello there!  It's been two whole months since I've posted about baci's book club and I apologize - our January meeting to discuss Tayari Jones' Silver Sparrow was cancelled due to yicky weather so I didn't post last month, but I forgot to tell you all we were reading Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for February.  So sorry :o(  To be fair I won't dish about Hunger Games today other than to tell you to run, not walk, to find a copy to read!  We've decided to read Catching Fire for March and Mockingjay for April so I'll wait to post about the entire Trilogy after our April meeting :o)

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And now for a little bit about Silver Sparrow from the author's site, "With the opening line of Silver Sparrow, 'My father, James Witherspoon is a bigamist,' Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity and the teenage girls caught in the middle.


Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980's, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon’s families– the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters."


As you can imagine, we were pretty interested to get started and as I mentioned, I read the book really fast because I liked it so much :o)  Not everyone felt that way though. . .

WARNING, the following discussions may act as a SPOILER!

The first half of the book is told by Dana, the secret second family daughter - it's informational and you really get to know her character and her mother, Gwen, as well as the father, James, and his "brother", Raleigh.  Dana and Gwen are aware of James' public family and are constantly upset why the two of them seem to be less fortunate.  Throughout Dana's portion of the book you begin to see how little self-esteem she has and what her view on men really is.

In the second half, Bunny Chaurisse, James' "public" daughter suddenly takes the narrative. . . that's where a lot of the ladies in book club felt the book took a turn, not necessarily for the worse but more or less for the confusing.  Bunny is also James' mother's name and you're kind of thrown into Chaurisse's part of the book, left wondering, "Who's talking now?".  The ladies also got upset the more they learned about Raleigh - no one could understand why he acted so obediently for so many years when he obviously loved Gwen.

What's wonderful about the book is that even though one family knows about James' bigamy and the other doesn't, they still overlap perfectly - you learn so much about all of the characters in both portions of the book, no matter who is narrating.  The closer and closer Chaurisse and Dana come to actually meeting one another, the better the book gets.  And once they do meet and become friends, I honestly couldn't put it down because I just had to know what would happen next!  It's definitely a book worth reading :o)

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As another reminder, we're reading the Hunger Game Trilogy over the next two months - if you haven't read them, you must. . . it really isn't an option, lol!  The hubby and I read them at the same time - it actually became a race to see who could finish first because they really are that good.  Coming from me that's a huge thing because they aren't in the least bit my type of typical read.  Enjoy - we'll be meeting again on March 15th!  See you then :o)

Oh and you know we'll all be watching the movie!!

baci's book club | December 2011 - The Girls from Ames

Happy Thursday!!  This week is seriously flying by. . . 2011 went way too quickly so please, 2012, SLOW DOWN ALREADY!

Anyway, before the holidays we met for Book Club on December 15th and read The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow, the co-author of The Last Lecture.

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A little introduction from the book's site:  "Meet the Ames Girls: eleven childhood friends who formed a special bond growing up in Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eight different states, yet managed to maintain an enduring friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, a child’s illness and the mysterious death of one member of their group." . . . "The Girls from Ames is a testament to the deep bonds of women as they experience life’s joys and challenges — and the power of friendship to triumph over heartbreak and unexpected tragedy."


Sounds great, right?  Well, we really didn't think so. . .

WARNING, the following discussions may act as a SPOILER!

The book starts off wonderfully - the ladies are now in their forties and the author has accompanied them at their most recent Ames Girls Reunion held at one of their homes.  The first chapter includes a brief introduction coupled with photos (our favorite part of the book!) and recollections from all the ladies.

The next four chapters dive closer into four of the ladies' lives - Marilyn, Karla, Sheila and Kelly. . . why only these four I'm not sure, but it probably has something to do with the fact that most of these women are simple and ordinary people just like us and don't have enough to talk about for one chapter.  This is the major problem we all had with this book - it could have been written about any group of women.  In fact, we joked about a book surrounding my sister-in-law and her close-knit group of friends (most of whom are in baci's book club) called The Ladies of Tallmadge - lol!  There just wasn't enough excitement, so about half-way through The Girls from Ames we grew bored. . . and confused.  Trying to differentiate between eleven women you've just met in person is one thing - trying to figure out who's who when you're simply reading about them is downright impossible.  Thankfully there is a guide at the beginning of the book with childhood photos, high school graduation photos and a little snipper about each girl. . . but flipping back every 30 seconds proved to be exhausting and honestly not that helpful.

