This month's Hidden Lake Book Club gathering at Juliete Schrader’s home wasn’t just a meeting — it was first-class service aboard the Hidden Lake Literary Line, with The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay as our featured destination.

Our own  Juliete promptly derailed any expectations of an ordinary book club and reminded everyone that women have been keeping the world running smoothly since long before anyone laid the first railroad tie. From the moment we pulled into her driveway, it was clear this train was operating on gourmet tracks: impeccable hospitality, sparkling conversation, and enough laughter to power the entire locomotive.

The printed menu, her beautiful  island setting, and those homemade sandwiches (truly to die for) made the evening feel like we’d upgraded to the deluxe dining car.

Fresh fruit cups in actual china, thoughtful little touches everywhere — Juliete  doesn’t just host book club, she operates a five-star literary dining experience. Honestly, Amtrak could take notes.

And then came the desserts. Cheesecake with that wonderful cherry republic sauce and lemon meringue pie that was so good!   The original Harvey Girls would’ve absolutely asked for the recipes — and probably staged a polite but firm coup for seconds.

When we finally turned to the book, we were all impressed by how Fred Harvey was ten steps ahead of his time putting women in real management roles. These Harvey Girls didn’t just serve meals with grace — they basically ran the show while the men were still figuring out which way the train was headed. In other words, same as it ever was.

In many ways, we’re all modern Harvey Girls: keeping life civilized, holding everything together with friendship, food, laughter, and strategic amounts of caffeine. We can do it all… though we’d still appreciate it if someone else would just handle dinner once in a while.

Author,Juliette Fay made one thing abundantly clear: when women gather, things get done — efficiently, stylishly, and usually with better snacks. History may remember the Wild West as lawless and rugged, but let’s be honest: the women were the ones making sure the coffee was hot and everyone caught the train on time while the cowboys were out there looking for their horses (and the train station).

As always, our discussion stayed mostly on the rails… with occasional delightful detours, side stories, accidental interruptions, and enough tangents to require its own signal system. Pure joy.

Good books tell great stories. Great book clubs — and especially great hosts like Juliete — make them even better. Thank you for the warmth, the laughter, the outrageous sandwiches and for keeping our literary rails running so smoothly.

Until our next departure… grab your boarding pass, bring stretchy pants, and get ready to butter up for France.