Cozyland

It was a blustery Autumn night (even for Southern California!) when the book club met to discuss their latest novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows.

Thrilled to be welcoming new member Craig and commiserating that Brandy was out of town and Miriam was stuck on a commercial shoot across town. Especially disappointing since she really loved this book, as we all did!

The evening started out with an almost-disaster when the the unbelievably delicious beef stew that Elizabeth had been cooking for two days decided to become a toxic mess after the saran wrap that Suzanne Goin’s Lucque cookbook explicitly instructed to put over the pot, followed by foil, followed by a lid and then into the oven- seemingly disappeared (aka dissolved) into the stew. What? this heavenly concoction of beef, kalamata olives and thyme was now poisonous and had to be thrown out? A crime against humanity! And then there’s the question of whats now for dinner? Leave it to Elizabeth to be able to whip out an amazing pasta from out of nowhere and the evening was saved! (We are every bite!)

I think the name should be changed to the Last Supper at Lucques!!!

Stew or just plain stupid?

Of course the evening is not all about food however Elizabeth did outdo herself as usual and to compliment the smoked salmon I did some “Potato Peel” appetizers in honor of our book!

Delicious smoked salmon and all the goodies

The book is coincidentally about a book club, or Literary Society as they called it, which was formed rather spontaneously during the occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands during WWll. The story is told through a series of letters and the sweetness of the characters within the rustic beauty of Guernsey is balanced by the grittiness and pain suffered through the occupation making this a really well rounded read.

This book ranks high in Coziness combining friendship and literature, what books mean to people and how they help to educate them and offer the escape to get them though hard times. Love that and believe in it fully!

Also believe in gorgeous, decadent deserts!!! Great job Elizabeth, wow!!!

Pavlova

And we can’t forget our casting which this time made me laugh till I could hardly breath, Sara and Craig I think you especially know what I am talking about!

THE CASTING

Juliet: Kate Winslet
Sidney & Piers: Hugh Jackman & Ellen DeGeneres
Susan: Sandra Bullock
Sophie and Alexander: Scarlett Johanson
Mark Reynolds: George Clooney
GUERNSEY GANG
Elizabeth: Natalie Portman
Amelia: Meryl Streep
Dawsey: John Krazinski
Isola: Kathy Bates/Cher
Eben: Liam Neesen
Booker: Michael Cera (of course…..!)
Kit: Abigail Breslan/Tatum O’Neil/Shirley Temple – yes, that is what we actually said that night!
Remy: Winona Ryder
Sally Anne Frobisher: Kathryn Heigle (we must have been really tired/drunk at this point?)
Will Thisbee:Jamie Oliver
Micah Daniels: Ellen Burstyn
Adelaide Addison: Suzanne Goin (villaness of the night/Author of Elizabeth’s aborted recipe!
Billie Bee: Lindsay Lohan
Cecile Touvier (the Nun): Cloris Leachman
Young Juliet: Ellen Page
Wheelchair guy: William Hurt
Bar guy: John Goodman
Scabies girl: Charlize Theron (I mean, like who else?)
Todt workers: the Olson twins, Adrian Brody, Terry Hatcher, Christian Siriano
Tara Reid was playing someone but I can’t even read my own writing!!! help?
Eli: we never reached a conclusion so by default he is obviously played by Michael Cera
People we forgot who will also be played by Michael Cera:
Gilly Gilbert, Ivor, Oscar Wilde, Mr. Dilwyn, the Benoit sisters, Granny Pheen

So book club, we did pretty good this year! Our next read is The Alchemist, Meredith’s choice We’ll pick a date for the new year and hope to see everyone then! Long live our fabulous Literary Society!