October 17 - The Likeness

Seven of us gathered to marvel at Becky's new condo (lovely, with a wall of windows) and discuss The Likeness by Tana French (among other things, of course). Becky made a delicious soup and apple crisp, with salads and various appetizers (plus plenty of wine) supplied by the rest of us rounding out the meal.

Everyone loved The Likeness, I'm happy to report! Seems many had read its predecessor, In the Woods, which is also highly recommended. (I was having such fun chatting I don't have much else to add, but please feel free to chip in.)

Next Meeting
When: Tuesday, December 2
Where: Nancy's
What: Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson AND Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell
What else: Annual Yankee Swap and NEW THIS YEAR, a cookie exchange!

For the Yankee Swap, bring a wrapped gift worth $10 or less ( or make something, we're easy). For the cookie exchange, bring 3 dozen cookies of one type.

Please don't worry if this sounds like a lot! Read one book, don't bake...whatever. We just want you to come. :-)

September 3 - Time Traveler's Wife and Big Russ & Me

A small group gathered at Darla's to discuss The Time Traveler's Wife and Big Russ & Me. Most of us didn't make it through the latter, so we mainly talked about the former, which we all seemed to like, some confusion and complaints about structure notwithstanding. (The author's device of stating the age of the protagonist at the beginning of each chapter didn't go over well with everyone.) We also did our usual "here's a book I liked" talk, with many pens flying to write down titles.

Darla served us two delicious soups, the recipes for which she promised to share: Mexican tortellini and potato cheddar. Jean brought a yummy veggie salad, and Lisa's trifle for dessert rounded a delightful meal. Thanks to the cooks!

Next Meeting
Where: Becky's
When: Friday, October 17
What: The Likeness by Tana French <http://www.amazon.com/Likeness-Novel-Tana-French/dp/0670018864>

July 14 - On Gold Mountain

Maureen hosted a small group at her GORGEOUS log home on the top of a hill in Thetford (those of you who couldn't make it really missed something). She had a nice BBQ for our discussion of On Gold Mountain by Lisa See. Everyone who read the book loved this history/memoir of a Chinese-American family. Lisa Ladd also recommends Lisa See's mysteries. (Visit http://www.lisasee.com/Books.htm for titles.)

Next Meeting
Where: Darla, you were volunteered
When: Darla, you pick the date, since it's your house
What: Big Russ & Me by Tim Russert and The Time Traveler's Wife by by Stephanie Niffenegger

May 28 - Where Did I Leave My Glasses?

Lisa hosted us for a discussion of Where Did I Leave My Glasses? The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss by Martha Weinman Lear. We agreed that we liked the book (reservations about the light style not withstanding), and Leann summed it up best when she said, "It was just a relief" to hear that memory changes with age and there are things we can do about it.

Now to the important part: food. We had great appetizers and salads: strawberries & yogurt, three-layer Mexican dip, hummus & pita, olives; two Greek salads (that was both different and delicious!). Of course, the things Lisa made took the cake (no pun intended, you'll see what I mean). She made a fabulous roasted asparagus soup and a great chili, and for dessert, she made a chocolate angel food cake with whipped cream icing. Heavenly!

We also discussed potential book group outings. Heather sent word that she wants to see the movie Mama Mia when it comes out, and we agreed that sounds fun. We also talked about going to Manchester, VT (Northshire Bookstore), Montpelier, and other fairly local places. Let's do it, ladies!

Next Meeting
Where: Maureen's
When: Monday, July 14, 6:30 pm
What: On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See

P.S. The Canonical List of Books for the group is now up to date! Here's the link:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcv72sgv_1d5mjhd

April 30, 2008 - American Cream

Eight of us gathered at my house for our discussion of the novel American Cream, by local author Catherine Tudish.

It was our very first pot luck. Naturally, I served soup, and I provided some veggies and dip. We ended up with lots of bread and many cookies but also sushi and chick pea salad. It was definitely easy for me, and everyone thought it worked out. One suggestion for the future is to let the hostess know what you plan to bring, so we can be sure to cover all the bases.

