Customer Reviews

The Book Club Cookbook

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While many of us enjoy "reading" cookbooks, checking through recipes and making notes of new discoveries, this cookbook provides a totally different type of reading experience. Authors Gelman and Krupp, both members of several book clubs, decided that instead of organizing a cookbook around the foods and recipes mentioned in particular novels, memoirs, or non-fiction (which has been done before), that they would start instead by choosing the one hundred favorite books of book clubs from around the country. The list they developed includes the classics, such as Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence; current affairs, such as Reading Lolita in Tehran; contemporary fiction, such as Empire Falls; historical fiction, such as Ahab's Wife; history, such as No Ordinary Time; and memoirs, such as Wild Swans.

Having chosen the one hundred books first, the authors then checked to see if foods were featured in the book, and if so, they looked for the best recipes they could find for each of these foods. If food did not play an important role in the book, they contacted the book clubs to see what they might have served in conjunction with their discussions of these books, sometimes tapping into favorite family recipes of club members and sometimes seeking recipes from specialty restaurants. On occasion, they even contacted the authors of the books themselves. In every case, they found recipes, some from well known sources, that compliment the books and their discussions.

Each of the one hundred books is summarized at the beginning of the section and accompanied not only by one or more recipes but also with a profile of a participating book club, noting the activities each club sponsored in conjunction with the book, and describing what makes each club unique. The recipes are as varied as the countries of origin of the books and fall into categories ranging from appetizers to desserts and beverages. Featured recipes include Artichoke-Jalapeno Spread on Baguettes with Tomato Bruschetta Topping, Shrimp Flautas, Biryani, Spiced Plum Kolaches, Hmong Eggrolls, and a to-die-for dessert called Death by Chocolate. The only weakness I have found is with the index, which contains the standard breakdown into appetizers, desserts, etc., but simply lists the page numbers where a reader can find examples of these categories, and does not list the names of the recipes themselves, an omission that is time-consuming for the cook who wants to use this as a regular cookbook. Mary Whipple

Have you ever wondered how to serve a suitable meal for a book discussion at your local book club? Whether you can serve a meal which is thematically related to the book being discussed? If the answers to both are yes, then the perfect solution is acquiring a copy of Judy Gelman's and Vicki Levy Krupp's "The Book Club Cook Book". The authors contacted members from over one hundred book clubs within the United States, soliciting comments not only the books themselves, but also on the meals served at these discussions (For the record, I am an outgoing coordinator of a book club, and am quoted in several entries.).

Each book listed is accompanied by a brief summary, including comments from book club members, and a recipe for an appropriate dish (For example, for Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes", is a recipe for Irish Soda Bread.). There is also an in-depth profile of a book club. So if you are wondering what to serve for a discussion of Yann Martel's novel "Life of Pi", then a suitable dish might be the Tandoori Shrimp featured for this entry.

This is a fun, highly informative book which will interest long-time book club members and those who are just joining. To their credit, the authors also provide some excellent tips on how to organize your own book club. Without question, "The Book Club Cook Book" may become the essential reference guide to serving meals at book club meetings.

I totally enjoyed reading this book. Although a lot of my friends consider me a "foodie", I really enjoyed reading the entries about the books and about what book clubs are doing across the country. My wife belongs to a book club, and we have been fighting over who gets the book each night. The recipes and the book summaries are great. I particularly enjoyed the mojitos and the honey cake, but so many of the recipes have been useful and intriguing. Great book.

What a great concept and even better execution! Bringing together cuisine and literature is not necessarily a new idea but the way Gelman and Krupp have put together this exciting collection of literary recipes is superb! The authors have obviously done their homework and the result is a very exciting compilation of recipes based on meals served in some great books, everything from To Kill a Mockingbird to the Da Vinci Code. Book clubs will have a blast with this one!

