March 3 - A Reliable Wife

A group of seven gathered at Karen's for our discussion of A Reliable Wife. Lisa made a  yummy multi-layer dip and Mary Beth brought hummus for appetizers. Karen served two delicious soups, minestrone and split pea and [a root-vegetable-whose-name-escapes-me], rounded out by bread from Heather and a salad from me. For dessert, Becky made apple dumpling thingies for dessert that were the bomb.

Everyone liked the book except for our hostess, who hated it! Having diverse opinions always makes the discussion more interesting, so thanks, Karen! Naturally the conversation segued to other books, and Karen in particular recommended a book I didn't write down. Karen, could you please remind us? There were also many remembrances of Flowers in the Attic, a scary book a bunch of us had read as teenagers (your humble scribe not among them).

Thanks to Karen's poodle puppy Maggie, whom we were so happy to meet, much talk centered around animals. Aside from owning dogs, cats, parakeets, and goats (at the moment; there have been more) Heather is a dog whisperer! Who knew! We also talked about having a book group meeting at Heather's that we started calling "boob group." (You had be there, but it was hilarious!)

NEXT MEETING
Where: Mary Beth's
What: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
When: April 13 or 20 - please let your preference be known

January 21 - Pope Jone

Good morning everyone,

Last night six of us got together at my house to discuss Pope Joan.  We all enjoyed it, but felt that it diverged a bit too much with the romance piece, and that some of the situations would have been easier to swallow if there weren't so many convenient deaths. In general though, we appreciated learnng about the life of women in the Middle Ages, and felt it was a good read.

In between munching on Karen's excellet tazaki dip from Taste Spotting , drinking mimosas and enjoying a lentil stew with great bread from Leann, and salad from Nancy, we actually came up with an interesting list of books to read. 

Lisa and Darla recommended The Help

Nancy recommended A Reliable Wife

Karen recommended Leaving the Saints

Debra recommended 19^th Wife, Wolf Hall

For dessert we had Chocolate Chip cookies made by Dan LaRoche, and two cakes made by Lisa.  The Maple Pear Upside Down Cake was a big hit, and the Upside Down Apple Gingerbread was also enjoyed.

Lisa told everyone about the mystery series Wallender, based on the Henning Mankell mysteries, and Darla and Lisa urged everyone to read the Louise Penny mysteries and the Scotland St. series by Alexander McCall Smith.

We decided to read Reliable Wife for February’s meeting and The Help for March.

Our next meeting will be at Karen’s on Tuesday the 16^th at 6:30.

--Lisa

P. S. Does anyone want to order Reliable Wife via the Norwich Bookstore for the book group discount? If so, please chime in ASAP.

Dec. 3, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life

We had a small gathering at Nancy's to talk about Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia. Everybody who read it liked or loved it, but it didn't spark much discussion. We had a civilized Yankee swap and a lovely time. Thank you to all for your contributions, especially Karen, who sent a beautiful spinach salad even though she was sick.

Next Meeting
Where: Lisa's
When: January 21
What: Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

October 22, Her Fearful Symmetry

Leann hosted a spooky and delightful meeting with six of us present. She had many tasteful Halloween decorations about and served two great entrees for us, a baked veggie dish and a quiche. Becky supplied some marinated steak that was scrumptious, and Karen's antipasto salad was a nice complement. We had themed dessert -- cookies, cupcakes, and, most notably, Lisa's monster eyeball treats (peanut butter balls dipped 3/4 in chocolate with an M&M's for a pupil -- scary and delicious!).

We had a good discussion of Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry. Everyone who read it liked it, although we had varying takes on Elspeth's motives. We all loved the descriptions of Highgate Cemetary.

We discussed many other books as well. I'm currently reading The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll. It's one of the oddest books I've ever read but it's also really interesting and very cool.

Lisa talked about Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder, which said is an excellent but difficult true story of a refugee from Berundi.

We also talked about the memoir of a girl growing up in Iran, Persepolis, which is in graphic novel form and was also made into a movie.

I'm sure there was more but that's all I can remember! Those with pen and paper, feel free to chime in.

Next Meeting
Due to the fact that in a month it will be Thanksgiving, we decided to make our next meeting our holiday gathering.We didn't discuss doing a Yankee Swap this year -- are people interested?

Where: Nancy's
When: December 3rd
What: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (reputed to be both light and good)

September 22 - The Angel's Game

Karen hosted a delightful Spanish-themed gathering for us to discuss The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (author of Shadow of the Wind). Consensus: Shadow of the Wind was better. Oh well!

The food and the company were delightful, however. Lisa (whom we missed) sent a long yummy tapas. Karen had the best sangria ever (thanks to a recipe from her good friend Martha). She also made a very nice soup, we had salads and manchego cheese, and a giant, smiling whoopee pie for dessert.

Then, to top it all off, there were crafts! Darla taught us how to make origami bookmarks. (Maybe she'll send the link where she got the directions if we ask her nicely.) I can't say I was successful, but everyone else was and there were extras so I didn't go home empty handed.

NEXT MEETING
When: Thursday, October 22
Where: Leann's
What: A HALLOWEEN themed meeting where we will discuss Her Fearful Symmetry but Audrey Niffenger (author of The Time Traveler's Wife).

