It has been a
while since I blogged about the Circle of Friends book club, but I’m glad
to report we’re still going strong. For a change of pace, we met
yesterday for a luncheon rather than our regular dinner. We enjoyed delightful
egg casseroles supplied by hostess, Carol, and an array of colorful and healthy
salads. To offset all that healthfulness, desserts included lemon cookies, crepes with lingonberry jam, and Pat
Prager’s award-winning peanut butter bars.
No, this isn't Pat. This is Cheryl who whipped up a batch of Pat's peanut butter bars to share with the Friends. Cheryl says she has to admit they're tasty (even if she did make them herself). |
This pan attests that the Friends agree with Cheryl. |
Now if you’re
thinking Pat Prager is a member of our club and wondering exactly what awards
her peanut butter bars have won, you obviously haven’t read the Friends’
selection for this month—Kitchens of the GreatMidwest by J. Ryan Stradal. And you should
read it.
Thank you Shelly for nominating this book for our club! |
It’s hard to
describe this book, but if you think Prairie
Home Companion meets Fargo with a
few recipes thrown in, you might be getting close to the idea.
Or maybe this
will help.
Take one obsessive-compulsive
female jock; one love-struck teenage boy; one spoiled, selfish, ego-centric woman;
one traumatized, twenty-something alcoholic; one lonely, middle-aged woman
whose identity is wrapped up in her cooking. Sprinkle generously with a spicy blend of Lutheran
church ladies, pretentious foodies, middle-school bullies, and all manner of
misfits, mayhem, and music references. Gently fold in one big
and big-hearted female chef with a near perfect palate. Mix together in an Olive-Kitteridge-type plot, and serve with a generous dollop of satire
and spot-on language.
Follow this
recipe carefully, and—voila!—you have
a delicious and fitting read for a group of ladies who love their food almost—almost—as much as their books.
"An impossible-to-put-down, one-of-a-kind novel. I have never read a book quite like this. This stunning debut announces J. Ryan Stradal as a first-rate voice in American fiction."
--Rob Roberge, author of The Cost of Living
"A Great American Novel in the fullest sense of the term. Everything you want a book to be."
--Ben Loory, author of Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day
"An impossible-to-put-down, one-of-a-kind novel. I have never read a book quite like this. This stunning debut announces J. Ryan Stradal as a first-rate voice in American fiction."
--Rob Roberge, author of The Cost of Living
"A Great American Novel in the fullest sense of the term. Everything you want a book to be."
--Ben Loory, author of Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day