Celebrating 10 Years!

All Photos were taken by JordanBree Photography. 

We can't believe it has been TEN Years! 

Some book clubs come and some book clubs go but Delicious Reads is here to STAY.

Ten Tips to keep Your BOOK CLUB Going Strong!

We have been a book club for ten years now and our members have ebbed and flowed from time to time but that's okay. We know that sometimes book club and reading just can't be a priority in your life and sometimes it can. Here are some tips we have discovered over the years that have helped our book club go on for ten years and counting. I also love that we have evolved over the years and become what we are today. 

Cheers to TEN Years!

- Ten Tips to Keep Your Book Club Going Strong -

Delicious Dish: Pear Beet Spinach Salad

Yesterday I was putting paint on a palette for my 3 year old. It was our first time painting together. He insisted on running his paint brush through all the colors at once to create these lovely multicolored brush strokes. (I won't lie, I did cringe as the palette lost separate definitive colors). As I type this, I realize that I love Thanksgiving because of the wonderful palette of flavors, especially in the side dishes. The sides are what provide all the color and beauty in the meal. As you are putting your menu together or deciding what to bring to a gathering, think color!

This pear, beet and spinach salad will be a great first course for your eyes and tummy. It is my favorite go - to fall salad because it is so simple.

Pear Beet Spinach Salad

2 lbs. Spinach
8-10 Beets
1 Pear
4 oz Goat Cheese
1 cup Walnuts

Dressing:
1/2 c. High quality white wine vinegar
1/2 c. Olive Oil
1 Shallot
Salt (1-2 Tbs.)
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast them in the oven till they smell nutty 8-10 minutes. While the nuts are roasting, prep the beets.

Cut the stems off, but do not peel. Then wrap them individually in tin foil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, till you can insert a fork easily and pull it out. Cool and then peel the skin off and slice 1/8-1/4" thick. While the beets are roasting, prep the salad dressing.

I like to use a pint sized canning jar for the dressing. I also like my dressings to be heavier on the vinegar, but that is where you can adjust to your personal preference. I probably do a 2:3 ratio olive oil to vinegar. First mince the shallot (like you would garlic), then sprinkle a generous amount of salt over it and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, let it sit for 5, then add the olive oil and a dash of black pepper, shake vigorously. If you would like to keep the emulsion better, then whiz it in the blender with a few of your walnuts. Taste and add salt or vinegar as needed.

Next slice the pears. I think all kitchens should have a mandolin. I have a very simple OXO that does the trick for simple things. It slices everything the exact same thickness.

After that, if you really want to get festive you can use your favorite shaped cookie cutter to add the perfect holiday touch.

I recommend dressing any salad, just before you serve it. Toss the spinach with the dressing, then use that as a bed to display the beets, pears, goat cheese and walnuts.

There are several nice variations you can do with this salad: pomegranate instead of beets, gorgonzola instead of goat cheese, or arugula instead of spinach.

Cheers to savoring the harvest with friends and family, 

Elizabeth

Book Club Ideas for "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson

  Photography by McKenzie

To start off our haunted evening, we gathered at my house to carpool to SLC where this special book club was being held. 

Do you like our serious spooky faces lol!

Photography by McKenzie

After our short drive we arrived at Bethany's house with anticipation to see what beautiful spooky things she had come up with. Bethany has a talent and a true GIFT for throwing parties and bringing any theme to life so we were excited!! 

We all walked in at once to see Bethany fabulously dressed holding her puuuurfectly themed black cat named Dooby.  

Summer Nicole Photography

Then as soon as we turn into her gorgeous penthouse apartment we saw the food table decorated to the nines!! (yes I like to use old lady expressions.)

Summer Nicole Photography

I already did a full blog post just on the food with all of our recipes that you can find HERE

Summer Nicole Photography

Everywhere we looked Bethany had tucked little details that kept us looking for more treasures.

Photography by McKenzie

Even the individual food platters had us "Oowwing" and "Aawwwing!"

Summer Nicole Photography

Bethany even had Hugh Crain's haunted old bones on one end of the table and his deceased wife Renee's wedding dress on the other.

Summer Nicole Photography

Summer Nicole Photography

Summer Nicole Photography
Cat Skeleton

One of my favorite touches that Bethany had was the old 1963 "The Haunting" movie (based off the book) playing on the wall while we were mingling about and eating.

Perfection.

Summer Nicole Photography

Summer Nicole Photography
Need some remote controlled candles? Click HERE

Before we got into our book discussion, we HAD to take some photos of everyone's amazing Victorian Gothic costumes!

