"The Husband's Secret" Part II Book Club Ideas {by Liane Moriarty}

Welcome to Part II of our meeting for THE HUSBANDS SECRET where you will find everything you need to host the perfect book club for this book!

After we finished eating our delicious Australian BBQ dinner (which can be seen in Part I of this post) we settled in our seats to see what our Moderator Kellie had in store for our discussion. 

Kellie handed each of us a personalized letter addressed on the envelope with:

"For my book club friend _________

to be opened only in the event of this discussion."

Inside each letter was a different discussion question for us to read and gossip about as a group. GENIUS!

If you would like to print off the letters/discussion questions for your book club then you can do so HERE!

Before we started our discussion, Kellie had a unique game planned inspired by the book character Tess, who seemed to have anything and everything you could ever want in her purse! Kellie had everyone grab their purses and she asked people to pull out random items and who ever did it first got a point.  Some of the items requested were: nail polish, a pen, hair brush, socks, Costco Card etc. It was hilarious to see who had what in their purses! 

You can download the Purse Game HERE.

Julie won the big prize which consisted of :

-A cute red purse

-One of our book club books that we are reading this fall

-Some "delicious" Vegemite

-And a playlist Kellie put together

After the game we all opened our letters and began our discussion.

Kellie put together a Powerpoint for the Husbands Secret that can be used for your book club meeting or you can just read up on the author and many other interesting tid bits from the book. 

You can find the Powerpoint for The Husbands Secret HERE.

Kellie also created a wonderful SPOILER FREE character list to help keep who's who straight in the book which can be found HERE.

 We were STILL talking about this book even after we had concluded and people were heading home!

Kellie sent each of us home with an 80's Playlist she put together inspired by the music that Janie listened to that was briefly mentioned in the book. Kellie had this playing in the background while we ate and I can tell you that most of us were tapping our toes and singing along!

The Husbands Secret made for such a great night of eating, chatting, discussing this great book and having loads of fun! I would recommend this book to any book club or friend and I'd love to hear what you thought of this book in the comments!

See part I of the Husbands Secret post HERE

Magic Among the Trees - "The Snow Child" Book Club Ideas {by Eowyn Ivey}

We couldn't have picked a more PERFECT February book (Whoops, I'm a little behind in blogging) when we choose to read THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey.

If you decide to read this book (which I highly suggest) then you must read it when it's cold out! If you time it right then start reading when it's snowing out so that the magic waiting inside will lift off the pages as you are transported to the cruel but beautiful Alaskan landscape.

THIS MONTH'S BOOK MODERATOR WAS JENNY!

Jenny got a BFA in interior design, she like to sew and craft in general. She love animals, especially dogs and cats. Her family consists of her computer programmer husband, her 3 kids and 2 cats. Some of her favorite books are: Watership Down, The Mistborn series, and the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix.
As Moderator, Jenny planned the entire evening and came up with the beautiful décor, creative menu, prize, and power power point for your personal use.
THANK YOU JENNY!!  

CONFESSION: I've always had a "thing" for fairy tales.

Maybe it's because its the stuff I was raised on, maybe it's because I believe in magic but either way, whenever I learn of a story that's inspired by any fairy tale, I HAVE to read it!

 

Now, a little bit of history...

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey was inspired by a Russian fairy tale called “The Snow Maiden” or "Snegurochka" in Russian. The Snow Maiden was first published in 1869 by Alexander Afanasyev. 

Keep scrolling to see how THE SNOW CHILD completely inspired our book club meeting...

We had a monochromatic Alaskan inspired menu

Check out the beautiful snowflakes we had hanging on the walls that Jenny and her family cut out! 

Kate made these BEAUTIFUL snowflake cookies, complete with a hint of "snowy shimmer."
Find this delicious sugar cookie recipe over at Katrina's Kitchen 

Check out Faina's trademark look that Jenny put together. 

The blue coat (minus the snowflakes) made with love by Mabel for Faina and

The red scarf that Faina took from the snowman Mabel and Jack built the night before everything changed.

We had one of our BEST discussions to date on this book because our group was divided.
Regardless of who loved it and who didn't, we all agreed that this book makes a PERFECT BOOK CLUB BOOK! It will keep your members discussing for hours!

Our Moderator Jenny put together a power point that showed many beautiful photos of Alaska along with great discussion questions for your book club meeting!

You can download the power point for your personal use HERE.

At the end of our meeting, Jenny decided to try something different by asking all of us,

 "Is there a particular story of fairy tale that you feel a personal connection to and if so, please explain why. "

Wow...SUCH a great question to ask a group of readers!!!

The answers from all around the room were diverse, insightful, funny, interesting, charming, and ultimately, one of my favorite moments of the evening.  

Anyone who shared a story (which was all of us) then put their name into a drawing for a chance to win a fabulous prize!

Included in the prize:

-"Siege and Storm," book two in the Grisha trilogy which was chosen for its Russian inspired backdrop.

