BookHeads, MA

The BookHeads were one of the first (possibly THE first?) book clubs I called in to for The Next Thing on My List - had the pleasure of Skyping with them on Objects of My Affection.   What a great group of gals!

Book "Bitches", Ashland Oregon

Their name is misleading... they were so nice!!!  Not only did this fun group all wear sexy shoes in honor of Marissa in The Next Thing on My List, but they did this clever activity: They all brought "to do" lists, and then wrote one item from their list, put it in a cup, and each chose one.  They're giving themselves until the next meeting in a month to finish whatever they've picked.

My first Objects of My Affection Group, Iowa

These awesome ladies are my first book club call-in for my new novel, Objects of My Affection. I wish I could have been there in person for the cheesecake and wine... and the decorations were amazing: packing materials and Post-its to carry out the personal organizing/de-cluttering theme of the novel.

YaYa Book Club, Charleston, SC

I was interested to learn that when the Ya Ya Book Club got into a discussion about what's on their life lists, four of them said "have a will made." That's something I've been promising I'd get around to soon, too. Thanks for sharing, ladies!

Reading Between the Wines, Mansfield, TX

This great group wore sexy shoes in honor of Marissa's list & wrote me about a great activity: "Pick a List." Each member wrote down four things they wanted to do on a separate slip of paper, which were put in a bowl. Everyone then picked four notes, and they took turns reading them aloud and saying if they'd do them. One member wrote down, "Go to Scotland and peek under a kilt." Sounds like a fun group!

Mostly Teachers Book Club, Virginia

Being the daughter of a teacher and an assistant principal, I'm always pleased to get a chance to talk to educators & thank them for all they do (and just hope they don't correct my grammar, ha ha). I give this group of teachers an A+ as a book club. Thanks for inviting me! Pictured here (Top row) Sheila, Trish, Cathy (Seated) Denise, Mark, Laurel, Cindy, and Tiffany.

Booked for Lunch Gals, Orange County, CA

I just love the clever names people come up with for their book clubs! This great group from the O.C. started up in January through Meetup.com, and I have a feeling based on their high energy & obvious love of reading, they'll be going strong for a long time to come. Thanks for inviting me!

A 28-Year Running Book Club in Los Angeles, CA

I had the pleasure of joining these lovely ladies at their book club meeting in Sherman Oaks, CA. They may well be the longest-running book club I've encountered so far...28 years! We dined on a meal inspired by the book - taco soup, a delicious Weight Watchers-friendly entree - and for dessert...we ate ice cream in public (one of the items on my character Marissa's list). Love it! Thank you, Marianne, for inviting me... and to all of you for making me feel so welcome.

The Rowdy Book Club, Winston-Salem, NC

They call themselves "The Rowdies" and it's a perfect name for them... in a good way! They're a lively group of 18 members that have been going strong as a book club for years. Nice talking to all of you!

Bottled Wine & Best Sellers, Houston, TX

With a book club name like this, how could they NOT be a great bunch of women?? Thanks for inviting me!

"Well Red" Book Club, Ohio

Here are the lovely ladies of the Well Red book club in Ohio (they meet at a winery, get it?)...and they celebrated Marissa's birthday along with one of their own. Please note the awesome balloon they made that allowed me to join the party, even though I was only with them on the phone!

Girls Night Book Club, Missouri

What an honor to be this book club's first book selection ever! I wonder if that makes me an honorary member? I should have asked...

Chapter Chat, St. Clair Shores, MI

Thanks for the "thumbs up" ladies - and best of luck to you with your own lists! This book club meets the third Wednesday of every month in St Clair Shores, Michigan. Back row: Yvette, Jennifer, Dolores, Lynda, Diane, Linda, and Laura. Front row: Yvonne, Tracy (kneeling), and Julie.

Book Club in Morris, CT

I loved the energy of this book club in CT, who've been together about a year and a half and had some great question and comments... I feel so lucky to be invited to join so many great groups! (And how ADORABLE is their littlest member??)

Virginia Beach Book Club

Thanks to this great group from the Virginia Beach area... they had some great questions, and lot of enthusiasm... plus they tried the taco soup recipe!

Book Club in the O.C.

I had a great discussion with this group from Southern California - mostly the OC and other areas who are all part of Temple Beth David in Westminster. They really get into the theme of the book & the discussion...what a pleasure it was for me to have a chance to get to chat with them.

Book Club in Cleveland, OH

This book club may be only five months old, but they're off to a good start: the women discuss books while the men are "the grill club" and serve as the official caterers!

Lake City Book Club, Minnesota

Ahhhh...who doesn't love a book club meeting with a view? Thank you to the ladies of Lake City, MN, who chatted with me along the beautiful Mississippi river (OK, I was in Michigan at the time...the miracle of modern cellphones)...and as I recall, I was at a lake at the time, too. It's often nerve-wracking talking with people who have experience in publishing as I encountered here, but they all couldn't have been nicer!

