Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

I can't believe it has been three years of FUN and reading!  Oh, the memories we have made.  I am not sure where I would be without these amazing woman and wonderful books.  I was very sick this month so we had to celebrate a little late.  We wore the signature Firefly color blue and decorated the same.  We talked about Favorite books from the year.  These is My Words was popular amongst all of us.  Gone Girl and The Shoemaker's Wife seemed to be the runners up.  We talked about our favorite costumes.  Hmmmm....this one was tough.  My personal favorite costumes were The Great Gatsby and Gone Girl!  The Amish outfits lost the costume competition.  We all seemed in agreement on that one.  We also discussed favorite laugh out loud moments, foods and memories from the year. 

One member mailed us all forms to fill out. This helped  get us thinking about the above questions before we met.   Everyone got a handmade silver firefly charm to celebrate the occasion.  Maybe on the 5th anniversary we will go crazy and get tattoos!   

Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie

This book was perfect for getting us in the mood for a couples Murder Mystery party!  Crazy Christmas season was coming so we needed a fun and silly party to just relax and have fun.  This was a great escape from reality to play parts, dress up and be silly with friends!  We have had trouble in the past finding good Christmas books that are not too cheesy!  So if you need a good Christmas pick we would all recommend this one.  We all had a great time and enjoyed the Murder Mystery party experience.  The men were great sports and surprised us all with their acting skills.  It was fun to try but we probably won't be doing it again anytime soon. 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen

The Firefly book club is full of moms of boys.  We all have children ranging in ages 3 to 16!  It is nice sometimes to read a Young Adult or Children's book for a meeting.  Especially one that the kids or kids friends have already read.  This book was OK and gave us a little discussion.  We mostly used this book has a Halloween theme to make sure we got in the annual book club costume bash!  Yes, I am aware we are usually in costume but we invited the whole family for this one!  We had Superhero squads, Ghost Hunters, Dawg the bounty hunter and his wife, The Simpsons and a Cowboy & Angel right from the country song!  We suggest every member planning an activity or game to share and play with the kids or whole group.  It takes pressure off the host and brings lots of creativity and FUN to the party.  A favorite this year was trying to eat the doughnut off the string the fastest.  HAppY HaLLoWeeN!!! 

These is My Words by Nancy Turner

This is the perfect fall book club book!  We all really enjoyed this book and most will continue to read the whole series.  The host decided on a shabby chic feel for decorations.  It felt like we were back in the old days with Sarah.  The host has a little one room summer kitchen on her property that was decorated perfectly.  We went with a boots and hat cowgirl type dress.  We even had a little coyote scare!

Everyone got an up cycled chair as a parting gift.  Sarah almost had a matching set by the end of the book.  The goodie bags were amazing with homemade soap, warm socks, country picture frame, seeds for planting, lace koozies for the Mason jars and a cool covered photo box.  We also got soup mix to make later. 

We enjoyed Mexican food for dinner thanks to the neighbors in the book.  The Fajitas were grilled outside and so yummy!  We also had tortillas, homemade bread, pecan pie and Texas trash dip.  Book clubs make for the best eating.  The whole night ended up being one of my most favorite book clubs.  That is a hard title because we really know how to throw a meeting!

It was hard for everyone back then especially children so the host picked The Ronald Mcdonald house for the charity this month. 

 http://www.rmhc-centralohio.org/wish_list.php

This is a wish list for Columbus, Ohio.  They have many other locations though if you want to give but don't live near The Firefly book club. 

Gone Girl

A crazy book club meeting for a crazy book!  The host created a crime scene just like the book in her house.  She also had crazy drinks, rummy worms and casseroles like those boring housewives make.  We all came in disguise like we were on the run.  The goodie bag was a jar with Punch & Judy pasted on the front.  They each were made out to the Amazing Member.  Don't worry they were filled with gifts not blackmail vomit!  They had upcycled cuff bracelets for restraints, a pair of panties from the scavenger hunt, alcohol test swabs to stay alert, and smarties because Amy was smart.  Blackmail photos were framed around the room of members with famous people.  It was lots of fun watching each member discover the pictures! 

We definitely recommend this book for you and your friends.  Enjoy talking about all the crazy characters and have a crazy good time.  Read up on the history of Punch & Judy before the meeting.  That was strange and interesting to learn and talk about.

We donated used cell phones to victims of domestic violence.  Check out the link if you are interested in helping with this cause.  http://www.actionohio.org/cellphone_collection.htm

The Shoemaker's Wife

This book has so much theme potential it is worth reading with a club.  The outfits and amazing food choices made for a fun evening!  The book was enjoyable also.  It is a BIG book so be prepared.  We picked it up in large print at the library to get it sooner and that one is huge.  Don't let that keep your group from picking it.  The straw hats and long dresses were the direction we went.  The Italian food will have your mouth watering while reading.  A few key dishes in the book just had to be included like the escargot, gnocchi, and baked custard.  This book club was my absolute favorite because of all the yummy food choices! 

We donated gently used shoes for the charity this month.  What a great charity to go with a book about a Shoemaker.  Check out this site and look for a local drop off if you want to make a difference in your book club.  It is amazing how many extra shoes we were able to give. 
http://www.soles4souls.org/get_involved/

One member made paper shoes to hold the little wine bottles.  Another made biscotti that was amazing!  Talented friends make the best goodie bags!  It is such a treat after every meeting to see the thought and creativity that goes into these projects. 

The Knees of Gullah Island by Dwight Fryer

We went looking for this book so we could learn more about the Gullah culture. When searching for this topic it was very hard to find Fiction books that focused on Gullah culture.  Overall the group liked this book. 

Try to schedule a trip or vacation to Charleston, SC close to this meeting.  Charleston, SC has Gullah museums, festivals, history and present day Gullah knowledge. Make sure to stop by a basket weaving station on the side of the road.  They are amazing. I wish I could have brought everyone back a sweetgrass basket but settled on Shrimp and Grits for everyone with cooking directions written in Gullah.  We also had sweetgrass roses, a bible translated in Gullah, Frogmore Stew and spanish moss dripping from the trees.  Different members brought something to contribute to the Frogmore Stew.  Here is the recipe if you want to create a stone soup like theme for your meeting. 

Frogmore Stew
Big pot of boiling water seasoned with Old Bay to taste 
Potatoes, Corn, Onion, Sausage and Shrimp


Put in the pot with slow cooking things first.  Shrimp last till cooked.  Dump outside on a table with newspaper and eat! 

Wear something beachy because most of this book club should take place outside in the summer heat.  The south is HOT.  It was a Gullah good time!

The give back project this month was a donation to an organization that helps combat human trafficking.  This seemed like a good connection to a book around the time of the end of the civil war since Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. We found one not far from our town that we could easily drop off donations.  Here is a link if you live near or around Columbus. http://centralohiorescueandrestore.org/ If not just google your local area and you should find something.  We had FIVE in Columbus.  I was saddened to learn that human trafficking is on the rise.  Help out if you can!