Tales of a Female Nomad

Author : Rita Golden Gelman
Genre : Non Fiction - Memoirs
Picked by : Jayasri

Rita Golden Gelman is a writer who sold everything she owned after the shock of a divorce and became a nomad. Not a tourist, because Rita stays away from everything that a tourist does and instead, tries to live the lives of people she visits.

Recipes that the Female Nomad inspired:

Aqua made a mango salsa.

Then, go read a fabulous review by Jaya.

Simran made Nasi Goreng

Garlic and Sapphires

Author : Ruth Reichl
Genre : Non Fiction - Memoirs
Picked by : PJ

The story of Ruth Reichl, back when she was the food critic for New York Times, is funny yet poignant and touching. With the power to make or break a restaurant, Ruth resorts to disguises to remain anonymous and get her readers an objective review. But her ability to get into a character also affects her view of the world.

Recipes that Ruth Reichl Inspired:

Adele made roast pumpkin with cheese fondue.

Aqua made asparagus, mushroom and peas risotto.

Jaya baked a chocolate cake.

Marisa made that New York classic; Pastrami on Rye.

Simran made Risotto Primavera.

Siri made Hash Browns.

A Fannie Flagg Special

Author : Fannie Flagg
Genre : Fiction - Drama/Humour
Picked by : Simran

A remarkable story teller who's built a world of eccentric old world charm in her books, all set in Southern USA. You would think she is a time traveler, the way she moves effortlessly between memories that span several decades. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is her most famous book but equally charming is the world in Elmwood Springs, Missouri that she has built in Welcome to the World, Baby Girl.

Recipes that Fannie Flagg Inspired:

Aqua read the Redbird Christmas but was inspired by Fried Green Tomatoes to bake butter cookies.

Jaya read the Redbird Christmas and made Cornbread.

PJ picked Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and was inspired to make polenta and spring vegetable ratatouille.

Simran read all of Fannie Flagg's works (but not all this month!) and made Naankhattai.

Can You Keep A Secret

Author : Sophie Kinsella
Genre : Fiction - Romance/Humour
Picked by : Bhagyashri

Have you ever had the urge to start blabbering to the person sitting next to you on a plane, knowing you will never meet them again and can say what you want. That's what Emma, heroine of Can You Keep A Secret, did. Only her blabbering came to haunt her the next day when the possessor of all her secrets turned out to be her big-shot boss.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Aparna made a 5 minute chocolate cake.

Aqua made Healthy Muesli Bars.

Bhagyashri made Shortbread Triangles.

Janaki makes Panther Bars.

Jayasri made Mango Smoothie.

Pamela made a No Knead M&M Brioche.

PJ made Suralichi Wadi.

Simran made Pink Pina Colada.

Sweatha made Cheddar Cheese Crisps.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Author : Frances Mayes
Genre : Non Fiction - Travel
Picked by : Sheba

There are tourists and there are wanderers. And then there are people who make another country their own. Like Frances Mayes did when, after years of spending summers in Italy as a tourist, she bought an abandoned villa in Tuscany. Under the Tuscan Sun is her funny account of a tourist who decided to stay and discover the country's little quibbles.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Ann made a pizza with onion confit, grilled sausage and peppers.

Aparna made Schiacciata Con L'Uva, a grape stuffed focaccia.

Aqua made Pears in Red Wine.

Janaki made a Pizza.

Rachel made pappa al pomodoro.

Simran made zucchini caponata.

Srimathi made eggplant rolls.

Sweatha made Basil Mint Sorbet.

Climbing the Mango Trees

Author : Madhur Jaffrey
Genre : Non Fiction - Memoirs
Picked by : Janaki

Madhur Jaffrey's memoirs talk less of her childhood in an affluent joint family, and more of the foods she ate. There's daulat ki chaat and paranthey wali gali. There's kulfi and achaar and chaat from the streets. But all these poigant Delhi memories are also spiked with picnic lunches, and dinners with western influence far ahead of it's times.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Read Ann's very interesting story about the book!

Aqua made Tahiri.

Janaki made Palak Gosht.

Jaya made bazar jaisey aloo.

Sheba made Cauliflower with Cheese.

Simran made Phirni.

Sweatha made Roz Ki Gobhi.

Bread Alone

Author : Judith Ryan Hendricks
Genre : Fiction - Romance
Picked by : Ann

Bread makes you happy. Bread makes you friends. Fresh baked bread, in short, can set most things right. It certainly heals the broken heart of our heroine Wynter. The novel, at first glance, is a typical story of a trophy wife about to be divorced looking for solace in a job that involves baking bread. But there is depth of feeling here. And there is nuance that makes "Bread Alone" a little bit more than yet another romance.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Ann makes Cranberry Walnut Short Scones. Also read her review.

Aqua takes the "halve the yeast" message from the book and makes a white bread.

