November - Eight Flavors

Alecia has picked Eight Flavors The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman for our book for November. 

Here's some information about the book: 

The United States boasts a culturally and ethnically diverse population that makes for a continually changing culinary landscape. But a young historical gastronomist named Sarah Lohman discovered that American food is united by eight flavors: black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha. In “a unique and surprising view of American history…richly researched, intriguing, and elegantly written” (The Atlantic), Lohman sets out to explore how these influential ingredients made their way to the American table.

She begins in the archives, searching through economic, scientific, political, religious, and culinary records. She pores over cookbooks and manuscripts, dating back to the eighteenth century, through modern standards like How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Lohman discovers when each of these eight flavors first appear in American kitchens—then she asks why.

We will meet at 7:30pm on November 18 at Debby's house for our discussion.  Happy reading!

 

October - We Had To Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport

Sarah Cox has chosen We Had To Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport by Deborah Hopkinson. Here's some information about the book:

Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson illuminates the true stories of Jewish children who fled Nazi Germany, risking everything to escape to safety on the Kindertransport. An NCTE Orbis Pictus recommended book and a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Title.

Ruth David was growing up in a small village in Germany when Adolf Hitler rose to power in the 1930s. Under the Nazi Party, Jewish families like Ruth's experienced rising anti-Semitic restrictions and attacks. Just going to school became dangerous. By November 1938, anti-Semitism erupted into Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, and unleashed a wave of violence and forced arrests.

Days later, desperate volunteers sprang into action to organize the Kindertransport, a rescue effort to bring Jewish children to England. Young people like Ruth David had to say good-bye to their families, unsure if they'd ever be reunited. Miles from home, the Kindertransport refugees entered unrecognizable lives, where food, clothes -- and, for many of them, language and religion -- were startlingly new. Meanwhile, the onset of war and the Holocaust visited unimaginable horrors on loved ones left behind. Somehow, these rescued children had to learn to look forward, to hope.

Through the moving and often heart-wrenching personal accounts of Kindertransport survivors, critically acclaimed and award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson paints the timely and devastating story of how the rise of Hitler and the Nazis tore apart the lives of so many families and what they were forced to give up in order to save these children.

We will meet at 7:30pm at Debby's house on October 21 to discuss the book. 

 

September - The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

Debby has picked The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston for our book for September. Here's some information about the book: 

“A funny, heartfelt story about found family and seeing the silver lining in life. Fans of A Man Called Ove and Remarkably Bright Creatures will especially enjoy this new novel.”—Library Journal

A zany case of mistaken identity allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.

“Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.”

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is, at age eighty-two, there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from, and he's broke and on the brink of eviction. But Fred’s luck changes when he's mistaken for Bernard Greer, a missing resident at the local nursing home, and takes his place. Now Fred has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his look-alike Bernard never turns up. 

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition. 

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

We will meet at 7:30 on September 16 at Debby's house to discuss the book. Happy Reading!

 

August - Pride and Prejudice

 

Corinna has chosen Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen for our book for August. We will be meeting on the fourth Tuesday (August 26) since the third Tuesday is the day before school starts. 

Here is some info about the book: 

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet live with their five daughters. Jane, the eldest daughter, falls in love with Charles Bingley, a rich bachelor who moves into a house nearby with his two sisters and friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Darcy is attracted to the second daughter, Elizabeth, but she finds him arrogant and self-centered. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, she refuses. But perhaps there is more to Darcy than meets the eye.

We will meet at 7:30 on August 26 at Debby's house. Hope to see you there. 

July - The Alloy of Law

Donna has picked The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson for our book discussion in May. 

Here is some information about the book: 

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Kelsier and Vin have passed into the realm of history and myth, and the world of Scadrial is on the verge of modernity. In the frontier lands known as the Roughs, the old magics are a crucial tool for those who establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, tragedy has driven Wax back to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties of the head of a noble house. But when a gang of Allomancers turn to train robbery and kidnapping, Wax will soon learn that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

We will meet at 7:30 on July 15 at Debby's to discuss the book. 

Happy Reading!📚

June - The Life & Loves of Becca Valentine

Sarah has picked the book The Life and Loves of Becca Valentine (The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine) by Laura Pearson for June

Info about the book:

These are the things Becca Valentine doesn’t know yet:

She doesn’t know that two men are about to come into her life. Both seeking her heart.

She also doesn’t know that everything rests on her love story.

Because there are four children she might have. And Fate has a secret little twist for Becca: if she doesn’t choose the right man at the right time, she may never meet those children.

But what if someone could influence her to follow her heart? Even if they knew it might risk their own chance of coming into being? Because the other thing Becca doesn’t know is that somewhere – in a place they call the Beforelife – there are four beings waiting. And where they are, almost anything is possible…

We will meet on June 17 at 7:30 to discuss the book.

Planning ahead, Donna has picked The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson for our book for July.

Happy Reading!

Cherry Pie Cookie Bars

Kellyn had some yummy cherry themed treats for book club. Here's the recipe for the Cherry Pie Cookie Bars she brought. They were delicious.