Lemon squares and front porch swings

"The best portion of a good person’s life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” ― Allen Levi, Theo of Golden

Recently, my book club met for an evening on the porch. It was late spring, so the weather was perfect for sitting outside on a tree-lined street in the historic district of Thomasville.

It was actually a “progressive dinner”-styled evening, because two of our members live across the street from each other, and each opened their home and their front porch to us.

We toured the first member’s gorgeous home with its high ceilings and artsy, airy rooms and then settled around a table on the side of her wrap-around porch to chat about life while indulging in delicious appetizers, like watermelon-and-feta skewers and a layered hummus dip with roasted aubergines. (I prefer the British word for that veggie to the American one!)

We then traipsed across the street, under drapes of Spanish moss, glasses of wine or sparkling water in hand, to the second lovely home, where we were welcomed into the cozy kitchen and admired artwork by the owner’s sister on the walls.

A porch swing and rocking chairs made the perfect setting to sit back, enjoy desserts, and talk about the book we’d all read, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, while the sun set.

This beautifully-written novel is set in the South, in a town that reminded all of us of the lifestyle we have here in Thomasville, with its historic downtown filled with things like a coffee shop where everyone gathers, an independent bookstore, and loads of other unique shops and gathering spaces.

A real town where people know each other, stop to say hello and really mean it when they ask how you are. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a summer read. (You can likely order it from our own independent bookstore, The Bookshelf, which is just two doors down from our own shop on Broad Street!)

Next up, we will be discussing Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones, who happens to be the owner of The Bookshelf, as well as a friend and neighbor.

(Yes, I got a hair cut between the event pictured above and the book club evening, which were just days apart! As a matter of fact, one of the book club members is my stylist. I love small town life!)

Ordinary Time is specifically about lessons learned while staying put in Thomasville. It's deservedly receiving all sorts of attention all over the country and is available everywhere.

Have you picked up your copy yet? If not, I recommend you purchase it from your local independent bookshop!

xo,

PS: Remember good old fashioned lemon squares? Me too! We are blessed with some excellent cooks in my book club, and while I like to explore new recipes, sometimes I don't have the time to do so! For that evening, I grabbed a Dr. Pete's baking mix ~ ironically (or not so ironically) made by a small business in another small Georgia town ~ and made the easiest, MOST delicious lemon squares in a jiffy!