Lets Go (Book) Clubbing!
Book clubs, peanut butter cookies and recent reads
In this months newsletter: Thoughts on bookclubs, some book reviews and two delicious recipes.
Clubbing (Book Lover’s Style)
I have a long and bumpy history with book clubs. To say I have been in a few is an understatement, in fact some of you reading this may have been or currently are in a book club with me. If you belong to a long established book club where people read the books and discuss them, be grateful. My book clubs endevors never seem to last. People stop coming, the organizer loses interest, I move, others move, lives get busier, meetings conflict with kid events, with work and so on. Like with many things in life, the mantra of “just show up” can keep a book club together for a long time.
Recently, in my search for book club nirvana, I am trying some new things. When I moved to Virginia last year, I joined my local library book club in search of new friends. I quickly realized that monthly discussions weren’t enough to develop friendships, though we did read some fantastic books including Purple Hibiscus, Educated and Where the Crawdad Sings. Unfortunately, we have not been able to meet since March.
My sister, Leslie and I have also started a two-member book club. We Facetime each month to discuss our read. This has been really fun, but also with just us, if we pick a book that we don’t like, we stop reading it and pick another. Recently, we started H is for Hawk but darn if that wasn’t Y is for Yawn. [Note: people love the Hawk book, it just wasn’t right for us at this time.] Instead we pivoted to The Care and Feeding of Ravenous Girls (Review posted below). We can also be flexible about when we discuss the book. If we aren’t going to finish by an approximate date, we just give each other another week or so. This flexibility has been a gift and reading together is a fun way to connect over the miles.
And finally I recently became a part of a writing-adjacent book club. We are on our fourth book and so far so good! This group launched out of my writing group so we are picking books tangentially related to the writing life. While Zoom meetings aren’t everyone’s favorites, it has allowed us to meet easily and include people outside of our geographical area.
Recently, I have heard some podcasters mention buddy reads where people come together to read a book and discuss as they are reading. They may only discuss online or through texts or a Facebook group and never meet. There is no obligation, just a desire to share the reading experience. I would like to try this, any takers out there?
Book Reviews
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
So good! This YA novel has been on my TBR list for a while but am glad I decided listen to the audio version. The narrator does a fabulous job giving voice to many different characters. Star is a black teen living in a low income area but going to a private, mostly white school and has a white boyfriend. One fateful night she is the sole witness to a police shooting. At first she wants to just hide but as events, demonstrations, and riots occur she realizes she needs to find her voice and her true self. Clearly timely, but so good! This would make a great family listen on a road trip. Probably ages 12 & up – there is some language in the book, but it is used realistically and in context.
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
Widower and book shop manager Malcolm finds himself embroiled in more than one unsolved murder. Years ago, he wrote a blog post outlining what he considered the eight perfect murders taken from classic mystery novels, including Agatha Christie’s A.B.C. Murders, Strangers on a Train, Death Trap and Double Indemnity. Now an FBI agent has come to him seeking help in solving a new series of murders that she thinks is based on his article. This book received a lot of buzz in mystery circles because it pays homage to many of the classics. If you enjoy mysteries, this is a fun but different take on the genre. It is the first of a planned series so it will be interesting to see where Peter Swanson takes this.
I AM IAM I AM by Maggie O Farrell
I was so excited to finally get my hands on this 2018 release. O’Farrell’s memoir is structured around 17 times she came close to dying. I know, it sounds almost too crazy to be believed but she provides depth and detail. There are a few stories that are vague but most are clear enough to leave me shaken, particularly the first story where she escapes being murdered on a hike. O’Farrells exploration of the impact of a serious childhood illness was raw and profound. Even though the subject sounds rather dark, it is really an ode to life. Plus her writing is fantastic. You can’t read this book and not look back on your own life and wonder – have I had any close calls?
Literary Obituary
Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the author of the beloved Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, passed away June 18 at the young age of 55. Book one of the series, Shadow of the Wind has an enormous following and is the 2nd most successful Spanish book after Cervantes’s Don Quioxte. I purchased it on a whim while living in London over a decade ago and I can still remember how much I enjoyed this literary mystery that transported me to Barcelona. If you have never read this, it is part history, part mystery, part magical realism. I am considering a reread if I can tear myself away from the current books piled on my nightstand.
Baking the Summer away
I tried two simple but delicious desserts recently and want pass on the recipes to you!
Thektchen tested four well known recipes and this is the winner. With only 5 ingredients (including salt), I can’t believe how good these turned out.
Ovenly Peanut Butter Cookies - makes 12 large or 24 small
• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups smooth peanut butter (see note at end)
• Coarse-grained sea salt, to finish
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the light brown sugar and eggs until incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter and mix with a spatula until smooth and completely incorporated, and until no ribbons of peanut butter can be seen. You know the dough is ready when it has the consistency of Play-Doh.
3. Using a scoop or a spoon, form the dough into 12 approximately 2-inch (2- to 2 1/4-ounce) balls and place them on the prepared rimmed sheet pan. For smaller cookies, use a heaping tablespoon.
4. Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with coarse-grained sea salt just before baking. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, turning the rimmed sheet pan once halfway through baking (for smaller cookies, bake for 16 to 18 minutes). When finished, the cookies will be lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool completely before serving.
5. You can bake these cookies as soon as the dough is prepared, but they will retain their shape better if you freeze them for 15 minutes before baking.
Chef's Tip: While the all-natural stuff works just fine, Skippy is our peanut butter brand of choice for this recipe as we've found it retains the dough shape best. These tasty cookies are gluten-free!
Again, thektchn tested out lemon square recipes. These little dreams take just 15 minutes of prep: Stir together a mere three ingredients to create a sunny, puckery filling for the buttery shortbread crust in this.
Martha Stewart’s Creamy Lemon Squares - Makes 16
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.
2. Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour, and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
4. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares, and dust with confectioners sugar.
Thanks for making it all the way to the end!
I would love to hear about any books you are reading this summer and enjoying. And I would love for you to forward this newsletter to any friends or family that you think would enjoy my bookish musings.