Okay, we are officially getting into the spirit it of the season and since December is reserved for our annual Book Club Christmas party, our hostess Linda Faria selected James Patterson's “A Christmas Wedding” as our November book club read and she created a party theme to suit the mood of the book. The invitations were a replica of a wedding cake and hats were the order of the day. We arrived and found a walkway strewn with white rose pedals and sounds of Mendelssohn's Wedding March wafting through the door.

With most of us wearing oversized hats, we air-kissed one another, then oohed and aahed at the tiered wedding cake and gala decorations. Have I mentioned that there was a sumptuous lunch and champagne punch?  and, oh yes, a book discussion.

But we are a group of women who share a lot more than just reading a book…we share a bond of friendship that has lasted for over ten years. We add a few new members every so often and sometimes life events takes one of our group elsewhere, but we remain a group of friends. We remember those who have moved on and we anticipate those who are yet to come. We've read good books and bad books, we've weathered the Florida hurricanes, shared countless glasses of wine and endless tales of our life. We are always there for one another and the nice thing is that each one of us carries this knowledge in their heart. Yes, we are a book club, but that's just the start of our story…

Why not start your own story? Gather a group of friends together and start a book club. You'll find that before long you're not just reading books…you're creating memories.

GIFT OF THE SEASON

Everyone in book club already knows how much we care about each other so in lieu of buying fun exchange gifts, each year we pick a charity and do our gift-giving to that charity. This year with so many people going hungry, we are as a group donating to the local food bank.

What is your book club doing? If you have a cause or charity that you are supporting this Christmas, take a photo of your group and send it to me with your book club story and I will select one group to receive eight copies of “Cracks in the Sidewalk” to use for your next book club read.