sorry about the lame sauce.

okay.
the holidays are not a good time to be organized nor ambitious. thus, i must soundly apologize for my excessive failure in keeping up with our book club reading. i am finally through with 'never let me go', but have to admit, it kept me up late at night worried about my organs, my childhood, and the state of my imagination. nothing about that book inspired me to eat, maybe only drink lots of water to keep my liver healthy and some ambien to allow me to sleep better at night....
i am currently reading the v.s. naipaul book, 'the masque of africa', which again, is lacking to inspire my foodie ways. i am thinking i could have picked more inspirational books...
i am also contemplating abandoning the list all together, and just starting to read mark twain's biography instead... its probably the most inspirational book on the list, and i need some sparks of wit and humor in my life right now.
hope you all have either found deeper meaning in the books i picked than i have or have given up completely by now. let me know what other books you are reading!
i hope you are all having a happy holiday.
love, claire

welcome!

good gracious, it's december!
how did we get here so fast, and where did 2010 go? it seems like yesterday (well, maybe the day before yesterday), i had a glass of champagne in my had and was toasting in the new year....
now it is time to make toasts of a different kind, as we soon will be mixing up some new cocktails and recipes in honor of our december book club's featured authors and their work. i am so happy that there are at least 3 people interested in pursuing a month-long celebration of literature and food with me, thank you all for your enthusiasm!
i have considered your book requests and have made a tentative list for the month: we will be reading 4 books total, one each week. here is the list:

1) Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro


2) The Masque of Africa, by V. S. Naipaul

3) My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales, edited by Kate Bernheimer


4) The Autobiography of Mark Twain, by Mark Twain

to clarify: there are NO OBLIGATIONS to actually finish any of these books. hell, you don't even have to read them. if you have somehow stumbled upon this blog and are just interested in following the discussions and stealing some of our shared recipes, that's great. but if you do read any of these books, your karma will increase tenfold, and santa will definitely bring you everything on your wish-list, and then some.
i hope everyone finds these books enlightening, enjoyable, and esculent....
these are the rules to the game, if you decide to play:

1) read the book (or what you can)
2) find a comfy place to read in, relaxing if you will.
3) fix yourself a drink.
4) read until you are inspired to fix yourself another drink.
5) fix yourself a snack, meal, or something tasty to go with your drink... remember, reading requires your eyes to be open and your vision not to be blurred.
6) keep note of what your are mixing up for yourself. blog about it: come back here and comment on the weekly reads with your own recipes. that way we can all savor in each others' delightful experiences of reading.

7) win. everyone is a winner in our december book club. all the more reason to join!

hope you all find the list well, thanks for your contributions, and i look forward to getting my read on!
-claire