Bhagyashri makes cherry scones.

Janaki tries "halve the yeast" too for her whole wheat bread.

Sheba bakes Patty's Cake.

Simran bakes a sourdough loaf.

Sweatha makes Swirled Nutella Scones.

The Hindi Bindi Club

Author : Monica Pradhan
Genre : Fiction - Drama
Picked by : Aparna

The book trails the lives of three Indian women who emigrated to the US years ago as either trailing spouses, or in the pursuit of higher education. The book intertwines their lives and their constant sentimental pangs to go "home" with the lives of their adult daughters, who grew up in the USA and face the inevitable culture shock of being Indian, but also of not being Indian, but rather American.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Ann makes Uma's Bengali Grilled Salmon. Also check out her review.

Aparna also picked a recipe by Uma and makes chocolate sandesh truffles, complete with a chocolate drizzle.

Aqua made Saroj's Punjabi samosas.

Janaki read the book but didn't get around to cooking from it.

Jaya makes Meenal's kheer.

Simran also gets inspired by Uma and makes chocolate sandesh truffles.

Eat Cake

Author : Jeanne Ray
Genre : Fiction - Romance
Picked by : Jaya

Cake can set most things right. At least for Ruth, heroine of "Eat Cake" by Jeanne Ray, the book our club is reading this month. She bakes when she's happy or sad or stressed. Basically, cakes are the ultimate comfort for Ruth. And then she uses these cakes to actually set things right with her life.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Ann makes the pistachio cake.

Aqua writes a review and recaps some gorgeous baking experiments.

Jaya reads the book and writes a fabulous review, although she did not have the patience to create one of the complicated cakes.

Simran bakes a Tropical Almond Cake.

Sweatha bakes an easy microwave version of the carrot cake.

Pomegrante Soup

Author : Marsha Mehran
Genre : Fiction - Romance
Picked by : Rachel

Marsha Mehran's Pomegrante Soup is a story of three Iranian sisters who escape the revolution, flee to London, then land up in an Irish village where they set up a cafe. The book is replete with references to food, and has plenty of drama thrown in both as a clash of cultures and the memories haunting from the past.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Aqua makes the refreshing dugh.

Jaya makes this gorgeous lentil soup.

Simran made Lavash.

Sweatha makes the Pomegranate Soup itself.

The Space Between Us

Author : Thrity Umrigar
Genre : Fiction - Drama
Picked by : Dee

Set in Mumbai, Thrity Umrigar's book is a story of ties that bind a widow and her household help of many years. The book draws you in with it's mature and sensitive portrayal of these two lives, the complex relationships that divide them and the events that bring this divide to fore.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Aqua made Vegetable Dhansak.

Dee made Akuri, the traditional Parsi scrambled eggs breakfast.

Jaya made mint tea.

Simran made a trip to Juhu Beach to eat Bhelpuri.

Sweatha made Tofu Akuri.

The Shadow of the Wind

Author : Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Genre : Fiction - Mystery/Thriller
Picked by : Aqua

Originally published in Spanish, this is a book about a book and it's troubled author. It's also a coming of age story for our protagonist who discovers the book as a child, on his first visit to the cemetery of forgotten books.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Aqua came up with Spanish Omelette, inspired from a much-loved scene in the book.

Simran made a Sinful Hot Chocolate.

Sweatha made the very Spanish Patatas Bravas with Sangria.

Five Quarters of the Orange

Author : Joanne Harris
Genre : Fiction - Drama
Picked by : Siri

The last book in Joanne Harris' food trilogy, Five Quarters of the Orange is a book about the irreversibility of what wars bring. This is also a book about the most merciless and selfish of the human tribe : the children, whose world so focuses on what they want and need that they shut out the consequences. Some would say they don't know better. Maybe Framboise, our nine year old heroine, did not. But then she returns as a sixty year old to the village of her childhood, to a place scarred by what happened many, many years ago.

Recipes that the Book Inspired:

Aqua made Chicken Stew.

Simran was too lazy this month and just posted a review.

Sweatha made Framboise's Buckwheat Orange Pancakes.

A Jane Austen Special

Author : Jane Austen
Genre : Fiction - Romance
Picked by : Bhags

Jane Austen's six novels, romantic fiction set among the English gentry, have made one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature. This month, we picked our favorite Austen to read.

Recipes that Jane Austen Inspired:

Aparna chose to read Emma and made that English tea time favorite : Crumpets.

Aqua picked Pride & Prejudice and was inspired to make Butter Cake and Masala Chai.

Bhags, our hibernating founding member is back with a review post.

Emma inspired Rachel to bake an Apple Tart.

Simran read Emma and was inpired to bake a Tropical Fruit Tart.

Sweatha made Baked Apples, one of the few dishes actually mentioned in Emma.