culture club revisited

it's been awhile since i've posted about our book club, also known as culture club.

granted, we often meet intermittently and sometimes there is more conversation over the food than over the book.

this time the book was matt and my choice.

matt picked a hologram for the king, by dave eggers.

some brought their books:

(look how beautiful the cover is) 

 and others brought their readers:

 matt cooked most of the day yesterday to prepare for a delicious meal

(sometimes we try to theme the food towards the geography of the book but this book is set in saudi arabia so we skipped trying to imitate that kind of menu)

 bubbling away as our guests arrive...

 soon all 9 of us were sitting around the table, with food & drink in hand

 i made this pomegranate persimmon salad with warm walnut crusted goat cheese

 matt made bolognese with homemade pasta

 plus a vegetarian option of roasted pumpkin with brown butter & sage 

over the same homemade pasta

we had a little visitor sitting at the top of the stairs observing (sans implants) 

until she got way to too tired to stay up any longer

 

mid-meal, discussion shifted towards the book itself.

there were mixed opinions on how much different readers enjoyed the book.

but despite how many stars each person would give the book, we had a great conversation about globalization, mid-life crises, the shift towards technology in american culture and how that affects us, outsourcing, parent-child relationships, meaning, and even transcendentalism. always fun to hear what different books resonate (or don't) with different people in our group.

{i personally thought it was quite good and thought provoking. the book reminded me of the play "waiting for godot"- almost a contemporary version- which i read many years ago now. i think it captures the angst of living in a time when we are less and less what we build, and more often things are out of our control. it's pretty poignant. i think, too, that in some ways we feel so connected by globalism, yet ultimately technology can't replace human connection and relationship. it also doesn't mean we instantly understand the intricasies of another culture so removed from our own.}

 matt concocted an apple cider granita as a palate cleanser (super yummy & fall-like)

 followed by this blondie pie with brittle crumble and pumpkin ganache on the side. 

very rich, or as matt said about 57 times, "intense."

(intense, but good)

 my cute sister & brother in law,

with deep-in-thought renetta in the background 

considering the broader ramifications of the book

(or just thinking about how good dinner was)

as things wound down, matt brought out a little after dinner digestif for the bolder ones, and we debated what the next book should be.

 any suggestions for our next book?

oh, and in case you are looking for some fall reading picks, 

my favorite books over the last few years in culture club?

i think these may be my favorite:

cutting for stone (beautiful book spanning multiple decades and countries)

city of thieves (a lovely, fast read)

say you're one of them (heartwrenching but wonderful)

                                              have a cozy weekend!