Plans for an Italian themed book club
I love reading for pleasure. What a great way to escape daily stress or learn about new places and cultures. Books are even more fun and interesting when you can discuss or debate the content with friends. What a great way to catch-up, hear what’s happening in the neighborhood and read a variety of books, including many I wouldn’t have selected on my own. As the old saying goes, ‘Variety is the spice of life.’
I am fortunate to be part of a neighborhood book club. We meet monthly, but you could set-up this Italian themed book club plan as a fun excuse to get some friends together. In our book club, the hostess has the responsibility of selecting the book, setting the date and time, and offering food and beverages. For us, this includes lots and lots of wine. Organize this club or party in a way that works for you. Assign responsibilities or ask people to help out with food and drinks. Pot luck style removes a lot of the pressure.
Recently, it was my turn to host book club. I have a trip to Italy coming up and wanted to extend my Italian dream vacation itinerary through story and food. Therefore, I selected a book with an Italian connection. Over the years, we have a read a lot of World War II books so I also targeted a book without a strong connection to the war for a change in perspective.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the seller’s profit at no additional cost to you. Please see my Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for additional information.
Book Selection
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2012). Reading on-line reviews of the book, I found that while most readers enjoyed the book, there were some who disliked the book for a variety of reasons. Over the years, I have observed that books with polar reviews (love/hate) typically lead to a more interesting discussion than those that everyone loves.
I have to confess, I was concerned with review comments about difficulty keeping track of characters. This can be a major turn off and I have been known to toss such books aside. My advice for this book is to hang in there. Keeping track of characters gets easier as you move through the story. Don’t be intimidated. Another concern was that this book is part of a series, The Neapolitan Novels (4). Ughhh. I can hardly read our monthly selections.
For this meeting we had a surprisingly small group due to scheduling conflicts, but this allowed for a good discussion around the story and characters. In general, the feedback was very positive. I even had several people who had read the book, but couldn’t attend the discussion. Several of these friends commented via e-mail that they enjoyed the story. Many of the people who read the book enjoyed it enough that they thought they might continue to read through the series. That’s a great feeling!
In order to bring the book to life, I tried to create a culinary experience to complement the story. To keep things simple, I ordered everything on-line in advance for quick pick-up from a local grocery store. Hit the minimum amount for free pick-up. Bonus! Totally worth the time saved.
Food Selection
I prepared a selection of sweet and savory items. We typically begin around 7 PM. At that time, some folks just want a sweet bite while others have rushed from work and are in need of something a little more substantial.
Antipasta
An Anitpasta platter is a quick and easy way to add variety to an appetizer spread. I served fresh mozzarella pearls and sliced pepperoni. I also included peperoncini, marinated artichoke hearts, and pitted black olives. Make sure some toothpicks are available for easy eating. I ended up with leftovers and added these along with the leftover bruschetta (see below) on top of mixed greens for a delicious salad the next evening.
Bruschetta with toasted Italian bread
This bruschetta recipe from Spend with Pennies is an easy and delicious version of the Italian classic. I sliced and broiled the bread on grill pan. Yikes! Watch it closely as the bread toasts quickly. I burned the first round.
Meatballs
This is as simple as it gets. I bought frozen turkey meatballs (healthy, right?) and a jar of marinara sauce. I had my 15-year old son throw everything in a crockpot when he got home from school and I was still at work. Had him set it to high. A few hours later when I arrived home, I turned the crockpot down to ‘keep warm’ until guests arrived. Yum!
Asparagus wrapped with mozzarella and prosciutto
For this dish, I cut the ends off the asparagus and blanched in lightly boiling water for three-minutes. After the asparagus cooled, I wrapped each spear with mozzarella and then a slice of prosciutto. I baked these at 350 F just until the cheese softened, about 5-minutes. I served the wrapped spears on an old marble sample tile that I picked up for a few dollars when we were planning our bathroom remodel (bonus repurpose and didn’t have the hassle of the return). I added felt pads to the bottom to protect furniture surfaces from scratches.
10-minute Tiramisu
This super easy tiramisu recipe from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking website really can be prepared in 10-minutes. I love my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I made things even easier by spreading the cream-mascarpone layer vs piping. Didn’t look quite as beautiful, but get ready for rave reviews. I also served Pirouline creme-filled wafer cookies for another small sweet treat. No utensils required.
Beverage Selection
I recommend serving plenty of wine and offering several non-alcoholic beverages. Italian red wines might include chianti and others, while Pinot Grigio and a sweeter Moscato are good options for white wine. Bellini are a classic Italian aperitif. Here’s a link to a refreshing Bellini recipe to get everyone dreaming of a vacation adventure in Italy
Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water is great on its own or mixed with Torani flavored syrups for an Italian soda.
Stay Tuned……
Someone in our group who enjoyed the book discovered that it will soon be available as an HBO mini-series. I can’t wait. However, I do love reading books before watching the movie version, so I have an entertaining homework assignment ahead of me.
Have you hosted a themed book club? Please share your ideas.
