I was honored to be invited to attend my neighborhood book club this month to discuss Lunch in Paris, a memoir by Elizabeth Bard (www.elizabethbard.com). My friend Eileen happened to notice that I was thanked in the acknowledgments (who knew anyone actually read the acknowledgements) and thought it would be fun to have me join in. Twelve smart women gathered on a breezy summer evening at the beach for French wine and home made goodies right out of the book, like stuffed zucchini flowers, tabbouleh, melon in port, and mini almond cakes. What could be bad about that? It felt a bit like getting together to hear your friends talk about your children. Again, what could be bad about that? Interesting to hear how everyone felt about different aspects of Elizabeth’s life story and about the recipes. The comparisons to Eat, Pray, Love and other books make for lively conversation. It was also fun to share some of the behind-the-scenes stories like how I first met Elizabeth and what’s gone on in her life since the book came out earlier this year, including the sale of the film rights and how all that happens. The whole night was totally fun, prideful, and, I must admit, strangely narcissistic.

At the end of the evening I offered a quick pitch on some other WSA books. I came prepared with some books (everyone loves a little swag, right?) and am thrilled that Brigid Pasulka’s (www.BrigidPasulka.com)stunning debut novel A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True was chosen for next month’s selection. Happy reading…
-Wendy