Pretend Grown-Up Girl: Grown Up Girl's Book and Eating Club

Almost two years ago I was having dinner with my friends and my friend Tiffany proclaimed that she had an announcement. She basically said "We are all grown-ups now so it's time for us to do something grown-up. We are going to start a book club." I added that I would also like to maybe make it a cooking club as well. So we agreed to a book/cooking club. Most of us were immediately on board but of course there was always Jamie... Jamie said something to the effect of "No thanks." We were kind of stopped in our tracks for a second as she said " I don't like to cook and I don't like to read." She was being honest, she was being James. So we carried on anyway and Tiffany announced that our first book would be "Little Women." I was excited because I would have never chose to sit down and read "Little Women" on my own. Here's a complete list of the books we have read and my star rating with 1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent:

1.) November 2006 – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Tiff's pick)

5 Stars! Excellent start to our book club!

2.) December 2006 – The Idiot Girls’ Guide to Christmas by Laurie Notaro (Chris)

5 Stars!

I love Laurie Notaro. She's insanely hilarious and I tried to pick a quick read for the busy Christmas season.

3.) January 2007 – The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Stacey)

5 Stars! Still my favorite pick thus far...Thanks Stace!

4.)February 2007 – Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Hernandez)

4 Stars! This is the book my mother wouldn't let me read when I was younger:) Beautiful Mexican food and stories.

5.) March 2007 – Wicked by Gregory McGuire (Roo)

4.5 Stars Much more dark than I imagined but a fun read nonetheless. I can't wait to see the musical.

6.) April 2007 – The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (Me)

3.5 Stars

I would have never picked this book out on my own so I'm glad my friends all have such unique taste.

7.)May 2007 – Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Chris)

4.5 Stars
This was my pick because it has been sitting on my shelf for so long waiting to get read. I loved the historical detail and it makes me want to go back to Chicago so I can visit what remains of the World's Fair.

8.)June 2007 – 1984 by George Orwell (Stacey)

4.5 Stars This was another book that I'm glad I was asked to read because I've always meant to read it. A quick and interesting read.

9.)July/August 2007 - The Lady in the Forest (Hernandez)

Didn't read... Tiff and Marie were trying to find a book with good sex scenes and ended up with this silliness. Apparently no one knew which book to get and the only two people who did bother to find the book got 2 different books by the same author. This was not a high point for the club.

10.) September 2007 – A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (Roo)

4.0 Stars

This was my first Agatha Christie book and I have to say I really enjoyed it once I could get all the characters straight.

11.) October/Nov 2007 – The Witching Hour by Anne Rice (Tiff)

4.5 Stars

There is a ghost named Lasher in this book and when Stacey said she'd like to meet Lasher a candle on top of Tiffany's mantle exploded and crashed to the floor. This is the absolute truth. I'm telling you we are a powerful book club...

12.)December/January (2007/2008) – Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Chris)

4.5 Stars

Quit work, get advance for book deal, travel world, eat tons of food and find inner peace. Not a bad to do list.

13.)February 2008 – Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (Stacey)

3.0 Stars

I had already read this book but the rule is that if someone picks a book you have already read you need to read it again. I think it made us all depressed...

14.)March 2008 – Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret and Superfudge (Hernandez)