Why Not Skip & Go Naked?

Remember my big complaint about book club? Well I went ahead and dropped out. Yep, I did. And believe you me, I am no quitter. Nuh-uh. *shaking my head* But you know what? It’s ok. Because I decided to start up a new book club with my friend Cresta (who was also in the last book club with me) where the only rule is NO BORING BOOKS ALLOWED. If you have a boring book, you must check it at the door with your coat and bag, please. And if you are caught smuggling in a boring book, then just know that you will be subject to a review by your book club peers. That’s right! Save the drama for your momma! Well, not THIS momma, but you know what I mean.

So who knew dropping out of book club could create so much drama? I will spare you the details, but suffice-to-say, some people *cough Old book club leader* have a real knack for creating ridiculous drama around every aspect of their life. I mean, it’s book club, honey! You’re not exactly guarding government secrets (or are you?)! This same person also doesn’t like to hear suggestions from members of said club of possible changes to liven it up a bit. And before you jump to any conclusions, I was not the only person innocently suggesting a few format changes when we noticed people dropping like flies like they just ran into the flyzapper on a hot summer night.

Anyhoo, with Cresta and I starting up our new book club and all, we needed a catchy name. So we are the ChickLit Book Club. And BTW, do you know how difficult actual Chicklit Gum is to find these days? Geeez! But I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah, book club. So aside from this being a fun and lighthearted, upbeat book club, we started a new format. Every member initially puts 2 books on the list. Either books they have read and want to share and chat about, books they really want to read, or even books that were made into movies that they never read but wanted to. So we have this master list. And when it’s your turn to host, you pick the book for the month off the list. The only catch is you can’t pick your own book. However, you also get to replace the book. This way, we are reading books we want to read, and the list is always changing and rotating around.

So far it’s been a really fun format for those of you looking to start up a new book club or looking for a way to change your current one around a bit. It does help though, that we’ve got some really funny outgoing ladies in our group that keep us rolling in laughter most of the time. And I must admit it also doesn’t hurt that we’ve been doing theme drinks. For instance, March was my month to host (last night) and I chose We’re Just Like You Only Prettier: Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle by Celia Rivenbark. A truly hysterical, LOL read if you are in the mood for one, BTW. With topics like why the Sopranno’s could never live down South, and what goes into big har (read hair for the non-southerners reading today), I really recommend her comical (though true!) observations and stories. But back to the drink. Since we were doing a Southern book, I decided I would serve Southern Porch Slammers. Truly, a real treat. And yes, I realize this is low-budget but once you taste it you will not be able to turn it away!

Southern Porch Slammer
-This is a 3-1 ratio
-3 parts beer (Beer!!) to 1 part frozen concentrate Limeade

I doubled the recipe so I just took my large stainless pitcher and added 6 beers and 2 cans of frozen concentrated limeade. I mixed it up really well and kept it in the fridge, until people arrived, then I served it in highball glasses over ice. You can also serve it with a wedge of lime, but alas, I forgot the fresh lime when I was grocery shopping earlier. This is the BEST light summer drink to cool you off and you know monogram momma would not steer you wrong. But if you want to add a little vodka to it, you can do that also, but the name then changes to a Skip and Go Naked. Either way, whether you decide to slam it on the front porch or skip and go naked, this book gets 4 stars from mm.