You can see all of our costumes in our "Get the Look" blog post. 

Photography by McKenzie

Summer Nicole Photography

Summer Nicole Photography

I have so many stunning friends!

Summer Nicole Photography 

And then it was finally time to discuss "THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE!"

Summer Nicole Photography

Bethany did a FANTASTIC job Moderating this book, she thought of everything!

Summer Nicole Photography

Summer Nicole Photography

Summer Nicole Photography

GASP!

Suddenly, faded words appeared on the upper part of the wall that slowly came into view that read,

 "Help us Eleanor...Come home Eleanor..."

Summer Nicole Photography

Can you say CREEPY!?!

Summer Nicole Photography

Bethany had each of us put our name in for a spooky surprise gift and Kellie won! She recieved some Harvey & Son's pumpkin spice tea (you can find this brand at B&N or through the link), a set of macabre earrings and pendant along with a few B&W candies. 

Summer Nicole Photography

Thank you Bethany for hosting such a perfect evening to get us all in the Halloween spirit!

SEE ALL OF OUR HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE POSTS:

Get the Look: Costume and outfit ideas

Food ideas for any haunted get together

Make your own Haunted Hill House Gingerbread mansion

Autumn Pear Dumpling recipe and tutorial (these are a show stopper!)

Our group book review and star rating (coming soon)

The Age Old Question: What should I wear, costume ideas from Delicious Reads

 Our book club loves to dress up! (I will also love it soon, I'm sure.) I remember not wanting to go places as a young girl because I did not "have anything to wear." I am now 34 and still have an occasional pile of discarded outfits on my bed to put away. I am so much more comfortable in my own skin now, that I don't stress too much, unless someone asks me to show up in a costume. I don't consider myself to have a lot of "costume like" clothes. Most of the time when we dress up for book club, I attempt to try.

This past book club meeting I felt slightly awkward for being the only person NOT dressed up, I didn't even try...lame. I didn't think I really had anything to wear. After observing all the outfits, I realized I actually had a lot of options sitting at home in my closet. You will find me very easily in the pictures.

If you are looking for inspiration from books for your costume. Check out what these ladies put together from their closets. The magic is in creating a hairpiece of some sort. 

Check out these links to see more details. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (20's Art Deco) 

The Diviners by Libba Bray (Flapper styles)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Georgian society)

Blood Moon by Teri Harmon (Witches)

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey (Tina Fey)

Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Golf (Magicians/Devil)

Walt Disney by Bob Thomas (Disney inspired)

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (Victorian Gothic)

This weekend, I am planning to attend a Halloween Witches Tea at the Grand America. Although it says costumes optional, I have a feeling that if I show up without a hat I will feel a little blah humbug. So I jumped on a broomstick and put a costume together. I have learned by observing the creative ladies at book club that there are so many ways to glitz up the things that are already in your closet. I did have to buy a witches hat for $3. At first I thought I was going to have to work hard and get out all my craft supplies to make it look a little more festive.

Then I realized that there could be an easy formula to put this together.

1. Pick a favorite ribbon or ribbons to layer and wrap around the cone.
2. Decide on a focal point - this could be a bird, a spider, a pumpkin, a flower, or a bat.
3. Find a few whirly gigs that will add texture. Ex: pipe cleaners, fabric, rafia, moss, leaves...
4. Assemble. Hot glue is your friend. Voila!!

I still made a mess pulling everything out...but the assembly was quick and easy. 

Happy witching!

Elizabeth

"Ruin and Rising" {by Leigh Bardugo} Book Review (WITH SPOILERS)

TITLE OF THE BOOK: Ruin and Rising (Grisha Trilogy #3)

AUTHOR: Leigh Bardugo

PUBLISHER: Henry Holt and Co

NUMBER OF PAGES: 433

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2014

READING LEVEL: Young Adult

GENRE: Fantasy

SUMMARY: The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

OUR STAR RATING:

4.1 out of 5 Stars

 OUR GROUP REVIEW: We decided for this book club to celebrate the light over the dark - our gold and white decor and costumes set the scene for this special night. Angie moderated our event and dressed the part, a golden Sun Summoner with an amazing crown she made herself, see it HERE! While we ate, she had a slide show playing from Leigh Bardugo's Pinterest board for Ruin and Rising.

As you can tell from our star rating, we all loved the book - the plot, the characters, the fantasy elements and world. I think we all wished we could be Grisha, or at least take a character or two on vacation with us.

As with most series that we read, we kind of hope that last book would be amazing, but prepare ourselves for the worst. Leigh Bardugo didn't let us down with this book. Ruin & Rising continued to take this series to a whole new level and even managed to pull a few fast ones on us.

