December 2010 Christmas Book Club

This photo is entitled "The Aftermath of Book Club." Eleven months of the year I leave that behind. Not that I am complaining. I love having Christmas Book Club. The remnants of tasty dishes, good wine, beautiful flowers, and delicious desserts are just proof that a good time was had by all (and Miss Kitty thanks you for the leftovers).

We missed Janie who was recovering from foot surgery but know that she is recovering nicely at home. Laura also had foot surgery but she managed to hobble in on her crutches and we had a spot reserved for her to rest her foot.

Having been recently inspired by a trip to The Prohibition room where they offer a variety of tasty Bruschetta appetizers we decided to focus this month's menu there. Barb brought Salmon and cream cheese, Diana brought pear marmalade and brie and proscuitto and fig, Lis brought pear and brie, Lou brought the traditional mozzarella, tomato and basil. Darby brought baked fudge, Denise brought red velvet cake decorated like a present with a red bow, Carla G brought cheesecake. Terry brought her pear/avocado and pecan salad by special request. I made a version of Bobby Flay's roasted brussel sprouts with pomengrante mollasses and vanilla bean, pecan butter. I improved on his recipe by blending up the brussel sprouts and topping toast and brie with the spread. I have a new "love" and it is pomegranate molasses! Carla A brought the ever popular Butternut Squash soup and Hungarian Mushroom, and there was the usual assortment of wines including a Seven Deadly Zins, very nice.

One benefit of hosting book club is that you are the lucky recipient of Arnora's floral bouquets. She out did herself this time. The bouquet included white lilies, red gerber daisies and red roses. I will enjoy them for as long as they last!

We had so much going on at this book club. First, everyone handed out their gifts and cards. We don't do a traditional gift exchange but we do exchange cards, photos and other meaningful tokens and it is always fun.

Next, Darby had compiled our list of favorite Christmas songs in a CD for us each to enjoy. She handed out the list and as each song played we tried to guess who picked the song. That is what is so fun about doing our letters, poems and songs. Just when you think you know people you can't even guess their favorite Christmas song. But, it's also what keeps our relationships so fresh. We are always suprising each other. Arnora won that game by getting the most right. The CD has a good blend of fun and sentimental favorites. A couple brought tears to our eyes and what is a good book club without a tear or two? Now, when we listen to our favorite Christmas music we have another treasured memory to add.

Then we unveiled the 10th Anniversary Book Club professional photo. We were all thrilled to see what a great job the photographer did. She managed to find a couple of shots where we all looked fabulous. Pearly whites gleaming, eyes shining (no blinks) and everyone just looking their gorgeous best! Even the "calendar girl" shot is excellent. Not a complaint to be had among us and well worth the small investment. What a great idea - and thanks Lou for arranging the photographer. This has inspired us once again to approach Oprah with our Book Club for her 25th and final year of the Oprah Show.

Eventually, we did get around to reviewing the book "One Day" by David Nichols. Arnora had recommended this book and really enjoyed it. Her rating was a 3.5. In fact, I quoter her here, "I know it was pathetic, but I liked it!"

The rest of us agreed that it was a cool idea: visiting one day each year in the life of Dexter and Emma. But, for most of us it fell short of satisfying. Carla A was very impassioned about it, which I love. Carla and I often have great and insightful side discussions about a book but she will get shy at the meeting and not be very vocal. Last night, she reminded me of Darby and Firefly Lane. She had been reading the book at the cabin and mildly enjoying it until she got to the part where Emma is killed in a bicycling accident just after she and Dex finally get together (shades of Cold Mountain). This enraged her also because the scene was told with such cold, crispness. She died, the end. She said, "You can't just kill someone off in one sentence. And, that was not the end of the story, but should have been." Several thought that there were paragraphs that had been actually; cut, paste, and repeat. I was surprised that the English majors among us didn't have something more to say about the poor grammar. A review at the front of the book stated it was a good "beach read" and several of us compared the author to Nicholas Sparks. I think good beach read summed it up for me. The book rated a 2.

Again, however, the book sparked great discussion and that is what it is all about. Even if a book is not favorably received by all if it sparks impassioned discussion then it has succeeded on some level. January's book is The Book Thief.

As I announced last night, this looks to be my last Christmas book club in this house. If all continues to go well, I'll be moving (somewhere) around the 22nd of December. Thank you all so much for allowing me this special privilege. Most of you know, that until recent years, Christmas has been a challenge for me. But, hosting Christmas Book Club makes the season brighter for me and is something I look foward to all year. Next year I'll give someone else a turn since I am not sure what my next plans are.

So, from my house to yours, Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

P.S. Miss Kitty is sitting on my lap between the computer and me. She keeps putting her paw on the mouse and trying to help me write this blog!