Please note! The book is being published on September 29. I'll have a review for you all before then, and I hear its to be reviewed in the New York Times this weekend.

August 4, Border Songs

I counted 8 of us at Maureen's for our discussion of Border Songs (which everyone liked! Yay!). Thanks, Maureen, for not one, but two, yummy main dishes and for helping Leann out with the salad. ;-)

For those of you who weren't there, we had THREE desserts, and we were in heaven. Thanks to our dessert makers, Karen (who has already posted her recipe, thanks) and Lisa, who mad a delicious fruit trifle and chocolate pudding brownies, or cake, whatever it was, it was fabulous. (It had a funny name, too, that I don't remember -- chocolate ooze or something.)

NEXT MEETING
Where: Karen's
When: Sept. 22
What: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruis Zafon (Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Game-Carlos-Ruiz-Zafon/dp/0385528701)

June 23, Angle of Repose

Becky hosted a group of 8 for our discussion of Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner. About half of us read the book (I'm afraid I wasn't among them), and those folks had an interesting discussion. They also uniformly liked it (not equally, but let's not quibble; it did win the Pulitzer Prize, after all).

Becky made a yummy spring pea soup, and we had a couple of salads to go with. Lisa's artichoke dip held us over as we had our wine slushies (a very yummy frozen wine concoction of Becky's). And we had two cakes for dessert! A King Arthur cake and a Carvel ice cream cake, in celebration of Lisa's birthday just past.

Next Meeting
Where: Maureen's
When: Tuesday, August 4
What:Border Songs by Jim Lynch <http://www.amazon.com/Border-Songs-Jim-Lynch/dp/030727117X>

Cinco de Mayo - Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading

Darla hosted a group of nine for a delicious Cinco de Mayo book group. She started us off with lovely soup, we had great salads from Leann and Agnes, Becky made a wonderful casserole, and we had two great desserts from Karen and Lisa.

I think about half of us had read the book Leave Me Alone I'm Reading by Maureen Corrigan. I think we all really enjoyed it, and we had a bit of a debate over Corrigan's feminism. Very interesting.

Per usual, we talked about many other books. Here are the ones I was able to scribble down:

• What Happened to Anna K by Irina Reyn
• Border Songs by Jim Lynch (coming out June 16)
• Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl
• Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

Next MeetingWhen: June 23
Where: Becky's
What: Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner <http://www.amazon.com/Angle-Repose-Penguin-Twentieth-Century-Classics/dp/0141185473/>

April 7, Friday Night Lights

Lisa hosted a tailgating session of Book Soup -- replete with beer, nachos, and a football cake -- attended by 6 members. Much discussion about the book Friday Night Lights took place (!). Although it was considered well-written, most of us could have skipped the descriptions of the football games (your humble reporter excepted). Everyone was pretty much appalled at the culture of football portrayed, which led to a lot of thoughts being shared about our experiences in school. Not only were stories shared, so were pictures! Leann and Darla brought in high school yearbooks. Darla had the best show-and-tell, including buttons and other memorabilia, and a photo album of her growing up (garnered from her mother). A good time was had by all, I dare say.

Next Meeting
Where: Darla's
When: May 5 (Cinco de Mayo!)
What: Leave Me Alone I'm Reading by Maureen Corrigan

February 24, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

Seven of us gathered at Leann's for delicious "Christmas" casserole, mac & cheese, chips & dips, and ginger bread! Oh, and to talk about The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. (We actually discussed the book through the whole main course, we are happy to report.) Reactions were mixed; I think three of us loved it, three of us hated it, and one was in between. C'est la vie! It was a good discussion.

Next Meeting
When: Tuesday, April 7
Where: Lisa's
What: Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger <http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Night-Lights-Town-Dream/dp/0306809907>

January 28, 2009 - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I pinch-hit for Karen, who had been sick, to host a nice group of 8 for our discussion of Edgar Sawtelle. Reaction was mixed, but we all liked the dogs. It was the rest of the story that was the problem. Thanks for the salads, bread, beverages, and that fabulous cake from King Arthur that Darla brought! As always, we ate well and talked about everything. We were sorry Lisa, having been felled by the dreaded flu, couldn't make it either.

Next Meeting
When: Tuesday, February 24 (Fat Tuesday!), 6:30 p.m.
Where: Leann's
What: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

December 2nd

Eight of us gathered at Nancy's for a seasonally festive time of eating, exchanging cookies, and Yankee swapping -- oh and talking about the books we read too! (I think most of us had read at least one of the books...) Consensus was Astrid & Veronika was fabulous and interesting. Those who read the Mallory book loved it too.

The bag Karen made using her scraps of book fabric was definitely the coveted gift of the evening, but since Darla picked it and was in the prime position of #1, we all knew it was hopeless to swap with her. Lisa's gift of fabulous dishes snapped up that Mesa going-out-of-business sale was a close second. It was fun, but we're a tame bunch when it comes to Yankee swaps.

Next Meeting
Where: Karen's
When: Tuesday, January 27, 6:30 p.m.
What: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

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