-Also included was a beautiful red scarf so the winner could feel a little more connected to Faina while wearing it.

-Lastly, a package of COOL WINTER mints to help transport the winner to Alaska whenever they felt the need. (Which probably won't happen until June here in Utah!)



Imagine peering into a snow-globe; the scenery does not change, yet, there's something so captivating in simply watching the slow moving glitter settle at the bottom. There is also a feeling of wonder and fragility with snow globes, like the world inside could shatter in a single fall.

The Snow Child made me feel that same way.

 Don't forget to read our review by Lisa see our group star rating HERE!

The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History - "The Monuments Men" {by Robert M. Edsel}

 We heard chatter about this interesting book called, "The Monuments Men" early last fall before we knew it was ever going to be made into a movie and after learning a little more about it, we knew right away that we wanted to read it!

Before you read  The Monuments Men (or even after), you should download this detailed character list that one of my fabulous book club members created to help keep who's who straight! I WISH I would have had this piece of gold before I started reading! 

It was well-known that Adolf Hitler was hoarding Europe’s plundered art for his planned Führer Museum in Linz, Austria. In addition to stealing Europe’s paintings and sculptures, he also intended to destroy “degenerate” works of art that he despised from both Jewish and modern artists. GASP!

American soldiers standing next to Manet’s ‘In the Conservatory.’
American soldiers and the Monuments Men later discovered Manet’s “In the Conservatory” hidden in Germany’s Merkers salt mines along with large amounts of Nazi gold, and many other stolen works of art in 1945.

Besides works of art, the Merkers mine complex held most of the Third Reich’s gold reserves (roughly $5 billion in today’s dollars) and paper currency.

We may not have had any Monet's or Rembrandt's but we had quite the collection of artwork and sculptures adorning our meeting! 
There are still TONS of missing paintings, sculptures, and documents from WWII that have not been accounted for. You can join the hunt and see a list of all the art still missing HERE.

Brittanie created several of these "MISSING, HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PAINTING" posters and had them hanging all around the room. 
Ahhhhhh, can't you just imagine coming across a Vincent Van Gogh painting in your great grandparents attics that they somehow forgot about?!? 
Or maybe the didn't...
Muuahahahaaa!

-Moving on-
We had a perfect Parisian menu for this book, mostly because we didn't want to eat army rations if we were being totally true to the book. We know that the Monuments Men traveled all over Europe but a large portion of the book was set in France and who doesn't like Crepes right?

Brittanie's mom visited our book club and brought with her this DELICIOUS Beef Bourguignon as our main course.
 (Yes, we were spoiled!)

We had Crepes coming out of our ears! Some were filled with a heavenly lemon creme anglaise and we also had a 'build your own crepe' station with all the fixings.
We wanted to have a little German influence represented so we also had a scrumtious homemade apple strudel. 

Download the recipes for all the food HERE!

CHEERS!

Brittanies parents brought home these adorable mini olive oil and Dijon mustard's from their recent trip to France as take home gifts. Is it just me or does food taste better when you know it comes from Europe?

DISCUSSION TIME!

Brittanie did a great job talking about each character, many of the artworks and major places mentioned in the book. We learned that one of the most frequently stolen art works in the world is the “Ghent Altarpiece.”

The altarpiece is ginormous, weighing over a ton! It was coveted by Hitler since it symbolized the ideal of Aryan supremacy, having been painted by a Germanic artist. The altarpiece has been moved several times over the centuries. Art historian Noah Charney describes the altarpiece as one of the more coveted and desired pieces of art, the victim of 13 crimes since its installation, and seven thefts! 

I found this beautiful piece of art FASCINATING! If you are like me and want to learn more about this amazing altarpiece and see the different panels close up, I'd recommend you go HERE.

ABOVE: Shows the altarpiece and its panels when opened
BELOW: Shows the altarpiece when its closed.

(The Monuments Men uncovering the famous ‘Ghent Altarpiece.’)

The Altarpiece was taken by the Germans in 1942 from its hiding place at Chateau de Pau, in the south of France, and found in the Altaussee salt mine by the Monuments Men after the war.

This Rembrandt self portrait once hung in the museum of Harry Ettlinger’s — the last surviving Monuments Men — old home town of Karlsruhe, in the south-west of Germany. In fact, Ettlinger still remembers when he found the painting in the salt mines of Heilbronn after the war.

Today, the World War II veteran now has a print of the painting hanging in his living room. “It reminds me of what we achieved and the sacrifices that people like my buddies made.” The real painting has been returned to the State Art Gallery in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Brittanie, gave us a tough WWII quiz and the three lucky winners won an AMAZING PRIZE! Brittanies parents recently returned from France and brought back these prints for her give-a-way, straight from Paris to our book club!

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR OFFICIAL STAR RATING AND REVIEW!
View our goggle docs presentation HERE
Download our recipes for this book HERE

"Blood Moon" {by Teri Harman} Book Club Ideas

Say hello to the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful witch in the West...

