December 20 Meeting - The Ghost Writer

Hi, all. Much fun, good food, and interesting discussion last night! Lisa's warm spinach and artichoke dip, yummy broccoli soup, delicious egg dish, and amazing jelly roll were just the best. Our little Yankee Swap was fun too.

Our review of The Ghost Writer by John Harwood was mixed...some of us loved it, some of us were disappointed by it and even mad at it! I loved Sue's comment -- why read this book? What truth is in it? The thing that grabbed us most was Harwood's description of what it is like to grow up in a family with secrets. We all agreed it was well-written and that John Harwood is a writer to keep an eye on.

Our next book is The Plot Against America by Philip Roth, and we will meet Monday, January 31 at Sue's. If you're interested, here is a link to the New York Times article about the book by William Saffire (thanks to Lisa):

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/20/opinion/20safire.html?th

PLEASE NOTE: as of 2/1/05 you have to pay to read this article online. I leave the link as a reference. --N

New York Times Top Books of 2004

For your perusal and consideration...The New York Times has posted its 10 Best Books and 100 Notable Books for 2004 on their website (free but may require registration):

10 Best Books

100 Notable Books

--Nancy

Recipes

Hi, guys. When it comes to sharing recipes, you may do so however you like. My hope is to create a permanent list of recipes on this website, but I haven't figure out how to do that yet! What I would suggest is that for now, when you post a recipe, put in the title:

Recipe: XZY Soup

Or whatever it is.

This is fun!!

Yankee Swap

I was shopping today and found a perfect Yankee Swap item for under $5. :-)

Meeting Report and Next Book

We had a very nice meeting! We were sorry Leann couldn't join us, but we welcomed Sue, who brought a lovely fruit salad.

I did make the Albondigas Soup (Spanish meatball soup), and I had a quiche from the Co-op, and a salad. Add Darla''s hummus and pita bread and my husband's apple pie, and we were stuffed!

Reading Lolita in Tehran was deemed depressing by the group, but it did spark a lively discussion. We agreed that the stories of the author's girls -- the memebers of her secret class -- were the most compelling. I wish I could remember the other points of discussion, but they have slipped away. I guess I should take notes next time!

We tried to find something more cheery for next time, but they deferred to my choice, The Ghost Writer by John Harwood, a ghost story just in time for Christmas! We picked Monday, December 20, for the date of our next meeting, and Lisa offered to host.

Potential Recipe

I was trying to think of a yummy soup recipe that also falls into the "low carb" category, and of course did a Google search and found this:

Albondigas Soup

I printed it out so I could try it. We shall see!

Reading Lolita in Tehran

Our next meeting will be November 15, 2004, at Nancy' house, and we will be discussing Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Menu: Undediced!