In true Vancouver fashion, November has ushered itself in with rain which probably won’t depart until sometime in February, when we’ll be blessed with a week or 10 days of bright, crisp sunshine, to be followed by more rain through April.
And not much is better in that kind of weather than curling up with a hot beverage, wrapped in a warm blanket, completely absorbed by a good book.
So I decided to start a book club.
My idea came from looking at Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks Eating Between the Leaves book club. Six cold, dark months, six captivating books, six great meals that tie into the story. But because I’m not a professional cook or doing this tied to a commercial enterprise, I’ve made mine a community effort, inviting some friends to participate where we’ll each pick a book and cook a meal for the group that ties into the story.
Of course, being that this was my hairbrained idea, I’m up first.
And this, dear readers, is where I ask for your input.
I’m hoping to make good use of some of the spices and cookbooks that I brought back from the Carribean with me – but I need a book-club-suitable fiction novel or memoir that contains some definite island flair. Any suggestions?
If you don’t have any grand ideas for that, drop me a comment with a creative reading/feeding idea of your own!
And while I wish I could invite each and every one of you into the group, I don’t cook for parties greater than 10. But don’t let that stop you from starting your own Books & Cooks Book Club! Gather some good friends, good books, good food and go to it! Just don’t forget to share what you’re reading and eating!
Since you got a cookbook from the cayman islands is The Firm. Bonus points in that there’s a movie and you can sit around and say “i recognize that!” and “I slept in that condo!” and “I had a drink there!” except that the Hyatt Brittania still hasn’t re-opened after the hurricane, which is where all the bar scenes were filmed.I recently (cough) acquired a copy of the movie to watch again as someone told me last week that the condo scenes were actually filmed *in* my condo, so I gotta check that out.
Sweet, thanks!
I doubt it would qualify as a memoir, but try Serpent And the Rainbow – nothing like the horror flick, but a wonderful read. Based on investigations in Haiti.
Ooh, also a good suggestion
I think the book should be Anne of Green Gables and of course for the food you would have to serve Raspberry cordial with plum pudding minus the mouse, but I’m from the Atlantic Provinces so I’m a little biased towards the book.
hmm.. anne of green gables.. i read that and choked.. on my freuit salad.. nice book but has managed to jet me back to pre-adolesnce. 😐
great book fantastic book.. ! is LONDON by edward rutherford.. it’s esepcially a great book because it’s all about london but it’s even better cause it’s one of the best books i’ve ever read.. and you’ll know london like the back of your hand when you come visit! i digress.. this dude has written about 7 or 8 books all super excellent, the forest, salsbury, the two princes. also another set of books.. is gabadon, forgot her first name but she wrote dragonfly and drums of autumn, be sure to start at the beginning of the series though, the one thing all these books have in common is they’re historically accurate fictional stories that bounce over a long time line.. ie. following a family line through the ages… Another old writer that has written hundreds of the same.. is Jean Plaidy, aka victoria holt. these are all excellent books and if you decide to pick anyone of them up i’d love to read it again with you to discuss… 🙂
sorry for taking up so much of your blog.. i do tend to rant.. *heart*
Darwin’s “Origin of the Species”? Doesn’t he spend a lot of time on the Galapagos?
I kid.Let me think about that.
Incidentally, what’s the gender breakdown of your book club? I have a theory that 95% of all book club participants are female.
April, E., some great ideas there!
Darren: if only I could get my hands on some turtle steaks to fry up – so tasty!
And My book club is 100% female, but only because I did that on purpose. I agree though, that even if any guys were invited, I don’t think male participation would be very high. Anyone beg to differ?
I’d like to join. I have recipes, cooking enthusiasm, books on cooking and warm blankets to offer.
http://shrinkster.com/jp5
boneless or semi-boneless snapping turtle! probably tastes different than Green Sea Turtle, but it’s still turtle.
Interesting. Considering this has the texture of frogs legs or lobster, I’d say it’s probably quite different. The Green Sea Turtle steak had a texture more like a pork chop.