COMING THIS FALL: BOOK CLUB BUZZ CONTESTS
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October 1
THE RECIPE CLUB by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel
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October 15
DINING WITH JOY by Rachel Hauck
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Greetings,
We asked for your book / menu pairing ideas, and you responded! Several groups sent us fabulous menus paired with their reading selections. These thematic feasts will make your mouth water - and hopefully inspire your own group to culinary greatness.
Looking for summer reading ideas? Browse our latest book recommendations from groups across the country. Please take a moment to tell us about your book club's favorite reading this year.
We're excited to announce the launch of Buzzing About Books, a
newsletter that introduces new and upcoming titles to readers. Look for
our first issue in July.
Browse our Guest Author Blog for insights from your favorite authors, including Jennie Shortridge, Jenna Blum, and upcoming bloggers Heather Barbieri and A. Manette Ansay.
Authors in our Choose a Book - Invite an Author program share news about their new releases. Remember to enter our current contest to win a copy of Rita Golden Gelman's Female Nomad and Friends.
Happy Reading and Bon
App�tit!
Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp [email protected] bookclubcookbook.com
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BOOK CLUBS RECOMMEND Reading Suggestions from Book Clubs
The Wine Drinkers Book Club of West Salem, Wisconsin,
recommends: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (Scribner, 2010), Fiction, 304 pages
"
The old West is often portrayed as the bastion of strong
men, and the women that loved them. In Half Broke Horses, author
Jeanette Walls takes a collection of her grandmother's history and
reminiscences, and shows how the West was really won. The book is referred to as a 'true-life novel.' This is the
story of a woman that fought to be educated, to be independent of her parents,
while building her own family with a foundation of determination and
intelligence. " Half
Broke Horses is a well-paced read, with often witty anecdotes and
plenty to interest a group discussion. The Wine Drinkers' Book Club discussed
how living close to the edge in the West was a way of life in the late 1800s
and early 1900s. When self-reliance is a necessity, it develops a very
single-minded focus on survival. We also spoke about the process and thinking of the granddaughter as she
took her grandmother's stories and created a book -- what it meant to her, how much of it was family folklore versus
fact, and how much was fiction. "A half-broke horse is one that isn't fully broken,
creating a horse that is very untrusting of people. For the group, the book also begged the question: is there
anything worth doing only halfway? And, is it better to do nothing or do it
only halfway?" More New Book Recommendations
Including:
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See Almost Home by Pam Jenoff
Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents by Marty Essen Tinkers
by Paul Harding The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson Where the Dog Star Never Glows by Tara L. Masih
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT Culinary Creations from Book Clubs
The Ladies of Autumnwood | Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, set in
ancient China, inspired The Ladies of Autumnwood of Grand Island, New York, to dine on take-out Chinese. On the menu: wonton
soup, spring rolls, pork pot stickers, beef and broccoli, sweet and sour
chicken, and Chinese vegetables, and for dessert, almond cookies
and fortune cookies. Maryl Gavazzi,
who hosted the meeting, says, "I served a plum wine to complement the
dishes
and Chinese black tea. To commemorate the event, I bought 'cheater'
chopsticks
and made sleeves for them. (You will notice them on the picture of my
table setting.)"
* * *
Several groups shared with us their menu pairing ideas for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, set on a British island at the close of World War II. The snacks served by Carol Travis Tucker's group, WINONO (Women In Need Of a Night Out) of Cranston, Rhode Island, were among the most creative:
"Our hostess placed six tiny cupcake paper cups into small rectangular shaped aluminum pans, and filled each cup with nuts, raisins, different cheeses,
etc. She labeled them:
+ Red Cross Emergency Rations
+
Our hostess tried to use what she
already had around the house (as if her resources were scarce) for her
table decorations -- a plain piece of fabric for the tablecloth and a runner
made from leftover brown and tan wrapping paper, and little French butter
dishes and Wedgwood trinket boxes in reference to the history of the island.
We dined on salmon and roasted root vegetables."
* * * Has your
book club planned a thematic meal? Share it with fellow book club members in Book
Bytes. And go to Novel Noshes for
more wonderful menus pairings from book clubs across the country.
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CHOOSE A BOOK - INVITE AN AUTHOR Author News
Our Choose a Book - Invite an Author program allows you to browse for great titles for your club and schedule author chats. Remember to visit our location directory to find an author close to home who will visit your group in person.
Welcome to new member Barry Pollack.
He joins our existing roster of terrific writers, including Erica Bauermeister, Alison Larkin, Scott Gac, and many others.
NEW AND UPCOMING RELEASES
May: Jacquelyn Mitchard, No Time To Wave Goodbye (paperback)
NEWS
Air Time by Hank Philippi Ryan was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best Mystery of
2009 and the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original of 2009.
When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge, inspired by the true story of a Vietnam vet raising his daughter in the woods, has been optioned for a feature film by Gruskoff/Venture Films in Hollywood.
The English American audio book, narrated by author Alison Larkin, reached #2 on Audible's top twenty Author Narrations of all time.
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BUZZING ABOUT BOOKS Introducing New and Upcoming Titles
We can't wait to unveil our new newsletter, Buzzing About Books. Each issue introduces new or upcoming titles, with letters from the author, book reviews, links, giveaways, and more. Our first issue will arrive in your email box on July 1. We'd love to know what you think!
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