So all in all, we wouldn't really recommend The Girls from Ames - it wasn't all bad, but it certainly wasn't one of our favorites.

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For next month we've chosen Tayari Jones' Silver Sparrow - a book about a a bigamist and his two families.  Honestly, I've already finished it because I couldn't put it down - love!  We'll have to see what the rest of the ladies say :o)  We'll be meeting Thursday, January 19th - see you then!

baci's book club - October/November 2011 - One Day

Ok, first off I 100% apologize for the delay in this baci's book club post - not only did I not get a chance to finish the book before our meeting, I feel like I've been running around like a crazy person ever since I did finish it ;o)  So, once again, very sorry, but better late than never, right?  Lol!

So here goes - we met on October 20th at my home and the book of the month was One Day by David Nicholls.

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Here is a little introduction to the book from Mr. Nicholls' site. . . "15th July 1988. Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways.  So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year which follows?  One Day is a funny/sad love story spanning twenty years, a book about growing up – how we change, how we stay the same."

WARNING, the following discussions may act as a SPOILER!

This one came with incredibly mixed reviews from the group, in fact some of the ladies who finished early recommended the other ladies not even bother reading it!  It's been a long time since we've had something so few people liked, but it's bound to happen every now and again.  Myself and a few others enjoyed the book, but we wouldn't ever say it was on our favorites list ;o)

I think the lack of interest was a combination of many things - the chapters were long and included a lot of needless information; Dex was incredibly awful and downright disturbing for most of the book; Emma lacked excitement and was sort of boring some of the time; and last but certainly not least, after drudging through all of that, the ending was quite possibly the most shocking and sad thing ever.

The hubby and I have the movie in our queue and I'm hoping the shortened version will be a bit better than the book. . . it didn't get the best reviews either so we'll see.  The preview really does look great and the premise behind the whole thing is wonderfully unique, I'm just afraid the characters were a bit too intense for readers.  We would love to know what you thought!

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For next month we've chosen The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow - it's a unique story of a group of women and their forty-year friendship!  We're meeting on Thursday, December 15th - see you then ;o)

baci's book club - August/September 2011 - Sarah's Key

Sorry for the week delay, but we've just had so many wonderful things to blog about that thought I'd try and spread out the blog love :o)

Our local book club met on Thursday, September 1st at my home and we read Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  It truly was a wonderful book :o)

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According to the description of the book on Amazon, Sarah's Key ". . . fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested. . . then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France and, finally, herself."

WARNING, the following discussions may act as a Spoiler!!

As you can imagine, based on the book description, this one was intense - nonetheless, it was so beautifully written that it was hard to put down.  The first half of the book alternates chapters between Julia's time period and Sarah's - it's one of those books where you finish a chapter just to see what happened in the previous one!  The ladies in Book Club didn't enjoy the bits about Julia quite as much as they did the portion about Sarah, but that didn't stop anyone from loving this book.

A common thoughts was that we hated Julia's husband, none of us even understand why she remained married to him - sure he was hot, but that seemed like his only positive trait.  We all loved Julia's daughter Zoe's character - she seemed to serve as a light balance to Bertrand's rudeness.  Zoe is also a shoulder for Julia to lean on as she deals with the mental and physical struggles caused by her search for Sarah - it's almost a coming of age story for Zoe.

Each portion of Sarah's story that we would read became more and more dramatic.  There wasn't a moment when you truly thought the little girl was safe, even after her escape from the concentration camp.  You realize towards the end that those feelings are true, once Julia and Sarah's son, William, realize Sarah committed suicide several years before.  That point in the book was truly traumatic for most of us - we wanted to badly to hear Sarah had led a peaceful and happy life, leaving her awful past behind her.