We had a really nice discussion of the book. I believe everyone liked it, but we had varying reactions to the main character's actions. It's the sign of good literature that we can understand the characters differently, don't you think?

Next Meeting
Where: Lisa's (Maureen is back up)
When: Wednesday, May 28, 6:30 p.m.
What: Where Did I Leave My Glasses? by Martha Weinman Lear
(if you want to read my review of this book, go to http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/24/165535.php)

Quiche Recipe

Here is Leann's fabulous quiche recipe.

IMPOSSIBLE QUICHE

1 cup meat (ham, bacon etc)

1 cup shredded natural Swiss cheese

1/3 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup Bisquick Original baking mix

1 and 1/2 cups whole milk

3 eggs

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees

2. In a greased 9-inch pie plate sprinkle meat, cheese and onion.

3. In a medium bowl whisk together remaining ingredients until blended and pour into pie plate.

4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

5. Let stand 10 minutes.

Extra notes from Leann: I always put the pie plate on a foiled-covered cookie sheet because the pie plate is FULL when you put it into the oven and can easily spill over. You can leave out the meat and replace it with an extra vegetable. It usually looks "raw" in the middle after 35-40 minutes, but if the knife comes out clean, it is done. The outside edges will be brown.

March 27, Arundel

Leann hosted a small, unprepared group for our discussion of Arundel. We did talk about the book, but mostly about plot points for those of us who didn't know what happened. For a real discussion of the book, see Lisa's thoughtful e-mail message!

We had a great time though, talking about all kinds of things, ranging from high school band to ghost stories. Leann served us two delicious quiches, along with a green salad and yummy cookies for dessert.

Speaking of food, we talked about having the group go pot luck, and we did not reach a consensus. So, if you feel strongly one way or the other, please speak up. For next time, it's up to the hostess.

And the next hostess is....Lisa!

Next Meeting
What: American Cream by Catherine Tudish (here's my review, if you're interested)
Where: Lisa Ladd's
When: Late April (Lisa will let us know)

February 15, 2008 - Mountains Beyond Mountains

Heather (and her dogs) hosted a small group at her beautiful home for our discussion of Mountains Beyond Mountains. She made a delicious chicken provencal, served with rice, sweet potatoes, and a wonderful spinach salad. There were munchies and wine galore and a fabulous "George Washington" cake or pie (cherries, chocolate, and whipped cream)...we were well-fed!

Everyone loved the book. Somebody asked: "Would you marry Paul Farmer, work for him, or give him money?" We almost all settled on giving him money, although I think Karen said she'd work for him for a few weeks tops. An amazing guy, an amazing story, and an amazing book.

Next Meeting
When: Thursday, March 27
Where: Leann's
What: Arundel by Kenneth Roberts

January 4, 2008, Last Night at the Lobster

Ann hosted us for a large (10) gathering to discuss Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan. Everyone loved the book. Those of us who had waited tables thought O'Nan had nailed the subject. Those who never had now know what it's like!

Ann served delicious veggie lasagna and not one, not two, but three fabulous desserts! (Flan, lemon poppyseed cake, and chocolate brownies with peanut butter chips - yum, yum, and yum!) We also had the pleasure of meeting Molly, Ann's beagle, who delighted us with her warmth and her appetite. Thanks, Ann!

Next Meeting
When: Friday, February 15
Where: Heather's
What: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder
Note: The book has 4 1/2 stars on Amazon and got starred reviews from both Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.

December 6, "show-and-tell"

My house was filled nearly to capacity last night for our annual Yankee Swap. Thanks everyone for coming and for all the stuff you brought! We also did book show-and-tell. I missed some of the discussion, but I saw pens and paper and furious scribbling going on, so I think it went well.

I made hamburger-vegetable-tortellini soup and Mexican minestrone. I'll post the former as soon as I can, but here's the link to the Mexican minestrone recipe at Better Homes and Gardens online:

http://recipes.bhg.com/recipes/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=R056462

Next Meeting
When: Friday, January 4
Where: Ann's house
Book: Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan

For those of you needing directions, Ann lives next door to me. So you can follow the directions to my house and just go to the second house on the left instead of the first.

