Nor do we appreciate them. Unless, of course, the reasons for not showing up to a summer book club are unique, clever, witty and absurd. There is also a fine line between saying you can't make it and over-sharing all the gruesome scheduling conflicts of the season and the appointed hour. Just keep it simple and show up very early  for the next club with your head held high.

Most book clubs have rules -- some unspoken, some written on parchment, others just dished behind members' backs -- stating that the person who picked the book must show up to that club. But what about the person who whines ("just wondering about the next club, did I miss something?") and then has a last minute engagement. We call it having it all possible ways.

A few meeting tips as members take wing:

• Be informal, but firm. Don't change times and meeting places to suit one person or every single members' vacation plans.

• Meet outside and discuss all the latest news. Make sure to keep straying members abreast of all the great books and classified information she missed.

• Don't try to accomplish too much during the summer. One book, one meeting, one plan. But if someone offers to host a waterfront barbecue, be the first to volunteer with unglamorous supplies.