January Meeting - Recap

The January RRPQ meeting was a complete success! We enjoyed a quiet nook in Abby Singer's Bistro (Robinson Film Center) and had an excellent waitress that took care of our every need. The food was delicious, by the way!

We discussed Pat Conroy's My Reading Life. It was interesting to hear everyone's viewpoints on this book. I thought it was magnificent (I had seen Pat Conroy a couple of weeks earlier, so I may just be biased). A couple of ladies thought that he sounded very full of himself and seemed to drone on and on by the end of the book. Others, being introduced to Pat Conroy for the first time, were interested in finding out more about his other works (aside from Prince of Tides) and to put together the pieces of his life that he captures through his characters. As for Sonny Brewer's Don't Quit Your Day Job: Acclaimed Authors and the Jobs they Quit, everyone was very excited and eager to read it in the future.

We will meet again at Abby Singer's Bistro on Feb. 24, 2011 at 6:30pm and the topic will be Fannie Flagg and her new novel I Still Dream About You. This should be an exciting month! Also, let it be noted that we have decided to meet at a new restaurant every 2 months. So if you have any ideas or have a place that you like, make sure you let me know! See you ladies next month!

January RRPQ Newsletter!

January Meeting - REMINDER

January RRPQ Meeting TOMORROW, Jan 27 at 6:30pm at Abby Singer's Bistro (inside the Robinson Film Center). We'll be discussing Pat Conroy's My Reading Life and Sonny Brewer's Don't Quit Your Day Job: Acclaimed Authors and the Jobs they Quit.

See you there!

2011 Girlfriends Weekend Audio!

Pat Conroy of My Reading Life and South of Broad

Fannie Flagg of Fried Green Tomatoes and I Still Dream About You



Carolyn Turgeon of Godmother and Mermaid.



Karen White of On Folly Beach



Mark E. Green, MD of A Night With Sadaam

Shelly Rushing Tomlinson

Trailer for 2012 Girlfriend Weekend

Created by Mike Gannon and approved by the Queen herself.

2012 Girlfriend Weekend Theme Announced!

Message from Queen Kathy Patrick in regards to the 2012 Girlfriend Weekend!

Announcing the BOOK THEME for Girlfriend Weekend 2012! It's "THE GREATEST 'BOOK' SHOW ON EARTH!" Think Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants", Frank Delaney's "Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show", Melanie Benjamin's "The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb"! Girlfriend Weekend is MAGIC and since I juggle 405 book club daily, ON WITH THE SHOW!

Beauty and the Book Show Update

Full episodes of the Beauty and the Book Show are now available for viewing on the web. The episode of the Red River Pulpwood Queens speaking with author Helen Simonson (Major Pettigrew's Last Stand) via Skype will be debuting on February 1st! After meeting Helen over the weekend and learning that she was chosen as the Pulpwood Queens book/author of the year, I am so excited to see our episode as it airs for the whole world to see! (I hope my living room was clean enough!)

Invitation: Yada Yada Book Club

Wednesday, January 26 · 6:30pm- 7:30pm
Location	Benton United Methodist Church 615 Palmetto Road Benton, LA
Created By	Connie Cox
More Info	Club meets each Wed at 6:30pm. Free childcare w/ advance notice! Come for supper for the whole family at 5:30pm. Call Rachel for details. (318) 965-2273

2011 Book Club Selections Announced!

January Main Selection: My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
January Bonus Selections: Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Acclaimed Authors and the Day Jobs They Quit Edited by Sonny Brewer
They Came to Nashville by Marshall Chapman

February Main Selection: I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg
February Bonus Selections: The Miracle of Mercy Land: A Novel by River Jordan
The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry
Cheap Cabernet by Cathie Beck

March Main Selection: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
March Bonus Selections: Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
The Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White
As the Sycamore Grows by Jennie Helderman

April Main Selection: Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See
April Bonus Selections: The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz
Goodness Gracious Green by Judy Christie
Redefining Beauty by Texas Poet Laureate Karla K. Morton
Mothers & Other Liars by Amy Bourret

May Main Selection: Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show by Frank Delaney
May Bonus Selections: Royal Blood (A Royal Spyness Mystery) by Rhys Bowen
Mink River: A Novel by Brian Doyle
Larkspur’s Cove by Lisa Wingate

June Main Selection: Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress
June Bonus Selections: Gone with a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West
Woof: Women Only Over Fifty by Diana Black and Mary Cunningham
Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd

July Main Selection: The Killing Storm by Kathryn Casey
July Bonus Selections: Heart of Deception: A Novel by M.L. Malcolm
Murder at the Luther by Kathleen Kaska
Thunder Beach by Michael Lister

August Main Selection: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
August Bonus Selections: Paper Children by Marcia Fine
A Cup of Friendship: A Novel by Debbie Rodriguez
Sue Ellen’s Daughter Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy: The Belle of All Things Southern Dishes on Men, Money, and Not Losing Your Midlife Mind by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

Girlfriend Weekend, THIS Week!!!

It's finally here! After an entire year of waiting, Girlfriend Weekend is finally upon us! First of all, I would like to encourage everyone to come out and support our own Red River Pulpwood Queen Judy Christie as she speaks on a panel on Friday at 11:00am. The topic will be Stories That You Will Fall In Love With The Characters. I can't wait to find out first hand what's new in her Goodness Gracious Green books!

I'm sure you've noticed the incredible Victorian house in the photograph. I will be sharing a room with a fellow RRPQ at the Three Oaks Bed & Breakfast in Marshall, TX. Of course, after waiting until the last minute, there are no rooms available in Jefferson proper, therefore I have ventured 15 miles down the road and come upon one of the oldest B&B's in Marshall.

I am currently sewing a portion of my costume for the Great Big Ball of Hair Ball. My husband will be picking up an important piece of it in Longview, Texas tonight after work. As soon as Shreveport thaws, I will be shopping for accessories. Have no doubt that pictures will be forthcoming.

Have I mentioned that I can't wait to meet Fannie Flagg???!!!!

Beauty and the Book Sneak Peek!

Pat Conroy's My Reading Life - January 2011 Book Selection

Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is also a vora­cious reader. He has for years kept a notebook in which he notes words or phrases, just from a love of language. But read­ing for him is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity.

In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of passionate reading. He includes wonderful anecdotes from his school days, mov­ing accounts of how reading pulled him through dark times, and even lists of books that particularly influenced him at vari­ous stages of his life, including grammar school, high school, and college. Readers will be enchanted with his ruminations on reading and books, and want to own and share this perfect gift book for the holidays. And, come graduation time, My Reading Life will establish itself as a perennial favorite, as did Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!