From the Beginning

What started as a conversation between friends has blossomed into a wonderful book club. While we sometimes lose members to babies or job transfers we find new friends to share great books and great recipes with. We started with Mary P, Jennifer, Kim, Courtney, Holly, Mary K, and Emily. Guylene joined us at the second meeting. We have since been joined by Robyn, Carly, Michelle, Diana, Libby, and Starr. (I don't think I left anyone out) Now we consist of Jennifer, Courtney, Guylene, Robyn, Carly, Libby, and Starr. In one of our recent books, Peony in Love, there was a group of educated women (when educated women were not the norm) who were poets I think that were called the Banana Garden Five. We borrowed that idea and since there are seven of us, we are calling our blog Banana Garden Seven.

Here are the books we have read over the years:
1. My Sister's Keeper - August 14, 2005 at Mary's- this is many of our favorite book club selections.
2. Icy Sparks - at Kim's - Guylene was VERY pregnant with Emma!
3. The Secret History - at Mary K's - a bear of a book and a not very well attended meeting
4. A Prayer for Owen Meany - at Jenn's
5. Memoirs of a Geisha - at Guylene's
6. The Secret Life of Bees - at Emily's - this was Robyn, Michelle, and Carly's first book club
7. The Kite Runner - at Jenn's I think
8. The Poisonwood Bible - at Robyn's - this book was loooooong too!
9. Their Eyes Were Watching God - at Courtney's - we wanted to read a "classic" that took us back to our high school English classes
10. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - at Guylene's
11. The Ladies' Auxiliary - at Michelle's - I think this holds the record for smallest meeting - it was Michelle, Robyn, and Jennifer - luckily for us, Michelle had some bagel bites in the freezer to help bulk up the meal selection!
12. The Glass Castle - at Jenn's - the first nonfiction/memoir
13. The Tender Bar - at Carly's - three people were pregnant at this one!
14. Middlesex - at Diana's
15. Garden Spells - at Courtney's
16. Water for Elephants - at Robyn's
17. Manic - at Guylene's - Libby's first book club
18. Keeping Faith - at Jenn's - Starr's first book club; the second (but far inferior) Jodi Picoult book we have read together
19. Peony in Love - at Starr's - the second Lisa See book we have read together but it was a toss-up as to which was the group's favorite
20. Still Summer - at Libby's

What I also wish I had was a list of all the delicious recipes we've had. We are all guilty of grabbing chips and dip from the store on the way to book club but we have also all made some really tasty dishes. I look forward to sharing our recipes here!