In the end we were all happy to see Julia with her new child, divorced from low-life Bertrand and living in the US.  We did, however, hope the story would continue on after she meets with Sarah's son, William, and reveals her daughter's name is indeed Sarah.  I guess that's the way it always works with a book you really love though - never wanting it to end :o)

We all really look forward to watching the book unravel as a movie - it's definitely going to be a tear jerker though!!

For next month, we have chosen to read One Day by David Nicholls - also keeping with the book turned movie trend :o)  Super excited about this one, especially the movie, I adore Anne Hathaway!  Our next meeting is scheduled for October 20th so we'll see you then :o)

baci's baking - Roasted Red Peppers with Feta

Today's recipe is an original I created for baci's book club a few months ago - it was such a huge hit I made them for a family get together that same week.  Enjoy!

Roasted Red Peppers with Feta

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3 large whole roasted red peppers, from the jar is fine :o)
1 package crumbled feta cheese
1/2 package cream cheese, softened
red pepper olive oil (regular olive oil will do)
minced garlic
minced onion
dried oregano
dried basil
freshly crushed black pepper

1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2)  Drain as much of the juice from the roasted red peppers as possible and cut into strips - you'll be "stuffing" the strips later so be sure they're wide enough.  One whole pepper should make about six to eight strips.
3)  Place pepper strips on foil-lined baking sheet.
4)  In a small bowl mix feta and cream cheese together until smooth.
5)  Add a drizzle of olive oil and enough of the seasonings to your liking to the cheese mixture.
6)  Scoop the cheese mixture onto the pepper strips then drizzle with olive oil.
7)  Bake for about 20 minutes until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.  Serve with crackers or by themselves.

baci's baking - Swiss Onion Dip

Today's baci's baking recipe comes from baci book club member, Denise!  She brought this tasty dip inside of a bread bowl a while back and several members have made it for their own gatherings since.  It's a serious hit!!  Just don't expect to get many kisses after eating it - lol ;o)

Swiss Onion Dip

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4 cups Swiss Cheese, Shredded
2 cups Sweet Vidalia Onion, Chopped
2 cups Mayonnaise, not low fat or fat free
1 large loaf Sour Dough Bread

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3) Cut the top off of the Sour Dough loaf and remove the inside bread. Cut up the inside bread to use for dip.
4) Place mixture inside of hollowed out bread loaf.
5) Bake for one hour, uncovered. If it starts to get to brown on the top towards the end of cooking, cover with foil. Finished dip will be bubbly and a little brown on top. Serve with cut up inside bread to dip.

baci's baking - Baked Brie

Today's baci's baking recipe comes from brand new Book Club member, Ashley - this Baked Brie is honestly one of the most tasty things I've ever had!  It's perfect for a shower or as an appetizer for a nice dinner.  Enjoy!!

Baked Brie Recipe

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1 large sheet of puff pastry dough or 1 tube of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 round or wedge of Brie cheese (do not remove rind)
Raspberry Jam, or other sweet jam (I used Strawberry-Rhubarb the last time I made it - yum!)
Brown sugar
1/4 cup of maple syrup

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2)  On a stick-free cookie sheet, lay out the puff pastry or the crescent rolls flat; put brie round or wedge on top.
3)  Spread jam on brie, fold dough over top, cutting off excess dough.
4)  Drizzle maple syrup and place a handful of brown sugar on top.
5)  Bake at 350º for 25 - 30 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with crackers and apple slices.

baci's book club - July 2011 - The Help

Happy Thursday!!

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This month we read and discussed Kathryn Stockett's The Help and man alive did we all love it!  It's impossible to put down!!  The Help, according to Huffington Post, "details the lives of black maids in 60's Mississippi and the white women they work for."  And it has caused quite the controversy.  The book, written by Caucasian Ms. Stockett, is written entirely in dialect during the African-American maids' portions - some have called it racist and others have simply requested the "black" version of The Help.  (Huffington Post)  Despite the taboo, all members of Book Club absolutely fell in love with the warm, southern ladies in the book!

WARNING, the following discussions may act as a Spoiler!!

Most of America was desegregating in the 1960's, but in Jackson, Mississippi it was far from acceptable to mix races - there were separate neighborhoods, drinking fountains, grocery stores and even in the homes black women worked as maids there were "colored" bathrooms.  While hard to believe in today's world, this separation is the basis of The Help.

