July 2012 Selection

Becky has selected Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James as the July reading selection for The Book Snobs.

From the author's website:

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs met on Monday, July 30 at Becky's home. Becky served chicken spaghetti, with salad and garlic bread.


Over dinner the Snobs discussed which actors should be chosen to play the roles of Christian and Anastasia. We also discussed the genre of erotic literature.

We had a difficult time discussing only book one of this series. Many of the Snobs had already completed all three books. We decided that next month we will discuss all three books.

June 2012 Selection

Lisa has selected The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles as our book for June 2012. This selection is part of our year of choosing a bestseller from the year of the hostess' birth. The French Lieutenant's Woman was published in 1969.

From Good Reads:

In this contemporary, Victorian-style novel Charles Smithson, a nineteenth-century gentleman with glimmerings of twentieth-century perceptions, falls in love with enigmatic Sarah Woodruff, who has been jilted by a French lover.

Of all John Fowles' novels The French Lieutenant's Woman received the most universal acclaim and today holds a very special place in the canon of post-war English literature. From the god-like stance of the nineteenth-century novelist that he both assumes and gently mocks, to the last detail of dress, idiom and manners, his book is an immaculate recreation of Victorian England.

Not only is it the epic love story of two people of insight and imagination seeking escape from the cant and tyranny of their age, The French Lieutenant's Woman is also a brilliantly sustained allegory of the decline of the twentieth-century passion for freedom.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs met at Lisa's home on Monday, June 25, for dinner and discussion of The French Lieutenant's Woman. We enjoyed a build-your-own baked potato bar for dinner.

Only about half of the members actually finished this book. We agreed that it was a difficult read. Discussion centered mostly on the fact that John Fowles offered three alternate endings for his lengthy novel. Some of us found that extremely frustrating and felt like, as an author, it should have been Mr. Fowles responsibility to decide how his novel ended. He should not have left it up to the reader to decide. It was odd how he spoke in asides to the reader insinuating that his characters had lives of their own and made different decisions than he intended.

May 2012 Selection

Charlene has selected The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson for May 2012. This selection is part of our year of choosing a bestseller from the year of the hostess' birth. The copyright on this book is 1955.

From Good Reads:

Here is the story of Tom and Betsy Rath, a young couple with everything going for them: three healthy children, a nice home, a steady income. They have every reason to be happy, but for some reason they are not. Like so many young men of the day, Tom finds himself caught up in the corporate rat race - what he encounters there propels him on a voyage of self-discovery that will turn his world inside out. At once a searing indictment of corporate culture, a story of a young man confronting his past and future with honesty, and a testament to the enduring power of family, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit is a deeply rewarding novel about the importance of taking responsibility for one's own life.

The Book Snobs Gathering

Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Charlene's House
Watch your email for details.

April 2012 Selection

Jennifer selected Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz as the April 2012 selection. This selection is part of our year of choosing a bestseller from the year of the hostess' birth. The copyright on this book is 1980.

From Random House:

She was born Princess Marguerite Alexandrovna  Valensky. But everyone called her Daisy. She was a  blonde beauty living in a world of aristocrats and  countless wealthy. Her father was a prince, a  Russian nobleman. Her mother was an American movie  goddess. Men desired her. Women envied her.  Daisy's life was a fairy tale filled with parties and  balls, priceless jewels, money and love. Then,  suddenly, the fairy tale ended. And Princess Daisy  had to start again, with nothing--except the secret  she guarded from the day she was born. 

The Book Snobs Gathering

Monday, April 30 at 6:30 PM
Jennifer's House

We started our evening with wine and chit-chat followed by a dinner of tacos with your choice of crispy corn or flour tortillas. It was delicious.

Then we opened discussion of Princess Daisy. All of the Snobs seemed to have enjoyed reading this book. We discussed the characters and how they were somewhat reflective of the late 1970s and early 1980s. We also talked about how disturbing some of the the story lines were including child molestation and incestuous rape. Many of the Snobs felt that Princess Daisy's "fairy-tale" life was a little too much of a fairy tale.

March 2012 Selection

Carol selected Hotel by Arthur Hailey as the March 2012 selection. Hotel is copyrighted 1965 and was a bestseller. This selection is part of our year of choosing a bestseller from the year of the hostess' birth.