Circle of Friends Book Club, Montreal, Canada

Wow, these are some sexy shoes! I love it! I received a great email from this group after I called into the meeting, here's what they had to say: "We had such a lovely and most successful meeting discussing the book but mostly sharing our lists. We had to guess whose list it was by reading the first three items. Then we put the lists back in a hat and had to chose one that was not ours, and pick one item for that person to do within the year... and we had to pick one item for ourselves to do from that same list. Some were more challenging than others."

Reading Group at Park River Landing, Georgetown, MA

My thanks to this great group from MA who are all part of the same condo complex & get together monthly for a reading group. As an activity for this meeting, everyone wrote down three things on their list, and then they picked out of a box someone else's list. Great idea!

WHORS Book Club, Hilliard, OH

OK, I promise there's something clever behind that acronym that's the name of this book club, but darned if I can remember what it was...maybe I'll come back on with an update if I figure it out. (Women Happy Over Reading Stuff???) Nah. I grew up in Michigan, so it's always nice to chat with my fellow Midwesterners! Update: I found out the acronym: Women of Hilliard Ohio Reading Society - sounds so sophisticated, doesn't it?

Book Club from Manteno, IL

This great group - who say they include "mothers and daughters, old friends and new" and (like my own book club) enjoy their wine - has been meeting monthly for about a year. I called in to surprise the group and I couldn't have been met with a more enthusiastic bunch of women! Front row: Jeannie Olson, Paula Shelton, Samantha Hoffman, and Pam Hoffman, Back row:
Jessica Dickson, Jody Doyle, Maggie Walsh, Karen Dove, and Leslie Heart.

ATB Book Club, Manassas, VA

ATB stands for Around the Bar, and this great group has been meeting for about eight months. They're wearing name tags with the top three things they each want to do on their list! Bottom Row (left to right) Debbie, Tina, Carol, Laura, Sue. Top Row (left to right) Amy, Caroline, Kathy, Trish, Liz. Not pictured Joanne and Tiffany.

A Brand New Book Club in Indianapolis, IN

I was delighted to call in for the very first meeting of this book club in Indianapolis, IN. It's amazing to think how I've been in a book club now for nearly two decades...so congratulations to these guys for getting started (one of the members, Andy, pulled together the group to fulfill a New Year's resolution) . I think that a book club is such a great way to get to know other people who love books & also challenge yourself to read stuff you might not ordinarily pick up. They were a terrific group to have a chance to chat with & I was certainly honored to have my novel be their first reading selection!

Reading Group at Lake Havasu City Library, AZ

Here's something new for my list: I finally Skyped! I joined the reading group at Lake Havasu City Library via Skype (just like guests do on Oprah). I've been doing lots of call-ins by speakerphone, but this is the first time I was able to see who I was talking to - it was fun! Here they are in a few candid shots during the meeting - apparently I'm on a screen upfront, larger than life. Thanks for inviting me - lots of great questions & comments.

Beverly Hills Book Club, Michigan

If they'd only met a week or so earlier, I could have stopped by to visit this book club while I was home visiting my parents for the holidays - they're very close to my home town! As it was, I called in from the warmth of California to where they're having record-breaking freezing temperatures in Michigan & enjoyed chatting with this fun and enthusiastic group. Thanks so much, ladies - it was a great way to start 2009! Pictured here: Joan Rappley, Niclole Walsh, Arlene Alessi,
Mari Mackenzie, Joan Mansueti, Susan Hamm

Douglass Community Center Book Club, Louisville, KY

Talk about your high-energy, enthusiastic book clubs! I had the honor of calling in to the Douglass Community Center Book Club in Louisville, KY. They had lots of great questions for me, interesting observations on the book...and our discussion even made the local paper. Here's a link to the article:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081217/ZONE01/812170487/-1/ZONE01

Racine Family Club, Racine, WI

I received this mesage from Sally, one of the gals in a Racine, WI book club I had a chance to talk to: "After we talked to you we ended up doing one of the activities suggested at the end of your book. We drew names and every one of us had to write five things they think that the other person should do. Two things were to be done in the next five years and three things in the next month. After that everyone read out loud their to do list and we ended up choosing for every person one thing from their list that they have to do before our next meeting in January. It was so much fun to play this little game and see what everyone's list was." What a great idea...thanks!

Nerdy Birdies Reading Group

Here's a really fun group. The facilitator of the meeting challenged members to come to the meeting doing one of three things: 1) wear red lipstick, 2) wear sexy shoes or 3) go braless. They also played a game using a list of things people want to do before they die. They've got nine members and have been meeting for eight years. A couple other great things they do as a book club: They have a "nerdy bird trophy" that is awarded to the book of the year, which they vote on at a Christmas luncheon. They also exchange gifts which must be something from one of the books that we read. Great ideas, gals!

First Friday Book Club, Pittsburgh, PA

I was up with the chickens to talk with the First Friday Book Club, which meets at 9 AM on the East Coast (so 6 AM California time for me)...they were so fun and lively they woke me up better than three cups of coffee! They've been together as a book club for 30 years & literally hundreds of books! For breakfast, they served Marissa's taco soup ... and to get into the spirit of the book, they all wore sexy shoes. How great is that??

