Details for January

It appears that the majority of us like the idea of celebrating our anniversary at Mai Bistro on Dundas Street West near Burnhamthorpe.  The date is still Thursday the 5th. A big thanks to Susan for making the arrangements. See you there at the usual time. 

Remember Me Like This

Remember Me Like This was controversial and stirred up quite a lot of comment.  Like it or hate it, you have to admit that the conversation about this novel was fun.

Somehow we discovered that we had reached a milestone: it's twenty years since our book club began! This is cause for celebration and so we've ditched our plan to go to Lynda's next month. Instead we'll meet at a restaurant. Probably we'll stick with the same date: January 5th. The location hasn't been decided yet.  I'll post the information here as soon as we finalize our plan.

This change means that the date for book club at Lynda's has moved up to February 22nd. The book will be All our Names by Dinaw Mengestu.  And following that change, we'll go to Maureen's on March 23rd for Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien.

April 20th will be at Sue's.  We'll talk about The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall.
On May 11th the book will be 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad and we'll be at Saara's.

Books that were mentioned:

• A Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
• The Party Wall by Catherine Leroux
• Sweetland by Michael Crummey

Movie recommendations:

• Arrival
• Moonlight
• Manchester by the Sea
• Mustang

And Netflix:

• Longmire
• Dicte
• 30 Degrees in February
• Case
• Rams
• Midnight Diner

Almond Cheddar Appetizers 

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped almonds
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 baguette

Preparation:

Combine mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir in cheese, onion, almonds and bacon.
Cut bread into 1/2 in. slices.  Spread with cheese mixture.  Cut each in half.  (or cut in half before spreading with cheese). Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: about 4 dozen.

Unbaked appetizers may be frozen. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet; freeze for 1 hour. Remove from the baking sheet and store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. When ready to use, place unthawed appetizers on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Toblerone Shortbread

Ingredients:

2 cups room temperature butter
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
3 1/2 cups flour
2 bars (100g) toblerone chocolate (I used one big bar, around 300 g in all)
3 tbsp. icing sugar

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 F.

Beat butter and superfine sugar in large bowl with mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Mix flour and corn starch. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate.

Drop by heaping tablespoons 1 inch apart on baking sheet.  Bake until lightly browned. When cool sprinkle with icing sugar. 

Apple Cheesecake

Crust

•  1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour

Cream the butter and sugar and then add the flour.  Press into a 9 inch springform pan.

 Middle

•  1 package cream cheese (250 grams)
•  1 cup plain Greek yogourt
•  2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Beat cream cheese and yogourt until smooth. Add rest of ingredients and beat until mixed.  Pour over the crust.

 Topping

•  3 or 4 apples
•  1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

 Peel and slice the apples and place them on top of the cream cheese mixture in a spiral pattern.
 Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top of the apples.

 Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

About three babies and a book

Traditional horimono

It was a marvelous evening at Jan's house, sharing the stories of the births that made first-time grandmothers of three of us.  Understandably the talk about the book was a secondary priority in the circumstances.  Still, the beautifully crafted Garden of Evening Mists also deserved and won some of our attention.  Thank you to Jan for a perfect evening.  See cheesecake recipe above.

We made some plans for future evenings.  On December 1st we will be at Lynda's and the book we settled on last night is Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston.
On January 5th book club will be at my house (Marian) and the book will be All Our Names by by Dinaw Mengestu. 
On February 15th we'll meet at Maureen's to talk about Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien.
We decided to meet at Susan's in March but the book and the precise date are up for grabs.

Books that were mentioned last night:

• The Night Stages by Jane Urquart
• Nujeen by Nujeen Mustafa and Christina Lamb
• The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 
• The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner
• Dogs at the Perimeter by Madeleine Thien
• The Sellout by Paul Beatty  
• All the Birds Singing by Evie Wyld

Recommended on Netflix: The 13th

Below, plucky Nujeen Mustafa on her way to Germany.
  

September at Jo's

Contending with travel fatigue, rain and traffic on the Gardiner we were rewarded by a great evening at Jo's house talking about The Summer Before the War and other things.  A big thank you to Jo!  Too bad the weather didn't allow us to meet in your beautiful backyard retreat.