Author Teri Harman

(Photo credit for all pictures goes to Bethany Madison)

Isn't this cover gorgeous?! We couldn't have chosen a better book for our October book club!

If you are planning on hosting your own Blood Moon book club then you definitely need to request one of these awesome book club packages from Teri. Inside I found menu ideas, questions, moon information, signed book marks and more!
To request your own book club package then simply go HERE 

FOOD & DECORATIONS:

So, no pressure or anything, but when the author of  the book we're reading COMES to our book club, I tend to want everything to be perfect and step things up an extra five notches!

With that being the case, I did the smart thing and recruited one of my book club members who's creativity and talents have no boundaries...I called the beautiful Bethany and I definitely made the right decision!!

(Bethany and Chanel)

Just take a gander at the Blood Moon inspired decorations and food table Bethany whipped together...

I need to thank Robin for getting these stunning moon phase prints that we turned into vertical banners!

Witch Water and
Bartholomew's spell that requires an owls heart and eyes in the cauldron to work its dark magic.

Here's the menu from our meeting

 I think this might have been one of our most decadent and delicious book club feasts to date!

We had Rowans Risotto, Earthy Root Vegetables, Simon's Salad & SOOOO much more!

True Coven Caramel Apples and Rose infused whipped cream with fresh fruit

Doussantz....drool....
(If you want to try a dossantz {cousin to the cronut} then check out their website for more info!)

Dreamy Lavender Shortbread Cookies, Dossantz and Blood Moon Cake Pops!!

Butterbeer!!

If you want your taste buds to try something AMAZING then you need to try BUTTERBEER. And YES, I'm talking about the butterbeer from Harry Potter and YES, it's a real thing, and YES, you need to try it.

I labeled ours "Bartholomew's Butterbeer" and let me tell you, Brittanie did a great job creating the most perfect frothy, buttery goodness! YUM!
(And doesn't it look perfect in Bethany's cauldron punchbowl?)
Click HERE to download two different Butterbeer recipes if you want to make your mouth smile!

And look at these beauties that Angie made...food art right?
These delicate and scrumptious lavender flavored shortbread cookies not only looked dreamy but taste dreamy as well! I am in love with them!
You can find the recipe that Angie used HERE.

Now, if you like a good salad and I mean, a GOOOOOOOD salad, then you need to make this gourmet green salad that Karen made and whose recipe is ALWAYS requested when she makes it! You will crave it for days after you eat it, it's that tasty!

Download the secret recipe HERE!

Lastly, you HAVE to try Libby's Cinnamon Spiced Pepita's (pumpkin seeds) that are simply addictive!

The recipe is super simple and super delicious so what are you waiting for?

Download the recipe HERE.

Take a peek some of our resident witches...

Bethany, Teri and me

GAME, PRIZES & DISCUSSION:

I ordered this RAD spell book as part of the "Best Dressed" prize and I almost didn't give it away because I loved it so much! Every good witch needs this book in her collection.

I found this awesome moonstone pendant and made it into a necklace as part of the "Monthly Moon Names" prize along with an entire box of moon pies!(The quiz printable can be found at the bottom of this post)

Here are a few of the items I put in Teri's thank you gift:
A mint moonstone necklace and earrings, a fun owl ring (I knew that Teri liked owls.)
A Moon Spells book, an essential for any witch, and of course, a moon pie!

WINNERS!
Libby won the moon name quiz and Brooke won the drawing for Best Dressed!

Teri is explaining her inspiration behind why she wrote Blood Moon and showing us photos of the creepy old school house that started it all. Read more about her inspiration HERE!

We were all totally engrossed learning about Teri and asking her question after question about the book AND her next book, "Black Moon," due to come out fall of 2014.
To read more about our Q&A with Teri and our discussion then go HERE to read about our evening!

After our discussion, Teri was kind enough to sign everyone's books and take pictures.
Isn't her witch outfit perfect?! 

We want to give Teri a BIG THANK YOU for taking the time to come to Delicious Reads book club and making our evening forever memorable. 

PRINTABLES & FREEBIES!

If you are hosting your own Blood Moon book club meeting then you're in luck because I have TONS of great FREEBIES for you to use to make your evening extra witch-tacular! (See what I did there?)

Chanel had this fabulous idea to recreate a moment out of the book by using several fresh herbs out of her garden along with a kosher salt pentagram. She filled several red goblets with different herbs and I created these labels to identify each of them.
Click HERE to download the herb label set.

{Click on quiz image to download it along with the answer key}

If you want to learn about why each month's moon has a different name then you can read about them HERE in this word document I made.

I made and used these eerie tags for the quiz and best dressed winners.

Download them HERE

Here are some blank food labels that you can use to create your own witch inspired menu with.
Download them HERE

Don't forget to read the review from our fabulous evening with author Teri Harman HERE!