This was the year a male parishioner finally got up the nerve to join the Bad Girls Book Club. It was also a year when we read some terrific books and a few less-than-stellar selections. We read everything from fictional expansions on the Garden of Eden story to a tale of a Jesuit space exploration, and we even encountered a talking gorilla. If you like lively conversation, interesting books and spending time with new friends at Transfiguration, this club is for you.

The club name is in homage to a greeting card we found that referred to a book group where “half the members don’t come to the meeting and the other half don’t read the book.” We don’t care. We are more about community than intellectual pursuit, although our discussions can get very intense sometimes. We meet for an hour to 90 minutes – depending on how much fun we’re having - one evening a month at church. Our discussion includes that month’s book, current events, parish news, what’s going on in our lives, and everything in between.

Although some of our books involve theology (a nod to the group’s beginnings a few years ago as a serious women’s theology club), others simply have looked like a good read. We’re a small group, but we’d love to have more members. All women of the parish – no matter what age - are invited, and we especially welcome men secure enough in their manhood not to ask us to change our name. Snacks are provided, and members bring their own drinks.

Book recommendations are welcome – especially if you agree to attend that month’s meeting to share your insights. We’re always looking for ideas. For more information about the club or to get on our e-mail distribution, call Melinda Moore at (708) 361-0811, Becky Hensley at (708) 923-7343 or Katherine Hamann at (708) 448-2492.