Merry Christmas!

And...Happy New Year!

Love...all of us at Read Between the Wines
(if anyone else even reads this)

M.I.A.

Book Club is missing a member....I swear there used to a tall, Wisconsin lovin', fabulous, booty wearin', Minnesota born member. But we haven't seen her in ages!



Come back soon...we miss you!

By a Nose....

And the winner is.....



The Story of Edgar Sawtelle



written by David Wroblewski





Who can host January BC?

January Book Club??

New year...new book! Let's start the year right...with a really good one!!

Maybe a New Year's resolution...to read more? ;)

Here are the picks:
(click on book title to link to further description)


Moloka'i

Brennert's sweeping debut novel tracks the grim struggle of a Hawaiian woman who contracts leprosy as a child in Honolulu during the 1890s and is deported to the island of Moloka'i, where she grows to adulthood at the quarantined settlement of Kalaupapa. Rachel Kalama is the plucky, seven-year-old heroine whose family is devastated when first her uncle Pono and then she develop leprous sores and are quarantined with the disease......

The Story of Edar Sawtelle

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm--and into Edgar's mother's affections......

The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol begins with an ancient ritual, a shadowy enclave, and of course, a secret. Readers know they are in Dan Brown territory when, by the end of the first chapter, a secret within a secret is revealed........

The Schopenhauer Cure

Julius Hertzfeld, a successful therapist in San Francisco, is shocked by the news that he suffers from terminal cancer. Moved to reassess his life's work, he contacts Philip Slate, whose three years of therapy for sexual addiction Julius describes as an "old-time major-league failure." Philip is now training to be a therapist himself, guided by the writings of Arthur Schopenhauer, and he offers to teach Julius about Schopenhauer as a way of helping him deal with his looming death.......

***Please vote on the upper right hand side. Voting closes Friday at 3pm.***


Also, who can host?

Purple Pants and Holiday Cheer!

Another fabulous BCCP! Thanks so much Elizabeth and Emily (our favorite non-BC member) for hosting! We were a little tame compared to last year, maybe that is a good thing. We opted for a Girls Night In rather then battle the cold to head out to crowded bars. The night went by too fast and before we knew it...it was too late for the bars anyways!

The night included lots of talking and gossip,

lots of great food,

a gift exchange,

Peppermint Swirlys,

and a serious game of Catch Phrase (who won?).

(see Catch Phrase)

Topics of discussion included but limited to....Tiger Woods, hair removal, Amanda Knox, Immigration Laws, Grade School shenanigans , running (i.e. never doing a marathon) and boyfriends/husbands.

Great gifts included someecards postcards, Schick Quattro For Women Trimstyle Razor & Bikini Trimmer, Starbucks giftcards, Jesus toast, glassware, Christmas decor, and of course the infamous Hooters apron.

And last but not least...the star of the party...PURPLE PANTS (and white socks) deserves a shout-out.

Oops we didn't pick a book for January. Check back later this week for info. ;)

Email me book suggestions!!

A Message from Elizabeth

Book Club Beauties,

Looking forward to our annual Book Club Christmas throw down this Friday (pertinent information is below).

7:30pm (an extra half hour to compensate for what will certainly be a later end time)
1436 West Fletcher (Do not be thrown off by the Ghetto Front door. You are at the right place. It will be unlocked so just come on in that door and the second one on the right).

Don't Forget! Your $10 gift and any games you may want to play.

Rachel- Jerome is encouraged to attend.

Jamie and Norah- Hooters aprons are encouraged as well. They are the perfect defense against pesky Peppermint Swirly stains! See you all Friday.

Email or call with any questions.

-Elizabeth

Happy Thanksgiving!!

To all....

From "Read Between the Wines"

A Little BC Joke

If you can't find the book you want.

You're probably shopping at the.....

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Remember this awesome crisp Amanda made? Here is the recipe...perfect for the Holidays!

INGREDIENTS:

Topping
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling
2 12-ounce packages cranberries
1 1/4 pounds Golden Delicious or Fuji apples (about 3 medium), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons apple juice or cider
Vanilla ice cream

Preparation
For topping: Combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt in large bowl; toss to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture comes together in moist clumps. Cover; chill while preparing filling. (Topping can be prepared 1 day ahead; keep chilled.)

For filling: Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine cranberries, apples, sugar, and apple juice in heavy large pot. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil until cranberries are tender and juices thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer filling to prepared dish. Sprinkle topping over. Bake crisp until filling bubbles thickly and topping is crisp and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

Delish! Thanks Amanda!

Delinquent Members

We have all had our mishaps and have failed to read all the books, every month, it's hard sometimes to keep up!!

But a few members...let's face it really just come for the wine, the GREAT company and lots of laughs. I have stated before we love them anyways. It was decided at the last Book Club is goes something like this:

17% of the books read....



4% of the books read......



You know who you are! ;)

Suggestions?

Last year for December BC we read Holiday on Ice by David Sedaris....do we want to read anything for December?

We didn't pick a book for December at the last Book Club but if anyone has any suggestions for a good light Holiday read for December, please post in the comments. Thanks!

Book Club Christmas Party

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas...which means one thing and one thing only...BCCP.

