Friday Feast | Book Clubs and Food
Welcome to Friday Feast in the Tavern! Let’s chat about book clubs. I’ve been attending a monthly book club for 13 years. A thread of conversation began one afternoon (April 2010) between me and a friend at Borders Books. Since I worked in the Romance section of the store, she urged me to start a club, specifically one centered around romance books. You should have heard my groan. I had no interest in organizing another event. My plate—my life was full. In truth, it was overflowing. I told her I would think on the idea.
During the next few months, she persisted. And then I realized, why not? A boost for the store, a chance to chat with friends about romance stories, and we can have food. A definite win all around. Our first meeting was in September.
I can’t recall if we had any snacks during the event, but I’m almost certain there was chocolate. Since that first meeting, we’ve hosted a few authors at the store and at nearby restaurants—from Delilah Marvelle, Lisa Hendrix, Amanda Scott, and Brenda Novak.
Though Borders has since closed, our romance book club has continued throughout the years, even during those awful years of the pandemic. Each month, a member chooses a book and the place we’ll gather to eat (Oh, yes, our meals our important). It’s one of the most important highlights of my month—full of laughter, fun, great food, and at times, heated discussions about books. I love these ladies!
A few months ago, we read a fabulous story by Sheila Roberts called The Road to Christmas. A beautiful story and one I highly recommend. We also received a lovely surprise from the author. Not only did she send us signed bookplates, but there were a couple of recipes in the back of her book.
For those who aren’t fond of fruitcake, you must give them a try. They're absolutely delicious! And if you're anything like Prue Leith from The Great British Bake Off, I encourage you to add a bit more rum. I believe Prue would thank me.
Unfortunately, I can’t share the recipe here. You’ll have to pick up a copy of Sheila’s book.
So, do you belong to a book club? If so, does your group gather around a table with food? Do share!
Note: If you belong to a book club and would like to read one of my books, I will provide swag gifts for the members along with a signed print copy of the book for the hostess.
Email me at moirarose415@yahoo.com for more details.
(Open to U.S. book clubs only)
