and delicious dressing made from ingredients most of us usually have on hand. Alternatively, you can use about 3⁄4 cup of your favorite ready-made Italian salad dressing.
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
⅛ tsp each of salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Cook the quinoa using your favorite method. I use my Instant Pot pressure cooker. I use 1 ½ cups of dry quinoa to 1 3⁄4 cups water, cook at high pressure for 3 minutes and allow 8 minutes of natural release. Allow to cool.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir well. Allow flavors to marinate. Serve cold or room temperature.
Questions for Discussion
Please note, these questions contain spoilers about the story.
We recommend you finish The Vineyard at Painted Moon before reading any of the questions below.
At the Summer Solstice Party at the beginning of the book, Giorgio’s proposal made several characters reassess their own lives. What was it about this moment that made such an impact? Discuss how this propelled both Mackenzie’s story line and Stephanie’s. (In fiction writing terms, this is known as the “inciting incident.”)
What did you think of Mackenzie and Rhys’s marriage when the book began? What was your first clue that all was not well?
Barbara and Mackenzie shared a love of the land of Bel Après. Discuss how this influenced their decisions.
Mackenzie doesn’t have to leave Bel Après. When she and Rhys decide to divorce, she doesn’t have to lose anything but her marriage. No one would care if she got a divorce and then stuck around. In light of all that, why do you think she walked away? What price was she willing to pay for her decision? Did she ultimately pay as severe a price as she feared she would?
What did you think of the way Rhys’s behavior changed after he learned that Mackenzie was pregnant? How did his reaction contrast with Bruno’s? Were you surprised when Mackenzie realized she was pregnant, or did you pick up on some foreshadowing that gave you a clue?
Susan Mallery promises readers that her books will have a satisfying ending. Were you satisfied with the ending of The Vineyard at Painted Moon? Why or why not? Would your answer change if Mallery hadn’t written the epilogue? The wrap-up of Barbara’s story line certainly couldn’t be described as happy, but did it satisfy your sense of justice? Do you think the book would have worked if Barbara had gotten a happy ending? Why or why not?
Four was the youngest of Barbara’s children, but the wisest. What do you think made her so wise?
Discuss Stephanie’s journey. In what ways did she change as the book progressed? What moments motivated her to change?
What are the themes of this book? How does each story line—Mackenzie’s, Stephanie’s and Barbara’s—reinforce these themes?
How did you feel about the setting of The Vineyard at Painted Moon? Were you surprised that Washington State has such a robust wine-making community, or did you already know? Did the book make you want to visit that part of the country?
If you were going to name your dream vineyard, what would you call it?
Share a wine-related memory with the group.
The Friendship List
by Susan Mallery
Chapter 1
“I should have married money,” Ellen Fox said glumly. “That would have solved all my problems.”
Unity Leandre, her best friend, practically since birth, raised her eyebrows. “Because that was an option so many times and you kept saying no?”
“It could have been. Maybe. If I’d ever, you know, met a rich guy I liked and wanted to marry.”
“Wouldn’t having him want to marry you be an equally important part of the equation?”
Ellen groaned. “This is not a good time for logic. This is a good time for sympathy. Or giving me a winning lottery ticket. We’ve been friends for years and you’ve never once given me a winning lottery ticket.”
Unity picked up her coffee and smiled. “True, but I did give you my pony rides when we celebrated our eighth birthdays.”
A point she would have to concede, Ellen thought. With their birthdays so close together, they’d often had shared parties. The summer they’d turned eight, Unity’s mom had arranged for pony rides at a nearby farm. Unity had enjoyed herself, but Ellen had fallen in love with scruffy Mr. Peepers, the crabby old pony who carried them around the paddock. At Ellen’s declaration of affection for the pony, Unity had handed over the rest of her ride tickets, content to watch Ellen on Mr. Peepers’s wide