The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favoritebooks and Authors

What if there was a book that not only recommended GREAT book club reads with synopsis, but also recipes to go with the books from well-known authors and book clubs? For a book club gal, and a book lover - this is a GREAT FIND! Books such as Cutting For Stone, The Book Thief,The Help, ROOM, Reading Lolita, Bel Canto, Water For Elephants, Snow Flower And The Secret Fan, Jane Eyre, Freedom, Devil In The White City, etc...The book is filled with many wonderful book selections that would make for great discussion. The book choices are new as well as older titles... a few like Water For Elephants, Snow Flower and The Secret Fan, Ahab's Wife, Anna Karenina, Life Of Pi, House Of Sand and Fog, Jane Eyre - and so many more. Each title follows a synopsis of the book, occasionally author thoughts, review suggestions, and book club recipes that go along with the theme. A true treasure!Many years ago I discovered the first edition of this book. I loved the concept and used it religiously when planning out books to read for our group as well as food to go with the book. In fact, as I write this now, I think the first edition of this book was the beginning of our book club, The Bookies, introduction to food made to go with our reviews.To this day, this very book sits in my front sitting room, in an honor spot on a stand next to the rocking chair.Book Club members, book lovers, and food lovers will all appreciate this book! Not only does it list a wonderful group of books that make for wonderful discussion, but the food and the ideas to go along with the books will put that little extra into your discussion and have people waiting to get into your book group!And of course I loved it! Each book gives a full page synopsis as well as publishing information, followed by food that would go well with the book, sometimes by the author, and always ideas from a book club as well. If anything, this book is dangerous as I drank in all the books I have yet to read and delicious food to go with them. The ideas were already forming in my mind....I want to do a Bel Canto party... dress up the whole works.... maybe I can talk the Bookies into doing this one for our October classic read..... and I would love to do a Chocolat by Joanne Harris review as well with melt in your mouth chocolates.... maybe we could follow-up with the movie..... AND....See what did I tell you? The book is dangerous!This is a book I will keep close and refer to time and again, not only do I get a good taste of wonderful book club reads... but ideas to go along with the reviews!

I bought this book as a gift for my fellow Bookclub members. The books arrived in time, I w not charged a fortune for postage even though I ordered 7 copies. The book looks really interesting. There is a synopsis of a good number of books and recipes of food from them. Looking forward to surprising my friends with them:-)

i guess I bought this book in error... when I seen it was revised - i thought maybe it was a second edition with different recipes.. so I was disappointed to see it was basically the exact same thing... the low rating is my own fault and has nothing to do with the book/authors

Gelman and Krupp have compiled a book of recipes from best selling books. Some of the recipes are for foods referenced in the books, some are recipes that Gelman and Krupp think the characters would make, and some are recipes given by the author or his or her family members. Additionally, with each recipe, there is a summary of the book, and an interview with a book group that discussed the book. The book groups usually mention what they served when the book was discussed, and how their meetings work.I had no idea that there were so many types of book groups! Most of them have great ideas. Some host formal dinners. Some choose appropriate restaurants. Some only read books set in other countries. Some only read Pulitzer winners. Some pick a book once a year that they think their husbands and partners would also want to read, and invite them. Some (gasp!) actually have men in the groups, and are either couple groups, or just book groups where men are there too. There are a couple of books that I can think of where food was essential to the story. For instance, I HATED the ending of The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer so much that I toyed with the idea of writing a book consisting only of alternate endings that would have been better. But, despite my strong feelings, I still remember Carrie baking cherry pie, and how much all of her friends clamoured for it. Now I have the recipe for the pie, if not for a better ending. In Empire Falls by Richard Russo, the brother, David, moves back to town, and has ideas about how to attract a more upscale clientele by offering "good, cheap, ethnic food" in the honest feeling diner. Gelman and Krupp provide a recipe for shrimp flautas, which David created as a special.There are lots of other recipes tying in with books that I have enjoyed, including Cocoa-Cinnamon Babka from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, Mojitos and Mango, Jicama and Corn Salad from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Jennifer Egan's Oatmeal Fudge Refrigerator Cookies from Jennifer Egan, the author of A Visit from the Goon Squad. All told, there are recipes from 100 books, in this 486 page collection. And now, what's your excuse? Go Get It And Read.

Bought this as a gift exchange for our book clubs Xmas party. Cute book just not sure if the recipient will actually put it to use.