Skeeter, a college graduate with untamable hair (lol!) determined to get out of her small town and to New York to become a writer is told by an editor that she needs to write about something "real".  Having had a wonderful and mother-daughter-like relationship (most white children were raised by their maids - it was unreal) with her former maid, Constantine, who mysteriously disappeared while she was away at school, she decided it was time someone tell the maid's side of the story.

Skeeter convinces, old-timer Aibileen (who we all fell in love with - I want this woman to tell me stories!!), who works for sometimes kind, but backbone-less Elizabeth, to be her interviewee and together they begin to write about what it's really like for a black maid working for a white woman.  Once Skeeter sends the beginning of her book, which she calls The Help, the editor says that she'll need more points of view.  That's when Aibileen begs Minny Jackson, a young mouthy maid with a mean husband, to help - at first she refuses, but eventually she and many other maids in town jump in to help.  Once the book is published, the entire town of Jackson is up in arms trying to figure out if they are in the book!  Hilly Holbrook, who continuously strives for the segregation of black maids in white households, is the leader in this hunt for who is part of the book and in the end she gets what is coming to her.  Unfortunately, she ruins a few maids' lives in the process.

Throughout the book you feel like you're living in the south - the details are wonderful and the pain these black woman, and their families, experience is right there at your fingertips.  You want to hang out with Skeeter, ask Aibileen to cook you a meal, have Minny on your side, kick Hilly Holbrook right in the behind and hug Celia Foote (Minny's sweet, yet hillbilly boss) when she finds out she can never have a child.  It touches on so many sensitive points, while still being light and humorous.  There is love, loss and of course, the "terrible awful" thing Minny does to Hilly's pie will make you queasy in your stomach!!

We were a little upset with the way the book ended - no one wanted to see Aibileen get fired.  However, it was wonderful that she was going to have revenue from the book, as well as the housekeeping column she was taking over for Skeeter.  We just wished she would have said that money would be enough to survive on, but unfortunately that's not the way it worked out.  Everyone most definitely wanted to book to keep going - we wanted to see how Skeeter did in New York, if Minny really left her no good husband this time and what Aibileen ended up doing to support herself.

All in all, we were very happy with The Help and would certainly recommend it to anyone and everyone!!  We absolutely can't wait to see the movie either!!!

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Next month, we've chosen to read Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - which, of course, is going to be a movie, too!

We'll be meeting on September 1st, so mark your calendars and we'll see you then!!  Don't forget to tell your friends to join baci's book club :o)

Oh and be sure to check out the most recent baci's baking recipe for Watermelon Salsa from Book Club member, Cathy!  

baci's baking - Watermelon Salsa

Today's recipe is from baci's book club member, Cathy, who also happens to be my awesome sister-in-law ;o)  The recipe isn't about exact measurements, so feel free to experiment until you've got it just right for your taste!

Watermelon Salsa

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Watermelon, cut up bite size
Green pepper, chopped
Green onion or red onion, chopped
Jalepeno pepper, finely chopped
Lime juice

1)  In a bowl, mix watermelon, green pepper, onion, and jalepeno together.
2)  Add lime juice for flavor.

It really is as simple (and tasty!) as that!  Enjoy :o)

baci's book club - June 2011 - Something Borrowed

It's that time again - baci's book club time!!!

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This month we read and discussed Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, which, according to Emily Giffin's site "tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl - until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé". It only gets more dramatic from there!

We also dished about the movie, starring Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin, for those of us that saw it :o)

WARNING, the following discussions may act as a Spoiler!!

All in all, everyone LOVED the book! It was a huge hit compared to our last Emily Giffin read, Love the One You're With. Something Borrowed is the perfect summer beach read - not too intense, but filled with just enough drama to keep you entertained.

You'll constantly be pulled back and forth about who you want Dex (Darcy's fiancé) to end up with at the end of the book. You'll also end up screaming at Rachel to, excuse my language here, grow some balls!! There isn't a minute that goes by, starting from before she introduces Dex, her dream man, to Darcy, her nightmarish best friend, when she couldn't have simply given in to the obvious chemistry between her and Dex. Listen, ladies, if you feel it and he feels it, it doesn't matter that "a girl like you doesn't belong with a guy like him". In the end, love is love and it doesn't matter if you're polar opposites ;o) Alas, as all of us in book club realized. . . there wouldn't be a book if Rachel hadn't been a wimp for so long - lol!

