We put quotes around "book club" around here because my family insists that calling it that is just a cover for what it really is: gossiping and drinking.

Like the clever owners of a bar near the University of Texas, who named their bar The Library, helping students tell the truth to their parents when they say they went to The Library six days a week all semester.

Yes, we drink when we have our book club meetings. But we never gossip, not ever.

We do discuss the book of the month, but it always somehow turns into a discussion about lady parts or dogs' anal glands.

My book club group has been on hiatus for about two years, but we've decided to get back to it in 2018, and I couldn't be more excited about the book we're kicking off with: Of Mess & Moxie by Austin's own Jen Hatmaker!

I've followed Jen for a long time, and I tend to think that our writing style is similar (if I do say so myself), but she's a cleaner-cut, far classier woman than me.

I like to think of myself as the "potty-mouthed Jen Hatmaker" or the "not-nearly-as-pulled-together Jen Hatmaker" and some might even refer to me as a "busted up Jen Hatmaker."

Hey, just so long as my name's in the same breath as hers, I'm totally ok with it.

A friend of mine even texted me last week and said I reminded her of Jen Hatmaker. I'm not even lying, look:

And check this out!

I saw this post on Jen's Facebook page this week, and I wanted to share it here so you could join me and my book club, and Jen and her book club, and read Of Mess & Moxie with us:

AND she's doing an event at the Riverbend Church here in Austin on February 27th - who's coming with me? Click this link to the get the info.