BCCP 2009

*Friday* December 4, 2009
Location: Elizabeth's Place
1436 W. Fletcher #1
Bring: $10 gift & Wine & Games

Same as past years we are going to celebrate December Book Club with a par-tay/gift exchange. Please bring a $10 gift...no more then $10 ladies!!! Last year's party was a huge success! Elizabeth has agreed to host for a 3rd year. Thanks Elizabeth (and Emily)!!

Here are a few pics from Book Club Christmas Party 2008......

Starting at Elizabeth's with a some wine, food and a gift exchange.

Next everyone had a Peppermint Swirly...including Jerome!

Then off to the bar....sorry Jerome you need to stay back.

After that let's just say things got a little hairy......

Anyone remember Keith? LOL!!!

Bravo Book Club

Unfortunately The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo falls into the "Books that nobody read" category. There were a few members that get bonus points for this one...Elizabeth, Rachel and Molly. The overall concise was that it's very distributing and takes a while to get going, but it's still a great read.

All 3 readers of this book are planning on reading the next book in the series so that tells you something. The next book is The Girl Who Played with Fire, followed by The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest- not yet released in the USA.

Most BC members partook in the Wine Drinking/Cheese Eating portions of the night. Good thing the food was fabulous...highlights included Goat Cheese Spread, Stuffed Mushrooms, Pizza, White Bean Dip and Pumpkin Cookies.

This month watching Bravo was more of the theme....we enjoyed a few episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta and Real Housewives of OC. Watching Kim sing "Don't be Tardy to the Party" was pretty painful but the heavy discussion of the night would have to be if you are Team Tamra or Team Gretchen. Other topics included: BCCP, cell phones, six inch heels, Halloween, boyfriends, HS Reunions, and dental care.

Best Quotes of the night include:

"You're really forgiving, American guys don't really like that."

"Verizon will really hook you up."

This month we didn't have a 11pm Wine Run, thank goodness. Thanks for hosting Sigsby!!

Next up...BCCP, check back for more info. :)

Based on the Book

We have read a few books that have become movies.

Some we read quickly before the movie came out....such as Julie & Julia.

Others became movies after our BC read the book. Then we can be really 'cool' saying..."I read the book- it's so much better then the movie." Those have included but not limited to:

Little Children
The Kite Runner
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The Other Boleyn Girl
My Sister's Keeper

The current book we are reading is no different. Wikipedia reports According to the The Guardian newspaper, word is that George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt are all interested in playing the central role of Mikael Blomkvist, has been followed by suggestions that producer Søren Stærmose, of Yellow Bird, who holds screen rights to the books, has been approached by directors including Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese.

The next movie prediction....The Help by Katheryn Stockett and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

Tiffany's Artichoke Dip

1 can of artichokes finely chopped
1 ½ c. Parmesan cheese
¾ c. sour cream
¾ c. mayo
1 tsp salt
Pepper to your liking
Garlic powder or 2-3 fresh minced garlic cloves (optional)
Lemon juice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350*. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until there are light brown bubbles on top

This favorite has been served at many Book Clubs throughout the years. Thanks Tiffany!


(Side Eyes)

SPOTTED!

Wednesday Ocotber 14, 2009

5:54pm

CTA Bus #134

Wacker Drive and Stetson Ave.

A prominent member of BC reading....(gasp!) The Alienist.

Sources reveal member claims "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is on hold at her local library. Hmmm.....we're not too sure about that!

Is anyone reading?

Seriously is anyone even reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I am getting a bad feeling about this month. Am I the only one (slowly) reading this one? At least we all know how to do one thing.........

When asked if they are reading the book...

Lisa says "Uh, no - I haven't read anything!"

Rachel says "Yes! Once you get past 100 it's much easier to read! And don't dwell on all the weird names and places...the main characters become obvious later."

Liz says "No comment"

What is your answer to this question?

Kathy's July BC Recipe

Chili Macs at Briar & Broadway.

Best. Pizza. Ever.

And enjoyed at this year’s July BC.

Chili Mac's
773-404-7252

Directions
Step One...pick up your phone

Step Two...dail the number above

Step Three....order the pizza

Step Four...make your husband go pick it up

Posted by "The Mrs."

November Book Club

Date: Thursday, November 5th
Location: Sigsby's Place
3527 N Hermitage #1

(Off the Paulina Brown line stop)
Time: 7:00pm-?
Bring: WINE :)

Get reading ladies!

Book Club est. October 2004

Our book club has lasted A LOT longer then the 'shelf life of a dairy product' as a past member once thought.....we were established in October of 2004. The first book was The Kite Runner and was held in Bucktown at Katie, Rachel and Laura's apartment at the time.

Since then some book club members have moved out of the city or left the group or were kind of kicked out. A few members still come to share in the fun (i.e. wine) without actually reading a single book. We love them anyways!

See below for some of our past reads. Wow after 5 years with a few hiatus' we really have read a lot of books!!

The Really Good.....

The Good.....

The Random....

The Disturbing.....

The Controversial..... (difference of STRONG opinions)

The ones I bet you forgot about....

The Tear Jerkers.......

The Scary.....

The ones no one read.... (This section could be a lot longer)

And the WORST of all......(sorry Tiff you will never live this one down)