March - The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Tracie has picked The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry for our book for March. Here is some information about the book: 

In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.

But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.

Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years?

We will meet at Debby's house on March 17th at 7:30 pm to discuss the book. Happy Reading!

February - Akarne

Jess has picked Akarnae by Lynette Noni for our book for February.

Here's some information about the book:

The first of the five-part MEDORAN CHRONICLES offers a new slant on magical parallel worlds – it's Harry Potter meets X-Men, with a twist of Narnia. With just one step, 16-year-old Alex Jennings's world changes - literally. Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only Professor Marselle can help her... but he's missing. While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora's boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of there own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can't ignore her fear that something unexpected... something sinister... is looming. An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex's shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race's survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home? Will Alex risk her entire world... and maybe even her life - to save Medora?

We will meet on Tuesday February 17 at 7:30 pm to discuss the book. Happy Reading!

January The Patchwork Girl of Oz

Melissa picked our book for January, The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum. We will meet on Tuesday January 20, 2026 at 7:30 at Debby’s house.

Here is some information about the book:

Set out on a quest full of magic and mayhem, and meet an unforgettable new heroine who proves that a heart made of fabric can be as true as any other.

When Ojo the Unlucky and his Unc Nunkie visit the crooked magician Dr. Pipt, a terrible accident turns Unc Nunkie and the magician’s wife to stone. The only cure requires ingredients from across Oz—and Ojo must find them. Joined by the irrepressible Patchwork Girl (brought to life by Dr. Pipt’s magic powder), the Glass Cat, and the Woozy, Ojo sets out on a desperate quest. But when he breaks one of Ozma’s laws in his search for a cure, he discovers that even in the magical Land of Oz, doing the wrong thing for the right reason can lead to the most unexpected consequences.

First published in 1913, The Patchwork Girl of Oz is the seventh book in L. Frank Baum’s classic Oz series.

Books From Our December Book Basket Party

Our book basket party was fun. 

Princess Bride and ROUS

So many cute baskets

Here are the books that were exchanged at the book basket party. 

Happy Reading!

December Book Basket Party

 

For December, we are not choosing a book to read. December is a crazy busy month. But we want to still get together and talk about books. 

Last fall several of us attended a book basket party. It was so much fun and we decided we would like to do that for our December Book Club. Here are some examples of a book basket

Here is an example of a book basket. 

We would like everyone to bring a book basket to share. 

Get a copy of a favorite book of yours, that we haven't read in book club. 

Find a container to put the book and several little items that go along with the book. 

Here's another book basket of goodies. 

Another themed book basket. 

At the book basket party, we will each get an opportunity to give a teaser about our book and the items in the basket. After we have seen each of the baskets, we will each draw a number. We will then go in order of our numbers to pick a book basket. When it is your turn, you can choose a book basket from the table or you may 'steal' a basket from someone who already had their turn. A book basket may only be stolen twice. 

Our Book Basket Party will be on Tuesday December 16 at Debby's house at 7:30 pm. Get your book basket ready for the party. You may bring a treat to share also. See you at the party!

Eight Flavors Fun

Alecia lead a great discussion about the book Eight Flavors and also had some yummy foods for us to try with the flavors from the book. The book focused on black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha. 

We started with garlic knots. 

Next we had lettuce wraps with soy sauce, garlic, and sriracha

At the end of the discussion, we had Black Pepper Brown Sugar Cookies - a recipe from the book; icing was optional.

We also had vanilla bean ice cream. 

Here's the recipe for the cookies

Black Pepper Brown Sugar Cookies

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to top the cookies

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon coriander

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

Zest of one orange

Juice of 1/2 an orange (about 1/4 cup)

2 large eggs

1. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and spices.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter, sugar, and orange zest. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium high until light in color. Add the orange juice, and then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

3. With mixer on low, add the dry ingredients slowly. Stop and scrape the bowl, then continue mixing until combined. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour and as long as overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a generously floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a pepper grinder, crack fresh pepper over the surface of the dough and then gently press the pepper in with the rolling pin. 

5. Cut into desired shapes using a cookie cutter or knife. Bake on a cookie sheet 10-12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through, until the cookies are brown around the edges. Allow to cool completely on wire racks. 

Here is a link to a video to watch the author making these cookies.

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!