The Non-Book Book Club

I've always loved book groups. When I first moved to Washington, D.C. my friend Sarah and I joined various book clubs and even managed to get ourselves kicked out of one (long story). So when I moved to Baku and was invited to join a group of women who met once a month, I immediately accepted.

Except this is a different kind of book club. When you live in a place like Baku you can't just hop over to Barnes & Noble or click a link at Amazon and have your book in a few days. Finding multiple copies of one book: impossible. So instead of reading one book each month, we've turned our book club into a book exchange. We each bring two or three books that we've enjoyed and share with the group. It's a great way to discover books you wouldn't have otherwise. Somewhere along the way we picked up the nickname of "the non-book book club."

At the end of the day though, this group spends very little time discussing books and a lot of time talking about food. We probably should be called "the non-book dinner club." Each month we're treated to fabulous meals. Last month it was Thai made by a member who had just returned from Thailand. The month before bagels and lox (a rare treat).

This month it was my turn to host and I planned ahead a little bit and bought some cheese in France that I could serve at dinner. With help from my friend Andrea, we made French garlic chicken, roasted potatoes and carrots to go along with a beautiful salad and cheese. I even managed to make a pretty spring centerpiece for the table. Just call me Martha.

Every month I really look forward to this night. The women are all fantastic and it has been a great way to become involved in the community here. And I've even managed to read a few good books.