You may find it a bit ironic that as an author of two books, I have never been part of or attended a SINGLE book club. I don’t know why, but for some reason the opportunity never presented itself until my dear friend Jessica, who is also a Dutch expat and writer, invited me to join her book club. I’ve technically been a “member” for a few months now, but this week I finally made my first ever meeting! What a blast. When they told me their next read was going to be “WILD” by Cheryl Strayed, I knew I had to make the effort to join in. I’d been meaning to read the book for a long time already. The book club was the perfect boost to put thoughts into action. We met up this week in Amsterdam at Cafe Piazza, an Italian restaurant that Jessica has included in her upcoming book about the incredible and diverse lives of restaurant owners in Amsterdam. This particular restaurant is owned by a Polish woman, hence the secret, hidden Polish menu and why our table was sizzling with plates of delicious pierogi and Polish beer.

We chose a Wednesday night because we knew it would be quiet, and sat upstairs in a back corner. It was the perfect atmosphere and two hours went by faster than I ever could’ve imagined. I absolutely loved that there were eight of us, and 5 different nationalities including Romanian, American, Canadian (woot!), Hungarian and Dutch/Indonesian. Seven girls and one Hungary guy (see what I did there?!). All really nice people and I’m very interested to know how each of them ended up in Holland. A question I’ll have to ask at our next meeting.

Oddly, one of the best parts of my evening was taking the train home. I don’t often ride the trains but every time I do I always ask myself why I don’t do it more often. It’s such a peaceful, wonderful mode of transport. I always really enjoy my time alone on the train.

On April 1st we will all be meeting up again in Amsterdam to watch “WILD” in the theatre. I’m really looking forward to it! What is everyone else reading at the moment? If you want any of my recommendations, I’ve recently started an online “SHOP” where I’ve shared my favourite reads. I have not completed the list, but the most important ones are on there. Having now attended my first-ever book club, I am even more honoured and amazed when I consider the many book clubs (plus the ones I don’t even know about) who have chosen, read and discussed MY books…. If only I could be a little fly on the wall. And speaking of book clubs Diane Kroe literally JUST sent in this absolutely fantastic photo at her latest meeting.

Thank you so much ladies! This is my first-ever GROUP shot with my book. If you don’t remember, I lately became a brand ambassador for Diane Kroe’s awesome travel clothing line. If you want to see what that is all about, check out my earlier post. You can get FREE shipping if you use the coupon code: Savannah.