Friday, January 21, 2011

January 20 - Cleopatra

Seven of us met at Mary Beth's for an evening of Egyptian delights and to discuss the book Cleopatra. This had to be the most thematic book group ever. Thanks to Heather, there were lots of adornments to be had (Mary Beth's combo of a belly dancer's hip scarf with jingling coins and a beaded head dress was my favorite.)

We welcomed new member Nancy Bates, who brought a delicious Tuscan salad. Mary Beth provided potato cheddar soup, and Heather brought happy lamb stew (the lamb had led a happy life in Maine before landing in Heather's freezer). Leann brought rolls, I brought hummus, but Susan's stuffed grape leaves, toasted pita, and herbed feta cheese were amazing. I have to say the happy lamb was delicious too, wonderful spices.

After some preliminary chatting we did talk about Cleopatra just about the whole time. We were aided by the Elizabeth Taylor movie version playing on the TV, thanks to a timely trip to the library by Mary Beth. There were varying reactions to the book, from it being too much a history book to its straying too far from fact. Some of the descriptions were just too good not to read out loud, like that of Marc Antony's legs. (Please someone, remind me of the exact phrase; it was priceless.)

Next Meeting
What: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Where: ??
When: ??

How about we meet Thursday, February 24? (That's 5 weeks.) And we need a hostess.

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