Next month we'll be at Jan's.  The book will be The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. The date is Tuesday, October 25th, when we can expect much sharing of baby photos.

We chose Wednesday December 1st for the next meeting at Lynda's but didn't decide on a book.

Here are the other books we mentioned:

• Norman Bray and the Performance of his Life by Trevor Cole
• The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
• An Audience of Chairs by Joan Clark  
• The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
• The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel 
• The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
• Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad 
• The Best kind of People by Zoe Wittall 
• Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin 
• Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
• The People's Choice by Jeff Greenfield 

This plot of this last novel has some similarities to the new American TV series, Designated Survivor, with Keifer Sutherland as the stand-in POTUS.

 

Oxford English Dictionary

I found out today that the Toronto Public Library subscribes to the OED online, and so can be accessed using one's library card. Wonderful for crosswords!

August

Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. 

- Kent Nerburn

 

Book club started with the quiet of Jane's garden, and finished with an enthusiastic around-the-table discussion of the book, My Name is Lucy Barton, separated by an exciting Olympic race on television.  Thank you Jane - a memorable evening!

Here's Elizabeth Strout talking about the book:
We've made plans for next month.  We'll be at Jo's on September 29th and the book we've chosen is The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson.

Books mentioned last night:

• People You'd Trust Your Life To by Bronwen Wallace
• Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens
• My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard 
• The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante

And also a podcast:

• Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell 

Elizabeth is Missing

What a treat to relax in Wanda's garden on a summer's evening.  Thank you Wanda for providing a wonderful ambience, including candles and a cooling breeze.

I think we were generally impressed with themes we discovered in Elizabeth is Missing, especially since it was a first novel of a young writer.  Here's a video where Emma Healey is interviewed at length about herself and her writing.

We finally came up with a decision about August's book.  We'll be at Jane's on the 18th and we'll be talking about My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout.

Other books we mentioned:

• Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 
• Barkskins by Annie Proulx
• A Secret Music by Susan Doherty Hannaford

Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day eve was excellent with perfect weather.  Thank you to Saara for graciously hosting another wonderful evening.  And today is Canada's birthday!

A reminder that next book club will be held on July 21st at Wanda's.  The book is Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey.   In August we'll be at Jane's and let's really try to choose a book before then.

Books we talked about:

• A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
• The Pier Falls and other Stories by Mark Haddon
• Family Life by Akhil Sharma
• My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
• The Stories by Jane Gardam
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• Us by David Nicholls
• The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
• Stalin's Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
• The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
• Boys in the Trees: a memoir by Carly Simon

And the buzz on Netflix:

• Broadchurch
• Cuckoo
• Drop Dead Diva
• Dr. Foster
• River
• Scott and Bailey

H is for Hawk

I happened upon this video today and thought of sharing.

A Gate at the Stairs

One can see shining steps
and think love is enough,
Then sit at the bottom and wait.
The climb up to sweetness needs more than my love:
Darlin', please just open the gate...
Can someone just open the gate? 

It was wonderful to see everyone last night and catch up on everybody's news.  Not to mention the book talk.

Next month we'll be at Saara's on the 30th to talk about The Hero's Walk.  July 21st will be at Wanda's and the book will be Elizabeth is Missing.
We still haven't made a decision about the book for August 18th at Jane's house.

Japanese Cheesecake

• 1/2 large package cream cheese 
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1-1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp lemon rind (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Line the bottom of a 7 inch round cake pan with parchment paper.  If the pan has a removable bottom you'll need to cover the whole thing with foil on the outside because you'll be baking this cheesecake inside a pan of water.

Warm the cream cheese and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir until the cream cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl beat egg yolks with half the sugar until light and fluffy (electric mixer) Fold in the cream cheese mixture and lemon rind.  Sift in flour and cornstarch, and stir until blended.

In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, whip egg whites with cream of tartar to form soft peaks.  Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue whipping to stiff peaks.

Fold egg whites and cream cheese mixture together. Pour into the prepared pan.

Put the pan inside a larger baking pan half filled with water.  Put them in the oven.  After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to 300 and continue to bake for 15 minutes more.

Once out of the oven, allow the cake to cool before removing from the pan.  Decorate with sugar or fruit.

Robins on my balcony

This is a photo taken a minute ago.  I've been expecting a fourth egg to be laid this morning, but it's nearly noon and the count is still three.  Hmmm....

