Relevant to our 'food with books' theme...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/topekalibrary/sets/72157623633385977/

And the winner is.....Little Bee by Chris Cleeve. I was holding off posting because I wanted all votes in. The voting was incredibly close, there was actually a 4 way tie for 1st place (4 books with 10 points each) so, I defaulted to the book that had the most number of people voting for it. I think this is how we have handled ties in the past, hope this made sense.

Happy Reading!

I am going to have to go on a hunt for Green Peanuts...because those would be a really fun BBQ appetizer! Thanks for posting the recipe.

Here is the list, please get you votes to me by 3pm on Friday 4/23 so I can post by the results by the end of the day.

Little Bee-Chris Cleave
Little Bee is a story of a Nigerian teenager who has struggled tremendously with her country and finds a way to Britain in hopes of saving herself. After two years in a detention center she is released into Britain. Her life completely turns around and she is re-aquatinted with Sarah, a British magazine editor. The two women help each other cope with the unique trials that fall into their life. Little Bee paints a picture of what happens when the two women's life collides and a friendship is built that can not be broken.


The Children’s Book-A.S. ByattWhen Olive Wellwood’s oldest son discovers a runaway named Philip sketching in the basement of the new Victoria and Albert Museum—a talented working-class boy who could be a character out of one of Olive’s magical tales—she takes him into the storybook world of her family and friends. But the joyful bacchanals Olive hosts at her rambling country house—and the separate, private books she writes for each of her seven children—conceal more treachery and darkness than Philip has ever imagined. As these lives—of adults and children alike—unfold, lies are revealed, hearts are broken, and the damaging truth about the Wellwoods slowly emerges. But their personal struggles, their hidden desires, will soon be eclipsed by far greater forces, as the tides turn across Europe and a golden era comes to an end.


The Enchantress of Florence-Salman Rushdie
The Enchantress of Florence is the story of a mysterious woman, a great beauty believed to possess the powers of enchantment and sorcery, attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world. It is the story of two cities at the height of their powers–the hedonistic Mughal capital, in which the brilliant emperor Akbar the Great wrestles daily with questions of belief, desire, and the treachery of his sons, and the equally sensual city of Florence during the High Renaissance, where Niccolò Machiavelli takes a starring role as he learns, the hard way, about the true brutality of power. Profoundly moving and completely absorbing, The Enchantress of Florence is a dazzling book full of wonders by one of the world’s most important living writers.


The Guernsey, Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.


The Mapmaker’s Wife-A True Tale of Love, Muder and Survival In the Amazon-Robert Whitaker
The year is 1735. A decade-long expedition to South America is launched by a team of French scientists racing to measure the circumference of the earth and to reveal the mysteries of a little-known continent to a world hungry for discovery and knowledge. From this extraordinary journey arose an unlikely love between one scientist and a beautiful Peruvian noblewoman. Victims of a tangled web of international politics, Jean Godin and Isabel Gramesón’s destiny would ultimately unfold in the Amazon’s unforgiving jungles, and it would be Isabel’s quest to reunite with Jean after a calamitous twenty-year separation that would capture the imagination of all of eighteenth-century Europe. A remarkable testament to human endurance, female resourcefulness, and enduring love, Isabel Gramesón’s survival remains unprecedented in the annals of Amazon exploration.

Bee Season-Myla Goldberg
Eliza Naumann, a seemingly unremarkable nine-year-old, expects never to fit into her gifted family: her autodidact father, Saul, absorbed in his study of Jewish mysticism; her brother, Aaron, the vessel of his father's spiritual ambitions; and her brilliant but distant lawyer-mom, Miriam. But when Eliza sweeps her school and district spelling bees in quick succession, Saul takes it as a sign that she is destined for greatness. In this altered reality, Saul inducts her into his hallowed study and lavishes upon her the attention previously reserved for Aaron, who in his displacement embarks upon a lone quest for spiritual fulfillment. When Miriam's secret life triggers a familial explosion, it is Eliza who must order the chaos. Myla Goldberg's keen eye for detail brings Eliza's journey to three-dimensional life. As she rises from classroom obscurity to the blinding lights and outsized expectations of the National Bee, Eliza's small pains and large joys are finely wrought and deeply felt. Not merely a coming-of-age story, Goldberg's first novel delicately examines the unraveling fabric of one family. The outcome of this tale is as startling and unconventional as her prose, which wields its metaphors sharply and rings with maturity. The work of a lyrical and gifted storyteller, Bee Season marks the arrival of an extraordinarily talented new writer.

