Candy and Family: A Halloween Edition

Happy Halloween, bookworms!  Okay, so I'm a little late, but I hope you enjoyed yours as much as I did mine!

A bookish update: I'll be meeting with my reading group this coming Tuesday for our second, and last, discussion of Chris Cleave's Little Bee.  So far, it's been an exceptional title, and I'm really looking forward to finishing it up and discussing my overall views with the ladies in Atlanta.  Sadly, yesterday was the last day of National Reading Group Month, and I'm hoping that my previous post of helpful hints inspired you to organize your own! Furthermore, I'm excited to announce that I've taken the opportunity to create and co-lead a reading group for the Feminist Women's Health Center in Atlanta, Georgia.  The reading group will be tackling, both, fiction and nonfiction titles, with a primary focus on women's issues in literature, and the world around us.  This endeavor will no doubt present a welcome challenge, and provide valuable learning experiences for myself and participants in the community.  Details for those living in the Atlanta area to come!

Now before I move on and present some delicious homemade Halloween treats, let me first offer a little background to put the whole event in perspective...

Every year, around this time, my sweetheart, J, meets his family in their home state of Illinois. They get together with warm embraces, side-splitting stories, delicious food and smiling faces.  Last year, I had the opportunity to join in on such a jaunty occasion (and meet all 40+ members at one time)!  This year  we celebrated J's Granddad's 90th birthday, and I experienced my first inclusion on their annual trip to the university he attended some years ago: Notre Dame.  I may not be a football fan, but the whole experience was almost too sublime to put into words. I enjoyed every minute of it, and can't wait to do it again next year!

Since we wouldn't be celebrating Halloween at home, and I really wanted to excite some Halloween cheer, I decided to take little goodie bags with homemade candy bark to the family.

I must say, I was mighty proud of the outcome, and thought it cruel not to share with all my lovely readers.  I improvised with this Epicurious recipe, and, that's ok; why shouldn't you be able to customize your own homemade candy bark? So, I figured I'd tempt you with some photos that would  encourage you to make your own!



Note: I made one batch on a baking sheet lined with foil so that I got traditional looking bark.  For the second batch, I used foil cupcake/muffin liners to make candy that resembled peanut butter cups.

Final Product:  

I'd like to take just a moment to share marvelous book I received from a Goodreads GIVEAWAY: Russian Winter. Yes, I won my first giveaway!  It also happened to be a title I was really anticipating.  Don't worry, I'll be sharing real soon.  Promise.

Let me know what you think!  How did you spend your Halloween holiday?  Any spooky reads or recipes you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear!

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Discussion One: Little Bee and Tasty Fall Treats

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks and will continue to be so up until the New Year. Life has never seemed quite so busy, but I think it’s a positive situation. In the coming weeks, I’ll be adding even more but will work hard to prevent my blog from taking the brunt of the loss of free time. I would like, however, to beef up my posts and really discuss the literature I’ve been reading, instead of just simply stating whether my audience should take a look at it or not.

I want to incorporate more of my interests into this blog, as well as, maintain dedication to my love of literature. I’d like to be able to share pictures of beautiful places, delicious recipes and reviews of my recent reads. This blog is a creative outlet* for me, and I want to be able to share lots of ideas that motivate and inspire me, with the hope that it will do the same for you!

My first blog entry in a new direction will feature information from last night’s reading group meeting and an appetizing Fall recipe.

As stated before, we meet twice a month. We divide the book in half and address our thoughts and notations accordingly. Last night, all members were in agreement that Little Bee is a novel  you can’t put down; two members finished the book as they couldn’t pry their fingers from the soft cover.

If you haven’t heard of Little Bee: look it up; although, you won’t find much information as to what the story's actually about, and that’s the author’s intentions. We went into the novel without a clue of what were getting ourselves into!

Some Notes: M pointed out the number of references to flags throughout the first 126 pages. Numerous statements from our leading characters stress the importance of identity through this representation. Identity, national identity, more specifically, plays a large role in the plot. Furthermore, the novel prompts self-reflection of one’s own identity and role in society.

The stark contrast of life in a small village in Nigeria to that of the sizeable city of London, England is explored through the dichotomy of Little Bee and Sarah. Little Bee’s examination of a life outside the way she has understood her being is projected through her voice as she describes the unthinkable nuances of everyday life in a culture far from her own. Human obligation is another theme that will, I have no doubt, be more developed through the last half of the novel.  Food for thought: What obligation do we have to our fellow man/woman?  When do our own lives become more important than another? 

Readers who dislike violent material may not want to read Little Bee. Violence is a staple of the storyline; however, Cleave’s depiction is far from gratuitous or distasteful. Little Bee explores greed and the crimes against humanity that break the soul. Eye-opening and inspirational, Little Bee has been a solid read thus far.

Last night’s meeting was engaging and enjoyable. Not to mention that I surprised the ladies with Maple Cream Cheese frosted Pumpkin cupcakes! Baking is such fun, but making sweet treats for others is even better.  A delicious pumpkin cupcake recipe can be found here: Joy of Baking, and is certainly complimented by this frosting recipe I found on Epicurious.  (I cut this frosting recipe in half as it was for a cake and I only made 12 cupcakes; perfect amount.) 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Little Bee really intiates a compelling discussion; I highly recommend the novel to book clubs everywhere!  Also, I encourage you to share any tasty Fall recipes you have up your sleeve!

* ;)

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