(SPOILER ALERT)
First of all, since most of us are Nikolai fans, we were shocked by the turn of events for him (I'm not going to lie. When I read where he changes into one of the volcra, I think a few tears may have been shed . . .). We were so happy that things turned out for him in the end, though we wished that he somehow would have ended up with a hottie and his own happily ever after. Come on, Leigh, write that book for us!

The second shocker of all time is when we found out that Mal was the third amplifier. I think we all had to pick our books off the floor and re-read that part! That is one thing that I don't think any of us saw coming. How Leigh was able to make everything work out in the end is amazing. A few of us had read that some people didn't like the ending, but the majority of us loved it. I have to admit that I somehow wished that Alina could have kept her powers and continued to use them for good.

The overall story arch of Alina and Mal ending up back together in the same way they began gave us all a feeling of fulfillment. It may not have been exactly a happily ever after for every character in the book (darn you, Darkling! Why couldn't you have given up the dark side?), but overall, each character that we cared about grew.  Genya learned who her true friends were and the importance of inward beauty and confidence.  Mal stayed strong and showed his deep love for Alina. Alina learned to be strong and stand up for herself and her country. Together, they all learned that the exponential strength of one villain could be overcome by the combined might of a team.

After our discussion, we spent a few minutes discussing some questions we wanted ask the author because, drum roll please . . . LEIGH BARDUGO SKYPED WITH US. Want to find out what we asked her and her responses? Stay tuned. You won't want to miss out on this conversation and what Leigh Bardugo has up her sleeve now that the Grisha trilogy is complete.
Read our interview with Leigh.

*CONTENT CATEGORIES*	*RATING*
LANGUAGE/PROFANITY	MODERATE (D and A words)
SEXUALITY	MODERATE (brief sex scene, not explicit)
DRUG/ALCOHOL USE	MILD
INTENSE/SCARY SCENES	MODERATE

VIOLENCE

MODERATE (fighting, killing, blood)

Xoxo,

Robin

EXCITING NEWS! DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....

You guys, I've been itching for WEEKS to share some exciting news that I've been hoarding selfishly but finally, the wait is over, I can spill the blogging beans!

For years I've had a vision of what I hoped my book club and blog could grow into and I'm tickled pink and to announce that my vision is starting to become reality. I've been wanting to expand the blog in all directions for YEARS but the time was finally right to put together some AHH-MAZING contributors who will now be posting three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You won't have to read too many of my boring posts now because I have created a buffet of bloggers for you!

After meeting to discuss a blog plan with all of the talented contributors I am excited, more than ever, to watch the changes that are coming!

We have a great group of talented, beautiful gals that I choose carefully for their individual strengths pure and utter awesomeness and diverse interests and I know they are going to do great things.

So buckle up and keep on reading because this ride is one we are going to take together as blogger and reader!

Without further adieu......

.....MEET THE NEW CONTRIBUTORS!

Hi I'm Ashley and I love to laugh. If that is all you know about me, it is enough. 

Oh… you’re still here!? Well, let me go on… 

I am currently living the dream. At any given time, you can find me in a pair of leggings, an oversized sweatshirt, a big bun on top of my head, peanut butter all over my fingers, a kid in my lap, and a book in my hand. It really is the best. I have three kids who keep me laughing all day long. My four-year-old thinks she is Beyonce, my two-year-old is potty training, and my new little babe laughs like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Again I say, I am living the dream!

Here on Delicious Reads, I am so excited to share with you my love of children’s literature. As a former children’s librarian, I am passionate about getting books in kids’ hands. I will be focusing my efforts on encouraging us all to raise a reader. Whether it is reading to your wee ones or convincing your grown ones to read on their own, we will get our kids reading!

Favorite Book: East of Eden. If you haven’t read it yet, I am judging you…. Ha! I would never do that! But I would plead with you find a copy ASAP and dive in. It is vulnerable and strong at the same time. You see yourself in every character. The minute you get to the end, you want
to start again from the beginning. So, there you have it! Timshel, you amazing readers!

Brooke Hargett is an aspiring author, obsessed with debuting her first novel- "RE(M)ality," where an untraceable person from a parallel reality of dreams causes people to commit murder in their sleep. Think you're immune? Think again… everybody has to sleep sometime.

Brooke is currently working on her second book, "Project Evie," about a feisty woman who discovers her fiancé led a double life when he is murdered and she is forced into the witness protection program, unable to let go of a past she never knew she had.