This book gives you some great suggestions for book clubs. I bought two copies to give as gifts...something I never do. Haven't tried the recipes--I just loved hearing how other bookclubs from all over the U.S. handle their meetings, their menus and their choice of books. Very readable,

It is a great book and it really helped me and my book club find appropriate foods for our monthly meetings. I love your book!!!
---A Loyal Fan

This book is exceptionally interesting - combining details about the books, recipies that relate to (or are included in)the books and details about book clubs all over the country...This is my second copy - I bought this one as a birthday gift for a friend!

This book is great for starting up a book club and trying to think of recipes that co-inside with the book. Some of them were very imaginative. I enjoyed the reviews of the books, and how they decided on the recipes for the stories they were reading.

I am sorry I really didn't try many of the recipes.

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

from The Orange County Register
March 8, 2007

It's a simple idea. You read a good book and you just have to share. Some credit Oprah with starting the phenomenon, but, according to Rachel Jacobsohn, author of "The Reading Group Handbook," there are approximately 500,000 book clubs in the United States, double the number since 1994. And those that combine great books with great dining come away doubly nourished by sharing ideas as they break bread together.

Enter The Book Club Cookbook (Penguin), which pairs 100 popular book club selections with the recipes they inspire. Authors Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp sent thousands of surveys to book clubs across the nation to find out what they are reading and how they dine, and the response was overwhelming.

"When we started hearing the same book titles over and over from many different clubs, we knew those titles would make our list," said Krupp. "We also tried to balance the list by genre. We included fiction, non-fiction, history, memoir, even short stories. We included books highly recommended by African-American book clubs not found on other lists. Some L.A. Asian professionals read only books with Asian themes. Women of the West in Boulder, Colorado, read only books with an American Western woman protagonist or author."

The books are arranged alphabetically, and each section includes a brief synopsis - just enough to whet your appetite but not give away the story - a profile of a book club reading that book, and a recipe to pair with the selection: Tandoori Shrimp for "Life of Pi," Death by Chocolate for "The Da Vinci Code," Honey Cake for "The Secret Life of Bees." In many cases the book's author contributes a recipe or comment.

"The most elaborate and elegant dinner we heard about was served by The Dallas Gourmet Book Club for their discussion of `Personal History' by Katherine Graham," noted Gelman. "It included champagne, wine, Caviar Pie, Sausage Pinwheels, Shrimp Curry, Saffron Rice, Green Bean Bundles and Chocolate Raspberry Tarts. The group even printed a menu to look like headline news in The Washington Post."

The oldest club Gelman and Krupp found, the Wednesday Club of Fort Smith, Arkansas, has been meeting for 106 years! "It started as a literary society dedicated to self-improvement of the members," said Krupp. "Just recently the women decided to stop referring to each other as `Mrs.' and to start using first names. They read only nonfiction and serve dessert and coffee or tea with silver and linen napkins."

The cookbook's web site (www.bookclubcookbook.com) is an invaluable resource for readers. Want to speak personally to an author with those burning questions that only the author could answer? The "Invite an Author" page enables you to contact such luminaries as Chris Bohjalian, Jackie Mitchard and Kathryn Harrison for a phone discussion during your meeting. And sign up for their newsletter "Book Bytes" for reading suggestions and coordinating menu ideas.

Fullerton's own Taal Restaurant (on Nutwood across from Cal State 714-871-7846), my favorite for Indian cuisine, contributed a recipe for Chicken Biryani to pair with a discussion of "A Fine Balance" by the local Second Wednesday Dinner Book Club.

TAAL RESTAURANT'S CHICKEN BIRYANI
From "The Book Club Cookbook" by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon corn oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced, or 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons garam masala* (This Indian spice mixture can be found in Indian markets.)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 to 4 teaspoons red chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt (divided use)
1 1/2 pounds skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 bay leaves
2 cups basmati rice

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions until beginning to soften. Add ginger, garlic and tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Stir in spices and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until done but tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Bring 3½ cups water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil. Stir in rice. Simmer, covered, until rice is tender and liquid absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Combine chicken and rice (discard the bay leaves) in large serving bowl; toss to mix. Garnish with raisins, cilantro, and mint.

I run one book club and am a member of a second so this book is a must. When it is my choice for the book, I sometimes check here first! If you look to read and eat, buy this book!