Throughout the book Rachel and Dex are overly concerned with what other people will think. They refuse to realize that if Dex doesn't break it off with Darcy, their lives are only going to get more uncomfortable as Rachel stands next to Darcy on her and Dex's wedding day. AWKWARD!

In the end, we were all secretly pleased that Dex chose Darcy. . . that is until Dex comes back around and chooses Rachel!! While reading, we all said we squealed with delight when Dex shows up at Rachel's apartment :o)

It's so lovely to see Rachel grow throughout the book and realize that she is important and that she does deserve to be happy. Every woman needs to take something from that!

I'll say it again, we all loved the book - the main characters were wonderful to see interacting with one another and the supporting characters, Marcus, Ethan and Hillary, just added an awesome bonus to the book as a whole!

Now, moving on to the movie :o) Once again, everyone loved it! The movie follows the book loosely, with the major parts in tact and just a few differences:

1) There's no Hillary

2) Ethan isn't living in London (until much later in the movie)

3) Ethan takes on Hillary's role, as well as his own

4) You never meet any of Darcy or Rachel's old friends or family

5) You do, however, get to meet Dex's family and they make his decision between Darcy and Rachel very difficult

That all may seem like a lot, but I promise it still takes on the book's story very well. It also helps that Colin Egglesfield (Dex) is HANDSOME!! So go see it - we would all totally recommend it :o)

BONUS: During the credits, there is an extra scene that alludes to a sequel. . . which bring us to one of our next month's reads - Emily Giffin's Something Blue, which follows a pregnant Darcy to London and tells her side of the story. SWOON!!

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Our main book choice of the month is Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Once again, we love watching our beloved books turn into movies and this one will be released in August!!

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We're set to meet Thursday, July 28th - so get your read on and we'll see you then!

Oh and make sure you didn't miss this week's baci's baking, book club edition! Member Pam made Mini Lime Cheesecakes - so yummy :o)

baci's baking - Mini Lime Cheesecakes

This Thursday we'll have another baci's book club post - a week late, but better late than never, right ;o) This week's recipe is from member Pam LaFleur - her Mini Lime Cheesecakes were a huge hit at the last meeting!

Mini Lime Cheesecakes

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6 Keibler ready-made graham cracker pie crusts (mini-size) (if you don’t want those however, you can just grind up graham crackers and spoon into foil cupcake liners - or – grind the graham crackers, add some melted butter and bake after they are spooned and flattened into the foil cupcake liners 350 degrees for around 4 to 5 minutes or so)
1 – 8oz bar of cream cheese (I prefer Philidelphia)
3 T. Lime Curd (found in the Jelly section of the grocery store)
½ cup sugar

1) Mix all three ingredients together with a mixer until just blended.

2) Spoon over your crust.

3) Garnish with Redi Whip or Cool Whip and lime wedges (both optional)

Above quantities make 6 mini lime cheesecakes – easily doubled/tripled.

Seriously, a tasty dessert could not get any easier!! Enjoy!!

baci's baking - Hot Artichoke Dip

As I promised last Thursday in the first official baci's book club post - today's recipe is from our member, Teri Lucas! She brought her Hot Artichoke Dip to our last meeting and it was delicious - enjoy!!

Hot Artichoke Dip

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1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1) Mix all ingredients in a shallow baking dish.

2) Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

baci's book club - May 2011 - Water for Elephants

I'm so excited about today's first official baci's book club discussion :o) It's great timing because all the baci's book club eMembers are receiving their free baci's bookmarks this week in the mail!! You can still sign up and receive yours, too!

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Baci's book club met at my home last Thursday, May 19th and discussed Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants - "An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons {source}.

WARNING, the following discussion may act as a Spoiler Alert!!