October 22 - Water for Elephants

A small group met at Darla's last night to discuss Water for Elephants. Darla, assisted by her husband Dick (who BBQed and waited on us!), fed us well! Mini-pizza appetizers, a lovely green salad, delicious BBQ pork and sweet potatoes, yummy potato salad. And then Ghirardelli chocolate brownies and ice cream for dessert.

Everyone loved the book, both those in attendance and everyone I heard from. We talked about our experiences with circuses, about how the plot was laid out (yes, you were supposed to get the wrong idea about who killed August in the prologue), how wonderfully the author handled the issue of aging. We even talked about one of the book group guide questions in the back: how does Jacob's story mirror the story of Jacob in Genesis? Darla went and got us a bible, but Lisa had the answer. (He left home, got married, came back and claimed his birthright, or his brother's. Something like that. If you're really curious, try the Wikipedia article.)

Next Meetings
We had some discussion about what to do next, since we are several members unavailable in November or December or both. Here's what we decided:

• For our November meeting, we will go on a shopping bus trip to Boston. Anybody who can make it, great -- it's a blast. Lisa will look into it for us.

• For December, I will host, and all you need to do is show up and share a book (or books) you've already read. We'll also do our annual Yankee swap.

We thought the first week of December would be good. First choices are December 3 (Monday) or December 6 (Thursday). If you can make one or the other of those, please let me know.

--Nancy

September 26 - Three Cups of Tea

Jean hosted us at her beautiful home in Thetford and fed us wonderful stuff for our discussion of Three Cups of Tea.

Jean made two soups: Vermont cheddar and sausage and zucchini, both fabulous. She also made grilled garlic-tomato bread, cornbread, and zucchini bread (I think!), as well as a baked spinach appetizer and a blueberry pie for dessert. Wowee!

Everyone who attended love the book, except for me. (My excuse was that I was listening to it and didn't like the narrator.) It is a remarkable story, though, and I'm glad I heard about it. I think that sentiment holds true for everyone.

Next Meeting
Where: Darla's
When: Monday, October 22
What: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

P.S. I brought a copy of my "Canonical List of Books" for the group, and everyone said they'd like a copy. I said I bring a copies next time, but if you'd like to take a look, here is the link: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcv72sgv_1d5mjhd&pli=1

August 22 - Hooked

Karen hosted us for a lovely dinner. We got a tour of her wonderful gardens and then sat on the deck while she grilled chicken. She had at least three salads for us: a greens/feta/watermelon salad (which was so good!); a black bean & corn salad (also fabulous); and mozzarella and tomatoes from her garden. It was all topped off with chocolate indulgence cake and espresso/cappuccino by Karen's significant other Michael (brave man). Wow!

The overall assessment of Hooked was that it wasn't all that great: didn't hold our interest and/or had a far-fetched plot. Darla saw more in it from her perspective as a mother of computer-game-playing boys. She told us that game hardware is getting more interactive (you can buy "rumble packs" for Game Boy controllers that lets you feel explosions and the like), so it wasn't really far-fetched to her.

Next Meeting
We instituted a new idea this time -- whoever is hostess at the meeting gets to pick the next book. Karen chose Ann's suggeston: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.

Date: Wednesday, September 26
Place: Jean's

July 18 - I Am the Messenger

Lisa hosted us for a great meeting; almost everyone made it, and we welcomed new member Jean. Lisa made a baked veggie pasta dish (just perfect for the cool, rainy weather), had a lovely salad, served home-made sangria, and topped it off with a yummy trifle. Thanks, Lisa!

Everyone present liked I Am the Messenger. We discussed what age group reads young adult literature, because some of the scenes in the book were mature and/or disturbing. We generally found the ending disappointing, and Heather's criticism - how did Ed know what to do? - was echoed among several of us. We enjoyed the fact that it took place in Australia, and folks seemed fond of the Doorman, the smelly, coffee-drinking dog.

