July’s Spotlight is Sweet Connections
I am a part of the best group of ladies that meets on the shores of Lake Superior. When we started the Sweet Connections book club in 2004, we wanted to invite ladies interested in reading a similar genre of books, or at least women willing to read something out of their comfort zone. We also enjoy similar interests outside of our book club activities. We spend an hour talking about the book, but afterwards our discussion over coffee and dessert is equally important as we share the recent events from our lives.
In Northern Wisconsin the Sweet Connections book club meets the first Wednesday of every month, except for when we take a summer break in July and August. Although we don’t have a regular meeting during the summer we usually get together at least once for a dinner and movie night. Our book selection process has changed over the years, but our host schedule has remained the same. We take turns hosting our meetings on a month-to-month basis, leaving the current month’s hostess in charge of our group discussion and, most importantly, a fabulous dessert (which helped to inspire our name).
Our group consists of nine ladies ranging in ages from 45 to 85. Although we come from different walks of life, our love of books helps to enhance our friendships with one another. We read a wide variety of books, including classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice, contemporary fiction by Jodi Piccoult and Khaled Hosseini, historical fiction by Lisa See and Michelle Moran, and memoirs like In the Land of Blue Burqas by Kate McCord. Since the first year we met we have read one installment each year of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith.
If I had to choose a favorite book club pick from the last ten years, a safe selection would be The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.