recipes and food for thought from your book club's favorite books and authors.

I really LOVE the idea of The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp. It is a cookbook that includes recipes inspired by bestselling books, typically read in book clubs. A short synopsis of the book is included, ending with how the recipe relates to the story and then you get the actual recipe. This is a revised edition including more recent bestselling titles like Water for Elephants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Help. All books that I love and have reviewed on this blog.

I will give you a few examples: Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo inspires a Glogg (hot spiced wine) recipe. The story is set in Sweeden. Get it? The Secret Life of Bees inspires a Honey Cake recipe. May, June and August are beekeepers and bake these cakes when giving thanks for the honey crop. Also included are "novel thoughts" and "more food for thought" sections which give thoughts from other book clubs and some background on the authors and the time period when the book was published.

Such a cute idea, eh? Meeting for your book club and noshing on food that goes along with the setting of the story or is actually mentioned by name in the book you're reading. I love it.