Typically, we talked about tons of other books. I did not write them down, so please feel free to chime in and remind folks. One thing I do recall was Kristin's mentioning that Stephanie Meyer's YA vampire stories, Twilight and New Moon, are big with jr. high girls right now, and she also loves them. I'd also like to report that these two books are the top 5 list on MySpace right now.

Next Meeting
Where: Karen's
When: Wednesday, August 22
What: Hooked by Matt Richtel

June 11 - Then We Came to the End

I missed 99.9% of this meeting. Thanks to Lisa for this summary:

Thank you Ann for hosting, the food was fabulous, (we all love lasagna) and the biscotti recipe must be shared! Nancy was missed, though she did turn up looking very fit after winning both softball games. . .yeah Fluent!!!

Most of us did not like THEN WE CAME TO THE END, finding that it was just not that funny (except the sushi part). Becky did like it, though I can't remember why?! (Nancy we need you!) Leann hasn't finished the book yet, Lisa felt the only part that she really got into was when Lynn was the narrator.

Next Meeting
Where: Lisa's
What: I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
When: Wednesday, July 18

May 2 - The Class Castle

We had a lovely gathering at Leann's to discuss The Glass Castle: A Memoirby Jeannette Walls. We welcomed new members Heather and Karen and had a long, lively discussion of the book, which everyone found to be amazing. Leann served a yummy cheeze stratta along with not one but two salads. It was delicious!

Regular Meeting Day?
We set the time and date for our next meeting (see below), but Leann has offered to help us set up a regular monthly meeting (e.g., the 2nd Tuesday, or the like). If we all e-mail her our monthly commitments, she'll compile them and make a recommendation. Just send her a message and say something like, "I'm busy the first Wednesday of every month."

Next Meeting:
When: Monday, June 11
Where: Ann's
What: Then We Came to the End: A Novel by Joshua Ferris

New Meeting Date

Next meeting will Wednesday, May 2, at Leann's. Mark you calendars!

Two-Potato Soup

This recipe comes from The Big Book of Soups & Stews: 262 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food by Maryana Vollstedt.


1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large russet potatoes (1 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced
1 large sweet potato (3/4 pound), peeled and sliced
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 cup buttermilk or milk
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored, and chopped for topping

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm oil. Add onions, garlic, and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and mix well. Add stock, thyme, salt, and white pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a blender or food processor in batches and process until smooth. Return soup to pot and add buttermilk. Simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with a few pieces of apple.

Notes on what I did
I used closer to 2 lbs. of baking potatoes and more like 4 cups of stock (because these were the amounts I had on hand and wanted to use up). I used regular pepper, probably less than half the salt, and skim milk. The soup still came out very thick.

March 7 - A Day of Small Beginnings

Hi, all. I hosted a small group to discuss A Day of Small Beginnings. I loved the book; I think Leann and Ann liked it. Becky joined us without having read it; she's taken it home to give it try.

My Two Potato Soup was a hit, and I post the recipe separately.

Next Meeting
We have tentatively scheduled the next meeting for Wednesday April 18th. Is that date OK for everyone?

Host: Leann
Book: The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls.

January 25, 2007 - To Kill a Mockingbird

A few of us warmed ourselves on delicious pesto soup at Becky's for our discussion of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. We also watched the 1962 movie, which won Gregory Peck the best acting Oscar. We loved the book and marveled at how closely the movie followed it. We got a late start on the movie and ended up leaving late. Thanks for hosting us, Becky!

We were wondering if the latter part of the month was harder to schedule than the earlier part, so we've decided to meet again in the beginning of March. Here are the particulars:

Where: Nancy's
When: Thursday, March 8
What: A Day of Small Beginnings by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum

P.S. I noticed that Robert Duvall had an acting credit in the movie, but I didn't see him. I just looked it up in the Internet Movie Database, and guess what -- he played Boo Radley!