From the cover of Hotel by Arthur Hailey:

Conflict and desire, secrets and tumultuous destinies, are part of the fascinating world of the famous St. Gregory, a New Orleans luxury hotel. For five sultry days of a hot Louisiana summer the lives of strangers intimately touch, sizzle, and explode in round-the-clock excitement as the St. Gregory becomes the state for private and public dramas -- and for the stunning, heart stopping climax awaiting them all.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs gathered at Carol's home on Monday, March 26, 2012 for dinner and discussion.Our hostess served homemade chili with corn souffle and salad.

All The Snobs who were present agreed that Hotel was an enjoyable book. There were a lot a characters with good development of many of them. We the end of this book with quite a bit of enthusiasm. We talked about how each character ended op and how some of their ends seemed justified, but some did not.


Recipes from The Book Snobs

Corn Souffle

(from Kraft Foods)

2 tablespoons butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14.75 ounces) cream-style corn
1 package (8.5 ounces) corn muffin mix
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray.

Microwave butter in medium microwaveable bowl on high for 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in cream cheese. Microwave 15 seconds until cream cheese is softened; stir until cream cheese is completely melted and mix is well blended. Add next 4 ingredients; mix well.

Pour into prepared pan; top with shredded cheddar.

Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown.

VARIATIONS
You may substitute Neufchatel cheese for the cream cheese.
Add 2 sliced green onions to batter before pouring into pan.
Prepare as directed, substituting 1 can (11 ounces) whole kernel corn with chopped red and green peppers for whole kernel corn.

January 2012 Selection

This month The Book Snobs begin a year of reading a bestselling book from the year of the hostess's birth. This is a switch from selecting books by genre. Vicki has selected Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer for the Book Snobs' January reading pleasure. Seven Years in Tibet was a bestseller in the year 1954.


From The Open Critic:

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War and Tibet’s impending invasion by China, Harrer pens an evocative account of a country suspended in time. Medieval in many ways, it is a place none-the-less, readers will deeply regret having missed.

Lhasa was not Shangrila. The capital city of Tibet was dirty and lacked sanitation; books and recreation were hard to come by; the diet was limited; medicine was more shamanistic than practical; and technology (even the wheel) was looked upon with suspicion. Even so, it was a city easy for the Western imagination to fall in love with; laughter was a constant; curiosity and pleasure were valued beyond industry; and inspite of a rigorous religiosity, the Tibetans were perhaps the least moralizing people of the modern era.

It’s with a great breath of mountain air that Harrer references the guilelessness of his hosts; how for instance laughter was a constant and jokes, retold century after century, never failed to solicit mirth. Curiousity, religion, and pleasure were all valued beyond industry. An earthworm in a shovel of dirt would stop the construction of a ditch, the departure of a friend would require elaborate farewells, and the changing of a season would require the performance of one ritual or another. Festivals, parties, and social interactions kept Lhasans engaged — modernity’s harried pace most emphatically did not.

I mention this at the outset as a way of explaining why Seven Years in Tibet has endured as an adventurer’s tale. Apart from the power of its narrative and quality of Harrar’s prose, it proves exactly what every wanderer wants to believe; that he or she can stumble away from the complexities of today (a British POW camp) into the simplicity of yesterday (Lhasa circa 1940). It’s escapist literature writ large. And more-over, its literal.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs met at Vicki's home on Monday, January 30, 2012. The theme of the dinner was 1950's style comfort food. The Snobs enjoyed a dinner of Caesar Salad, Macaroni and Cheese, and Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy.

Seven Years in Tibet was a challenging read. Reviews were mixed. Som of the members liked it and some didn't. We discussed the book in two parts. Some preferred the story of the adventurers traveling through Tibet and some preferred the story of Henrich Harrer living in Tibet. We discussed the Dali Lama and the selection process. Generally, the book was well received and made for good discussion.

Recipes from the Book Snobs

Crockpot Meat Loaf Like The Nuns Made

 

1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix

1 cup of panko

1 cup of water

2 pounds of ground meat (any combination of beef, pork, or turkey)

1 package Pioneer Nonfat Brown Gravy

1 can mushrooms

Red Wine

Mix soup mix, panko, water. and ground meat together and form into a loaf that will fit into your Crockpot. Cut a strip of foil and place it in the bottom of your Crockpot. Cut it long enough to cover the bottom and sides of meatloaf. (You’ll use it to lift the meatloaf out of the Crockpot after cooking.) Place meatloaf on top of foil. Cover and cook on low for approximately 8 hours.

Prepare gravy according the package directions. Add mushrooms and a splash of red wine. Simmer a few minutes and serve over meatloaf.