The Tazas (Coffee Cup) Book Club

Six years ago, nine, cool, writer chicks decided to start a book club.  Fascinated by the magic of words and how they come together to create stories, we wanted to talk about the books we read.  Half of the nine were published authors; the other half wanted to be. 

          Once we agreed on the idea, we thought it best to wait until the new year.  We chose our first book, our meeting date, and on some basic rules. As the day approached, we needed a place open late enough for us to meet after our regular, weekly writing group.  We chose a coffee shop that had just opened in the area.  

          Hey, we cool, remember?  Writers, books, coffee shop.  Where else would we meet?

          Our coffee shop closed this past fall, but the book club is still going strong.  Six of the original nine members are gone, but we have replaced them with three others.  Whenever you get a discussion group together, it is always difficult to make sure everyone gets a say.  By keeping it to a group of six, those of us with “stronger opinions” are reminded to let the quieter ones speak.

          We started 2017 with book number forty-six. We meet every month or six weeks.  We have read historical and modern fiction, a lot from best seller lists, but we have also read mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and memoir.  We have read books from all age groups and books on craft as well. We have read some amazing books and some real stinkers.

          Now that our coffee shop is gone, we have searched for a new place to meet.  We tried Starbucks, Panera, and a new sandwich shop, all in the same general area.  None have the same feel as Tazas did, so we keep looking. Out of necessity and hunger, we met at IHOP one Monday, and we find ourselves returning there.  At nine in the evening, we have the place pretty much to ourselves, besides their Harvest Grain pancakes are healthy and delicious.

          Since the coffee shop is gone, we have dibbs on the name.  The Tazas Book Club sounds much cooler than The IHOP or The Harvest Grain Book club; after all, as writers, we are aware of the importance of branding ourselves.