Book Club

I believe I have mentioned this, but I joined our ward book club last fall. Before that, I was what you might call a “fair weather” reader. I didn’t often find the time to pick up a book, and once I started one, it would take several months to finish. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up with a book club because of time limitations and how slowly I read, but I was determined to give it a try for the social aspect. I was needing more adult interaction in my life.

Most months I have been able to keep up with the book club, and it has helped me to remember how much I love reading. When I was in college, I had to read so much in so little time that I got burnt out. I made long lists of books I wanted to read when I would finally get to the point when I would have time to read things other than what I was assigned. But by the time I got my degree, I needed a break from reading. Once I did get back into reading a little bit, I had to adjust to reading more recent fiction instead of books that were written half a century ago –or more.

I have been able to keep up with book club for the most part, and I’ve managed time to read a few books besides the ones chosen. Book club combined with getting an account on Goodreads.com has really awakened my enthusiasm for reading.

At first, I didn’t suggest any books for us to read together in book club because the main books I read were lengthy, wordy classics that can take months to finish. Then Grant and I read The Harvester over Christmas break, which I suppose was also an old, wordy book. He remembered that his mother had read it to him in his youth, and he felt like it helped shape his views of how a woman should be treated. I loved the book, and quickly suggested that we add it to our book club list.

Last night was our book club discussing The Harvester at my house. There wasn’t a huge turn-out, but our numbers have been dwindling anyway. We had some good discussion. People said they liked it, but they had a few problems with it. They didn’t like how verbose the author was about plants and how overly ideal the main character was. Those are some of the things I liked about the book, so I guess we just have differing tastes. I think that even though I really enjoy modern fiction, I’m still a sucker for an older book. And when I read an older book, I go into it expecting to have to read longer descriptions and trudge through the language a little more. I loved that the Harvester was an ideal character, even if he wasn’t the most realistic of men. I find it refreshing to focus on the positive about a person and strive to be that way, too.

So, it was a fun book club. I don’t mind that we disagreed on some points. I loved having the ladies over to my house (even as hot as it was) to chat, and I’m glad I shared the book. Even after Grant came home with the girls, we continued socializing. People left, and I put the kids to bed. After that, I noticed a few friends were still talking outside my house, so I went out to join them. We talked until everyone realized their husbands would be wondering where they were. It was fun.

For refreshments, I tried to come up with some sort of food they ate in the book that would be tasty. The Harvester was often serving Ruth iced fruit, so I decided a fruit pizza would be appropriate. I had never made a fruit pizza before. This is how it turned out:

I confess, I had Grant arrange the fruit on top. He’s so much better at making things look pretty than I am. It tasted really good. I got the crust a bit too hard, though. I don’t think I’ll cook it so long next time. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law. Recipe is a relative term. I love my mother-in-law, and I love her cooking. I hate trying to re-create her cooking. This is mostly because of my personality and wanting an exact recipe so I can have a better chance at a desired outcome. When I get a recipe from Dana, she tells me the recipe, and then she says, “Now let me see if I can remember how I change it.” Then, she proceeds to tell me the alterations she makes to the recipe she just gave me, and if she hasn’t made it in a while, her recipe is only as good as her memory. I am amazed that her cooking turns out so well every time with how much her recipes shift along the way. I wish I was that brave in cooking, knowing what I can tweak here and there and still have it turn out good. Grant’s mom is an amazing cook.

Along with the fruit pizza, I made my interpretation of the juice the Harvester gives Ruth. It is made with pineapple, orange, and lemon juice, and it is said to be quite tart. I thought it tasted pretty good, especially with ice.

All in all, it was a fun night. I probably didn’t need to stress over it as much as I did, but I suppose I don’t entertain guests often enough to not get nervous beforehand.