If you are reading this blog for the first time, then allow me to introduce the Sexy Potato Peel Club--a book club of six, independent, intelligent women ranging in age from 40 to 60 years young. For an introduction to the book club, please read my posting From Bond Girl to Book Worm.

As a followup to the introduction, this potato peel will share our rules and non-rules for the SPPC. Basically answering those often-asked questions from curious minds.

First, we aim to hold our meetings every two months. Initially the meetings were more regular, once a month. Then life takes over and getting six women together is a challenge. Climbing Mount Everest might be considered an easier feat.

The venue: we rotate the club meeting at each member's home. The hostess is then responsible for providing finger food and wine. While "potato peel" has a literary meaning for our book club, "finger food" takes on a new gastronomic definition for the SPPC. It means a three course meal, whether home-made or picked up at a local, boutique market such as Gardner's Market. The other requisite is red and white wine!

The minute I share this morsel of information, inquirers fill in the blanks automatically. "So you spend more time eating, drinking and probably discussing women's issue." How did they guess? The three-course meal is the first major clue, and the wine says it all.

While we do discuss the book, most of the evening is spent going around the circle for each member to share her latest adventures, family news, job highlights and lowlights, dating and relationship sagas, and travels within the 50 United States or around the globe. Oh yes, and we discuss and debate news and politics. Collectively, it's part Sex in the City, part Desperate Housewives, CNN, and the Travel Channel all in one ready-to-roll-out drama series. Nonetheless, we look forward to each book club meeting with great anticipation.

What's the process for selecting books? Good question! The hostess is responsible for providing a selection of three to five books, a combination of fiction and non-fiction. Normally we check New York Times Bestseller's list and print out summaries and review. Then we each vote and majority book wins. Our group majority prefers fiction (five out of six), so normally I get outvoted for the non-fiction. I enjoy learning new subjects, whether it's history, culture, geography, anything. However, with more and more "historical fiction" books, my appetite for facts is fulfilled with historical or cultural backdrops while the storyline fancies our imagination.

Which books have we read? Stay tuned for part three of the Sexy Potato Peel Club.