There were a few people (myself included) who had read it when it originally came out a few years ago, but most everyone was reading it for the first time. All in all everyone loved the book! A few of us (me this time, too) felt that the circus history was a bit dull, but when we all sat down and thought about it again we realized that it really was so interesting to see what the circus was like in the past - all the drama, death, murder and betrayal really opened our eyes. We all really liked the times with Jacob living in the nursing home - he was an adorable, ornery old man :o)

The most impacting events we felt were the animal abuse (it really broke our hearts, terribly!), Rosie "speaking" Polish (I just wanted to squeeze her!!) and the passing of Walter (we all truly grew to love the rotten guy throughout the book). The book truly had a little bit of everything - drama, romance, sadness - it is a great read and we would most certainly recommend it!

We honestly can't wait to see the movie - there are plans in the works to see it together as a group in a few weeks :o) Have any of you seen the movie? How does it compare to the book?

Feel free to join in the conversation below with your thoughts on the book!! The more chatting we get going, the more successful baci's book club can become :o)

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Now for next month's read: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin - also a current movie!! We'll be meeting Thursday, June 30th so the next baci's book club post will be on Thursday, July 7th - be sure to read ahead of time so you can discuss with us :o)

Stay tuned Tuesday for the next baci's baking recipe - a seriously tasty recipe for Hot Artichoke Dip from baci book club member, Teri :o)

Join baci's book club!!

Earlier in the week during my most recent baci's baking post, I mentioned book club and promised I would delve into it deeper later in the week, well here I am, about to delve in ;o)

When Ilario and I moved back to Ohio in the Fall of 2008, I joined my sister-in-law, Cathy, at her current book club. Shortly afterwards a few of us branched off and started our own book club which I began organizing and hosting at my home on a monthly basis (well actually my in-laws house because I didn't have a home at the time!). That was November of 2008 and ten members. Fast forward to April of 2011 with thirty members and a Waiting List!! What I will call baci's book club for simplicity's sake, has come a long way - there are only a few of us original members left, but collectively we have compiled such a great group of women that I am proud to be in cahoots with :o)

Now that you have a little background on baci's book club, I'll fill you in on why I'm telling you all of this, lol! Each month after baci's book club meets, I'll write a little recap of the meeting, along with our next month's book choice and meeting date (everyone works harder with a deadline, right?). Then you, baci's book club eMembers, can comment on the post with your thoughts on the month's read and start reading the next month's book choice with us!

We're all in book club to find out what other people are interested in reading or recommend reading (and to socialize, of course!), so now you can do the same with us from the comfort of your own home, wherever you are!! There's also a bonus - each month we rotate who brings an appetizer, dessert or booze so the Tuesday after each meeting I'll share one of our favorite recipes from the night! Everyone wins when food is involved ;o)

So how do I become a baci's book club eMember, you ask. . . just fill out the form at the bottom of the post AND THEN I'll send you a baci bookmark in the mail, it's as simple as that! Be sure to tell your friends, because the more members we have the greater book club becomes!!

To get you going, here is what we're reading for the month of May - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (we LOVE reading a book then watching the movie!).

And to give you a nice jump start on your "Want to Read List", here are books we have read in the past:

Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen {The club as a whole wasn't a huge fan of this one.}
Cain and Abel by Michelle Perry {A happy accidental read :o)}
The Kids Are All Right by Diana and Liz Welch
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Firefly Lane and Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah {We love Kristin Hannah!}
The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert {This is one of my favorites, but the club wasn't such a fan. . .}
The Four Seasons by Mary Alice Monroe
The Friday Night Knitting Club and Knit Two by Kate Jacobs
Best Friends by Martha Moody
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows {A wonderful read!}
Hissy Fit and Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews {We really love Mary Kay Andrews and can't wait for Summer Rental to be released in June!}
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb {I honestly couldn't bring myself to finish this one :o(}
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein {Great, great book!}
Life of Pi by Yann Martel {The club didn't like this one too much either, but it's definitely an interesting/perplexing one!}
Self Storage: A Novel by Gayle Brandeis
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Missing Mom by Joyce Carol Oates

So what are you favorites? Any of the ones we have read peak your interest? What do you recommend we read next?

I hope this provides you all great choices of books to read and a wonderful chance for online conversation :o) I look forward to reading with you!! Thanks!

Image from Book Club Queen