SOARERS Book Club, Tuscaloosa, AL

This book club has been together for 11 years and I can see why - they were a lot of fun! They meet the third Tuesday of each month for dinner & book talk. And I want to get "official" shirts for my book club!

Book Club, Lawrence, KS

A twist on the life list idea, each member of this group brought the top five things she wanted to do before dying ... all lists were put in a hat, then pulled out and discussed. Thanks for inviting me, ladies! (Hmmm...and I see as many hands holding wine glasses as holding a book...my kind of book club!) Here they are: Back row: Jill Lapointe, Julie Sigourney, Carolyn Johnson, Wendy Carmody, Marci Toalson, Diane Solcher and Tami Keasling, Front row: Kitty Ware, Micki Chestnut, Cheri Drake, and Diane Knapp.

Book Broads and John, Indianapolis, IN

First off, I just love the name of this book club - (although I was a bit disappointed John wasn't there when I called...I thought I might finally have a man in one of these book club photos!!!). They were a fun, energetic group ... and they even have a snazzy web site for their book club - a great idea for any reading group to keep everybody involved, organized & enthusiastic. Pictured here: Last row. DeAnna, Ada, April, Brooke, LeeAnn, Donna, Jennifer, Cindy; in chairs: Timolin, Holly and Anna

Florence Welcoming Book Club Group

What better way to make people feel welcome to the area than to share a love of reading? I think it's such a great idea that a book club is part of the Florence Welcoming Club in Florence, SC - and thanks, ladies, for inviting me to join in your discussion. I really enjoyed talking to you!

The Chicklits Book Club

Thanks to the Chicklits Book Club for inviting me to call in & join their meeting! I love how they do so many things to keep meetings interesting. At this particular one, everyone brought a list of things they want to do in the next five years, which they put into a basket anonymously. Then as each list was read aloud, everyone tried to guess who submitted it. Plus, in keeping with the "guess who" theme, they also all brought their high school photos for a guessing contest... apparently one Chicklit stumped them all with a photo of her in a beehive. Now I want to know who it is, too!!

Diva-Lit Book Club, Atlanta, GA

I had the privledge of being the first book chosen for the Diva-Lit Book Club in Atlanta, GA - thanks, ladies! Pictured here: Back Row: Sharon L., Deidra, Connie, Mia, Lashae, Front Row Standing: Sebrina, Sharon U., Front Row Kneeling: Katrice, Stacey

The Harbor Point Page Turners, Chicago, IL

I love the fact that the members of this reading group all live in the same condo building - what a great way to meet your neighbors by discussing books (plus the view over Lake Michigan looks amazing...wish I was there in person instead of just by speakerphone). They had some great & challenging questions for me that even helped ME look at my book in a different way! Thanks, ladies!

"Book Bitches" in northern VA

I had a great chat with this group whose name must be ironic because they were very nice! They came up with an interesting activity: each member brought a list of five things they wanted to do before the next milestone birthday. Everyone then wrote down one of the things they chose - those were then put in a hat and, as the papers were picked, they had to guess whose it was. Love it! Pictured here (giving a "thumbs up" for one of their members currently deployed in Afghanistan):First row l-r: Lori, Nui, Meg,Leslie; Second row: Carmel, Barb, Donna; Third row: Annette, Jackie, Lisa.

Book Club from St. Louis, MO

I enjoyed my chat with this book club from St. Louis, MO - a great group of gals who have been together about eight years and have read the gamut ...from The Next Thing on My List to War and Peace!

Bebe Book Club, Old Hickory, TN

Thanks so much to the Bebe Book Club for inviting me to call in... wish I could have been there for a Margarita! Seen here:
(back row) Michele, Joelle, Marti (front row) Julie, Lisa

Book Club in San Diego, CA

I had a great chat with this former Bunko group now a book club in San Diego, CA. They had a lot of great questions and observations about the book - plus all brought their own life lists to the meeting. They also always make food in the theme of whatever they're reading and tried out Marissa's taco soup recipe, telling me, "to all of our amazement, it was TERRIFIC, everyone went back for seconds." Thanks, ladies! From left to right, back row - Dianne, Lisa S., and Lisa A; front row - Mary, Rhona, Nan, and Susan

A Book Club on the Run in Pearland, TX

The group the runs together reads together! That might be a good motto for this book club - they have a running club that's also a book club. They agree to read the same book and, after a month or so, go for a run and then meet at a Starbucks or someone's house to discuss it. Thanks, ladies, for choosing The Next Thing on My List as your reading/running selection. BTW, All of them have run at least one marathon ... maybe that's for the really long books.

Cypress Readers Book Club, CA

One of the things I loved when talking to the Cypress Readers Book Club was that as part of their meeting, they each had to bring a list of five things that they wanted to do by their next "big" birthday. One of the members, Lisa Munley, also runs a great book site called Books on the Brain - visit it at lisamm.wordpress.com

Huntington Beach Book Club

Thanks so much to book club in Huntington Beach, CA, for inviting me to "join" their meeting! After the call, Dee Wood wrote me this great note: "We talked about it after we talked with you, and decided that it relates to all of us – no matter at what stage of life – as June successfully made a difference in herself & others around her -- & isn’t that what we all strive to do!?"