Review: The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman, Vicki Levy Krupp

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

This first cookbook created specifically for book clubs shows readers how to add a delightfully delicious angle to their book club gatherings.
Featuring recipes and food-related discussion ideas for one hundred popular book club selections, The Book Club Cookbook guides readers in selecting and preparing culinary masterpieces that tie in just right with the literary masterpieces their club is reading. From "Honey Cakes" to go along with The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd to "Eggplant Caponata" to go with Bel Canto by Ann Patchett; from "Lemony Goat Cheese Tart" with Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel to "Shrimp Flautas" for Empire Falls by Richard Russo; The Book Club Cookbook makes adding foods that stem from the books your club reads fun and easy.
Vicki Levy Krupp and Judy Gelman polled hundreds of book clubs all over the country to determine what their members are reading and to discover the creative ways that they're integrating food into their meetings. With recipes and colorful background information on the role that food plays in the reading choices-much of which was contributed by the authors of the book club selections themselves-The Book Club Cookbook will add some real flavor to your book club meetings.

MY TAKE:
Ah, books and food. Two of my favorite things.

The Book Club Cookbook is part cookbook, book guide and book club profiles. Select books are summarized and followed by a recipe for food that is either found in the book or inspired by the book, as well as a profile on a book club.

With this kind of book, the problem is information overload. I really liked the book summaries. They don't give away the ending, so it seems to assume that you're planning to read the book at some point. Most of the recipes look very appetizing too.

The biggest thing I wasn't a fan of were the profiles of the book clubs. I thought it was a little bit much. I mean, I get that this book would be perfect for book clubs as they not only get to find new books to discuss, they also have recipes ready to eat during their book club gatherings. However, for someone who isn't really into book clubs, they might find the book club profiles boring.

THE GOOD:

1. There are different kinds of recipes.
2. You'll be inspired to cook.
3. You learn about books you might not have heard of before.

THE BAD:

1. The book club profiles might not appeal to everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

But just in time, new dishes arrive, including eggplant sauteed with fresh basil leaves and a lion's head clay pot of meatballs and rice vermicelli.

READ IT IF:

1. You like cooking.
2. You enjoy reading about food in books.
3. You like book clubs.

RATING:


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