In Front: Eva, Mangal, Elaina, Caroline, Gayland, Anneliese, Marjorie
In Back: Meg, Cathie, Marrianne, Carol
Missing: Darla

When this book club in Austin, TX asked me to call in, my first thought was, "I'm just glad I won't be driving there!" Don't get me wrong. It's a lovely town (actually reminds me a lot of Boulder) but the drivers? My professional psychiatric opinion: Nuts!

Although after visiting with these lovely ladies, I might have made an exception if I were in the area - say Arkansas or thereabouts - especially after hearing that the group was started 10 years ago by the member who is a retired banker and also happens to be a great baker! (Throw in a current, fully-stocked bartender and I am SO there.)

The group is from incredibly diverse and interesting backgrounds (along with the banker, there's a teacher, an RN, a criminal defense attorney, a university administrator, a collectible jewlery seller and an IBMer. I'm sure I've forgotten someone, but really, couldn't I have just stopped there? As my peeps are fond of singing this time of year, "Dayenu*.") Although they do have one thing in common, as Mangal mentioned when she first contacted me, "Most of us qualify for AARP."

I feel you. (And my joints. Oy.)

In any event, thank you so much for inviting me to discuss Queen of the Road. If I'm ever in the area, I'll have my driver veer on over.

*Dayenu. One of the most popular songs of the Passover sedar. It means, "It would have sufficed."

When Rachel first emailed me about her Fayetteville, GA book club, she said, "We laugh a lot at book club, drink too much at book club, and treasure our time together once a month."

Well, I just knew I had to "meet" those gals.

From left to right: Camber, Charlotte, Rachel, Val, Meghan and Becky. Wini left right before they took the photo.

They all live in same neighborhood and know each other because their kids go to same school. They've been meeting monthly for 4 years, always in each other's homes and always for cocktails.

Hmmm... Headwater High, Prevost Princess and a Hurlatini? Very tastey looking, if I do say so myself.

I especially loved the fact that these lovely Southern ladies heard about the book from Rachel's boss, who read it at her book club. Y'all know how I appreciate Queenly word-of-mouth!

Thanks so much, ladies for reading Queen of the Road and inviting me to your group!

I've "done" a few hundred book clubs by now, but this had never happened before: Three separate members contacted me to send bookplates for the group/send a bookplate to the hostess/to call in. I knew I had to meet these incredibly thoughtful ladies!

From left to right, Meral, Pat, Cynthia, Judy, Jayne, Valerie, Patty, Amanda, Jackie. Three members were out of town, Kathy, Terry, and Donna.

The gals in this Connecticut club have known each other almost 20 years, although only started meeting for books two years ago, at Meral's instigation. They originally got to know each other through their kids and friends of friends. Now, they still do a lot of things together, but my favorite (of course) is going house to house during Xmas, drinking.... Oh yeah, there's the seeing each other's decorations things, too. Don't worry, they rent a van. Short of having your own driver constantly on call as us Royals do, I'd say that's the next best thing.

But, I suppose, the very best thing they told me about their club is, "We love each other very much."

Ladies, it was obvious and such a pleasure meeting you all. Thanks so much for inviting me to you book club to call in about Queen of the Road.

Here's a wonderful book club story:

This book club at the Columbiana Public Library in Alabama has been meeting for 11 years or so, ever since Mary Ann King, a local woman in the community, founded it. Sadly, she died two years ago of ovarian cancer, but her book club lives on. There's even a special book collection in the library to commemorate this avid reader. The lovely gals in the club also informed me that Mary Ann "knew everyone in the state of Alabama." Sounds like the kind of woman I wish I'd known!

Pictured left to right: Teresa, Elizabeth, Jane, Nancy, Duffy, Beth, & Susan

Note the PJs. Nice going, ladies! I hope none of you got pulled over for anything on your drive back. (PJs: hard to explain to the officers. Trust me.) Note also that Jane, the library's director, has got quite the tiara going. I may need to go shopping, after all. (How did you know I wear my tiara to bed? I don't recall mentioning that in my book.)

The book club picked Queen of the Road as part of their summer travel theme, and who am I to argue?

Thanks so much for inviting me to your book club, ladies. Next time we're in Alabama, I promise we'll see more of your state than the Unclaimed Luggage Store. (You've sold me on the coast. Know anyone with a long driveway?)

As these lovely ladies in the Spies Public Library book club told me about their equally lovely town, I found myself wishing I could teleport on over. The library is in a historic building, on a beautiful marina, right on Green Bay in Menominee in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Seriously, check out their fantastic, historic library .

And of course, a picture of the lovely ladies, themselves:

Back Row - Jan, Gail, Carol, Val, Marlene, Sandy and Ardyce

Front Row - Cheryl, Carole, Sue, Gail, Gail, Connie and Pam

I do adore when a book club gets into it! Although a little early in the day for martinis (and they were meeting in a library, after all) the ladies made do with punch in their martini glasses. And of course, it is never too early for a tiara. (That's why I wear mine to bed.)

As you all know, I love calling in to book clubs and answering questions. Sometimes though, I end up hearing a wonderful story that even warms my cynical heart. And, that's what happened at this book club when one of the ladies told of her own RV trip, decades ago: She had always wanted to do such a journey, so she just did, leaving her husband at home and taking her two young children cross country in a 35 foot rig. She needed some assistance when she started out, and a trucker stopped to lend a hand. Afterwards, without her knowledge, he put out the word to all his fellow truckers on his CB radio that they should all help out the woman traveling alone with two kids - complete with her license and vehicle description. It wasn’t until she got to California that she found out what he’d done.

Tim and I call that "road magic." (That's opposed to the "road tragic" which we, unfortunately, are much more likely to encounter.)

Thank you for inviting me to your book club, lovely ladies of Menominee!

I realize you never know with me if you're going to get an entry about a robust wine or whine, but I'm happy to say that this time, it's the former (for now).

I called in to the WINE (Women In Novels Enlightened) Book Club in Seattle, WA earlier this week. In keeping with the roughing it aspect of my book (and you know I don't mean no Holiday Inn), this lovely group met in a very outdoorsy spot - the courtyard of a condo complex. Just my style, ladies. Bravo! They've been meeting for almost a year and already sound like a very cohesive group:

From Left: Beth, Jean, Kimberly, Tina & Ashley (not pictured Tanya, the photo taker).

That's some nice condo complex, Jean!

Thanks so much for inviting me to your WINE book club, ladies. I very much enjoyed our discussion and really appreciated your enthusiasm for Queen of the Road. (Especially now that I see from the picture, it wasn't alcohol-fueled.)

Queen On!

As Kristin said, "Yet another little town you haven't heard of."

Let me explain.

Late in 2009, I called into Kristin's other book club in Williston Park, NY. Turns out, although I'd never heard of it, it's only 10 min from Great Neck, where I spent nearly my entire youth.

The Young Indian Cultural Group Mothers Book Club meets not too far away, in Albertson, New York, which I hadn't heard of, either. (What was I doing in my youth? Don't ask.)

Although I am your Queen of the Road, I also consider myself a Queen of Multitasking, so I especially loved hearing that this book club, which is in its 4th year, started at a cultural society center where the kids took lessons. Rather than just sit around and wait, the moms decided to have a book club while their kids were in class.

Kristin, you may invite me to call in to any book club of yours, any time, as you clearly have fabulous taste (no, not just in the books you pick - that goes without saying - but in the ladies of your book clubs!) If asked again, I shall look forward to not only another wonderful discussion, but also learning about yet another town I should have heard of.