Between the World and Me

It was the unveiling of Maureen's new home, a beautiful condo in a scenic location and a wonderful setting for the evening.  Thank you for hosting last night, Maureen.

The messages of Between the World and Me were bleak and discouraging but here's a more playful Ta-Nehisi Coates writing something completely different: The Return of the Black Panther. 

 

Next month (Thursday, May 26th) book club will be at my place to talk about A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore.

We looked ahead last night to choose dates and books for the summer months.  On June 30th we'll be at Saara's and the book will be The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami. 

On July 21st we'll be at Wanda's and the book will be Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey.  

And on August 18th the book club will be at Jane's, with the book to be determined later on. 

Books mentioned last night:

• All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu
• Act of God by Jill Ciment
• Family Life by Akhil Sharma
• The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton 
• The Venice mystery series by Donna Leon
• The Three Pines mystery series by Louise Penny

In advance of next month's discussion, here's Lorrie Moore speaking about A Gate at the Stairs.

The Green Road

After spending some time on US politics, and several other far-reaching issues, we settled down to a good discussion of The Green Road.  A big thank you to Lynda for hosting and bringing out the good tea set.  Also an introduction to smoked salmon candy which is way better than it sounds.

Next month we'll be reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. That will be at Maureen's on April 21st.

In case you like to read ahead the May book will be A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore.

Books that were mentioned last night:

• A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson 
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
• Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter
• The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
• The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
• Birdie by Tracey Lindberg
• The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami
• Bone and Bread by Saleema Nawaz

Don't forget that Canada Reads will be on March 21st to 24th. You can watch it live-streamed on CBCbooks.ca at 10 am and on-demand later in the day.

Here's the poem by Richard Wright that supplied the title for Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me.

Fifteen Dogs

Interview of Andre Alexis on Ideas,  with Paul Kennedy.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/andre-alexis-fifteen-dogs-q-a-ideas-1.3466154

February Book Club

Thank you to Jo for welcoming us last night.  The fire was a nice touch on a crisp evening.

Please remember that next time we'll be at Lynda's on March 17th to talk about The Green Road.

Healthy Recipes from Susan

Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites

• 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
• 1 cup (about 4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chopped vegetables cooked {steamed, roasted, etc}
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray or oil.
2. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Divide the mixture evenly between the cups of the mini muffin tin, and press down to pack it in firmly.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Banana Bread

• 1 ¼ C mashed ripe banana
• 3 eggs
• ¼ C macadamia nut oil, coconut oil or cold pressed olive oil
• 2 tbs raw honey or organic maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp lemon juice (lemon activates the baking soda)
• 2 C almond meal
• ¼ C ground flaxseed or chia seed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 320.
2. Combine oil, bananas, and eggs (by hand in a large bowl or with a good blender)
3. Add the next 4 ingredients and mix.
4. Add the almond meal and seed and mix well.
5. Lightly oil one loaf tin and coat liberally with extra almond meal or desiccated coconut. This will prevent the cake from sticking.
6. Spoon the batter into the tin. Decorate with sliced banana or chopped walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.
7. Bake at least 60 to 70 minutes. Bake 20 min., cover and bake 20 minutes. Bake uncovered the remaining time. A skewer in the centre should come out dry. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning out the loaf.

A Train in Winter

Yes, Friday the thirteenth was on Wednesday this month, and it turned out to be an excellent day to have book club after all. 
Thank you Susan for hosting.  We are hoping to get a couple of your recipes if you have time.

The book was thought-provoking about a difficult subject, certainly  worth reading and discussing.

We made plans for upcoming months, April and May.  On Thursday, April 21st we'll meet at Maureen's new condo to talk about Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
On Thursday, May 26th we'll be at my place (Marian) to talk about A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore.

And to recap next month will be at Jo's on Thursday, February 11th - Fifteen Dogs.  March's book club will be on Thursday, March 17th at Lynda's - The Green Road.

Also mentioned last evening:

• Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
• Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald 
• Close to Hugh by Marina Endicott 
• Stalin's Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan
• Purity by Jonathan Franzen
• My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout  
• The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
• The Big Short by Michael Lewis
• Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
• The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff