October 2014 Host:  Jaci

 

Delicious by Ruth Reichl

 

Summary

 

This novel is set in New York City and centers around a young woman named Billie who takes a job at a foodie magazine called Delicious.  The magazine offices are located in a historic mansion and when Delicious eventually closes down, Billie takes on the job of minding the house.  She discovers a hidden room in the library which contains letters written from a young girl named Lulu to James Beard during World War II.  Some of the letters include cooking questions and allude to the mistreatment of Italian-Americans during this era.  This book contains everything most of us enjoy such as food, mystery, history and personable characters.  Although we all enjoyed the book, we wished there were a little more about food.  We are teased with a main character that has an infallible palate and is supposed to be a brilliant cook along with the depiction of a New York cheese shop, yet we are left wanting more of the foodie aspect in this novel.   

 

Menu

 

Artichoke Dip

 

Venison, Vegetarian, and as pictured - White Chicken Chili

 

Evan

 

 

 

September 2014 Host:  Jenny

 

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

 

Summary
 

This novel revolves around Carrie McClelland who is a present day successful author of historical fiction.  She travels to Scotland to research the little known Jacobite uprising in 1708 when the movement to return the exiled King James to the Scottish throne occurred.   For her research, she comes to reside near Slains, an ancient castle of interest as her original main character, Colonel Nathanial Hook, visited there just before the uprising.  She feels an unexpected connection towards Slains, which she feels may be a result of her family’s past history in the area.   She has strange memories which she writes about and then finds out that those memories prove to be true in past history, which the author describes as genetic memories.  Soon a young orphaned 18^th century woman named Sophie replaces Colonel Hook as the main character in McClelland’s novel.  There is further intrigue as McClelland meets her landlord’s two sons.  Kearsley successfully intertwines parallel plots, mirror characters, intrigue and romance in The Winter Sea.  The historical aspects of this novel are especially fascinating (go ahead, google Cruden Bay, Slains Castle, and doric dialect, we did), and we highly recommend this historical novel.

 

Menu

 

Beer

 

Salad

 

Pizza

 

Brownies