Brooke posts once a week on her BLOG where she gives inspiring-yet-unsolicited advice, shares book reviews from her 50-books-a-year challenge, stimulates conversation-starters and features writing samples. She's the mama of one ridiculously adorable boy and step-mama to three fabulously sweet girls. She can be bribed with coffee, wine, or a trip to the beach.

Brooke's series on Delicious Reads is called "Writerly Rants" where she gives tips on ways to incorporate writing in your own life and features coping mechanisms for other bookaholics.

 Favorite Books: It's equal parts Night Film, Kite Runner, The Fault In Our Stars, The Kitchen House, The Goldfinch, The Book Thief, Gone Girl and Unbroken. She loves them all for different reasons and cannot possibly choose.

Hi, I'm Elizabeth, it is more likely that you will find me hiking, playing tennis, or cooking, than quietly reading. I love all things event -- food, hosting, socializing, creating, organizing, cooking and, in a word, fun. My two young children and husband can always count on me to plan a fun outing that includes much of the above, but hopefully not too much. I do love reading, but I'm the person that falls asleep watching movies and reading books, so it can be a little tricky. This book club has pushed me to find ways and time to rediscover the companion of a good book.  

Favorite Book: One of my all-time favorite books is My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. If you were to look in my library bag, it would be full of at least 20 children’s books. We love reading together. One of our current favorites is Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Rosenthal.

Jacque and Emily are two best friends from Salt Lake City and San Diego. They met in high school and lost track of each other, then bumped into one another 4 years later in college and have been more like sisters ever since. Together, they write a beauty and style blog called looksbylovelies.

Jacque works as a pediatric acute care speech therapist and Emily works for a prestigious interior design company.

Their Favorite Books: They both love to read and share a love for Pride and Prejudice and the Shopaholic Series. A personal favorite of Jacque is anything written by Marian Keyes and Emily loves To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye.

Hi I'm Kate! I am an art history enthusiast who loves to travel and throw fun, themed parties. To see photos from all my travels and soirees, check out my personal blog, My Musings,

I also have a passion for cooking, especially baking, and always love a fun DIY project. I adore books and always look for ways to incorporate them in my interior decorating and party decor. My posts will be drawn from these passions of mine, and will be focused around DIY, crafts, and book styling ideas. I love reading, and I am drawn to books that expand my mind, have beautiful descriptions, and wonderful characters.

All time favorite book: Carter Beats the Devil which has all of   the things I mentioned above and much, much more, its definitely a must read!

Robin King received her Bachelor's degree in education from Brigham Young University and has been instructing children and young adults for over ten years. When she's not helping her students remember the quadratic formula, she leads a dual life as a mother of five. Don't tell anyone, but she's also an undercover novelist, marathoner, photographer, singer, seamstress, baker, and household appliance repairman!

Spying on authors and hiding out at local book events is where Robin gets her kicks. She reports her missions in our "Author Stalker" and "In Our Backyard" series.

                                                      Favorite Book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenster.

Well hello there! Nice to meet you, I'm Kelly and I guess you could call me the ultimate Book Club Starter/ Organizer/ Designer/ Blog Runner/ Picture Taker/ El Presidente/ Party Thrower extraordinaire. Or you could just call me Kelly, I respond to both.

Delicious Read’s Book Club is my BABY (second of course to my actual baby) but I LOVE IT! Our book club started out like any other, discussing a book around a plate of cookies at my kitchen table but has since evolved into something much bigger than I ever imagined.  My book club combines all my loves into one: reading, food, organization, a scheduled girls night each month (you've got to have those), throwing themed parties, thinking outside the box, great discussion, meeting new people, and helping others find the joy in stories and books.

My life outside of book club consists of recalling what I learned from my Psychology degree in an attempt to outwit my baby girl who has already learned how to bend me to her will. (Don't worry, she's still in diapers.) I also love to bake, because that's the best part of dinner, take photos like the crazy aunt at reunions, sleep when its raining outside, travel when I get the chance, make lists, check things off my list, read to my daughter, eat everything under the sun, learning...I love to learn, high fiving my husband when I get excited about things, cuddling my dog when I'm stressed, cry in my closet when the occasion calls for it (don't judge, I'm a private crier) and exploring, there's something so satisfying about exploring the world around you. 

I will continue to blog our over the top book club meetings each month so make sure to read and follow along with us!

Favorite Books: Sense & Sensibility, The Night Circus, The Fault in Our Stars, The Forgotten Garden and of course, the Harry Potter series (I know everyone says they love HP but is because J.K is a flipping GENIUS!)