Oh and I'm bummed I missed book club last night. Hope it was a blast!

Is there a new list out?

Geez oh pete that's a lot of salt.

Enjoyed dinner last night everyone!

Boiled peanut recipe from Paula Deen. I've also seen mention of making them in the crockpot. The question is, how do you get "green" peanuts?

ngredients

• 2 to 3 pounds fresh green peanuts
• 1 1/2 cups salt

Directions

Put the peanuts and the salt in a large stockpot. Cover completely with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. To check whether they are done, pull 1 or 2 peanuts out of the pot and crack them open. When they are soft, they are done. If they are still slightly crunchy, they are not done yet, If they are not salty enough, leave them in the salted water and turn off the heat. When they are done, drain and serve immediately.

I am in too!

Thank you so much for handing this Kathy! I will be there.

Hi Kathy-

I just sent you an email, I am so sorry sorry I am unable to attend this week.
(If it costs you anything, please let me know)

I miss you all!

Have a great night.

Best,

Wendy

I'll be there. Thanks Kathy! Reservations there are really hard-core - it's a Tuesday night!?!?! I wonder if they fake it to create a reputation....

We are all set for 8 people at 8pm.....it was either that or 5pm, which I didn't think would work. Reservation is under my name for anyone who arrives early! I'm really looking forward to it- I've eaten here before and it's awesome.

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CANNOT COME** I had to give them my credit card number and they will charge me a cancellation fee. I think it's only if the whole party cancels, but still. The place is pretty small, so if we're going to be less than 8 I'd like to let them know so they can plan accordingly. See y'all Tuesday!!!

From the blog, it looks our eight are:

1. me
2. Cat
3. Erin
4. Mags
5. Sara
6. Leigh
7. Kelly
8. Wendy

Did I forget/miss anyone?

Has anyone made a reservation? I can call if not....looks like we'll be 7 (8 if Kelly is volcano delayed)?

Well, if my flight to London, currently scheduled for Monday night, is 'volcano delayed', I may be able to make it after all. Snow, fog, etc. delays I'm used to but volcano? Who knew? Might have to get my hands on the book again after all...

ok, see you on the 20th...

Yea! I can do the 20th (I still need to buy the book!) I am looking forward to reading it! By the way, where is Hungry Mother? Are we meeting at 7:30pm? See you next week! :)

I won't be able to make it on the 20th but have fun and let me know when the voting list is out for our next book!

Sorry to be last minute but my schedule this week is getting overwhelming. Having my first overnight biz trip the next day, complicated because of lana, and I need to figure out Fed procedures for travel.

So, let's do the 20th - I'll be able to relax and enjoy it more AND it seems that more people can come as well.

Looks like there are 7 of us right now. Don't know about Wendy.

hello!

I am fine with 13th or 20th with preference for 20th so I can maybe finish....

We should get a headcount and call ahead - their wait list for a reservation is quite long. Hopefully not on Tuesdays...

Ok, so are we doing the 13th? Sound like a plan?

My vote is the 20th (won't be here for the 13th)

If we end up meeting on the 13th, have fun and enjoy Hungry Mother (really want to try that place). I think I am up next for the list. I have a list, but of course it is at work and I will not be back there for awhile. So, I would be happy to swap with who ever is up for the list after me or if you want to wait until the 19th I can post the list on the blog.

I can do the 13th and venue is fine.

Also - not sure if you guys saw but WICKED is coming back to BOSTON!! I think I'm going to try to get tickets to see it (for the third time) and didn't know if anyone else was interested. If you haven't seen it, it's an awesome show! It'll be here 9/1 through 10/10.

Clearly I read that first posting wrong and today was never one of our options. I can do the 13th or the 20th.

either works for me-

Turns out now I can't do the 20th. I can still do the 13th, though.

Hi there,
I can do the 13th but not the 20th. I like the idea of the Hungry Mother, too :)

I can do the 20th, but not tomorrow. Are we decided on the Hungry Mother?

13th or 20th? Please vote.