Questionaire: Tessa

Book Club:

1) What is your vision for book club?
- a good book club should stretch your limits - get you to read new things, talk about new things, think new thoughts, try new foods!

2) What do you hope to get out of the club? What do you hope to contribute?
- I hope to read a new genre and discover a new author and taste a food I never thought that I would like. I also hope to get to know you ladies a little better and to learn from you - about books, about food and about life.

- I hope to contribute my enthusiasm for books and plenty of book reviews so that we can get some fun book-sharing going on.

3) Suggest one helpful guideline for discussion.
- Listen more than you talk! Oh, yes... a constant battle for me! :-)

Books:

4) What are a few of your favorite books?
- I LOVE Canadian authors... a big Margaret Atwood fan. Also love Thomas Hardy, Amy Tan, Guy Gavriel Kay, James Michener, Doris Lessing, Michael Ondaatje... and the list goes on...


5) How much do you typically read? (for example: # of books/week or month or year)
- at least 3 books a week. I grew up in a reading family! I remember standing beside the couch as Mom was nursing a baby and reading a book saying "mom, mom, mom, mom..." I inherited the ability to read through distractions. :-) I read for a while every day at lunch during "quiet time" and every evening before bed... plus any other time I can squeeze it in. A relaxing Sunday includes one book - cover to cover.

6) What is your most commonly read genre? what is your least favorite genre? What genre have you never really read (and maybe always wanted to..) ?
- I like: nearly everthing! I especially love books that deal with timeless struggles in a historical context. I try to read a classic every month. I am unaccountable fascinated by post-appocaliptic (sp?) stories. On the Beach by Nevil Shute was the beginning of an obsession for me. Thanks to my dear Jon, I also dabble in military biographies (like The Sharp End: A Canadian Soldier's Story by James Davis - highly recommended).
- I don't like horror or murder mysteries - in books or movies. What's the fun in being terrified? I also have a real bias against Christian Chick-Lit - but I'm learning...
- I would love to read more biographies or autobiographies, but I'm worried that they will bore me. I have read a few (upon recommendations) and enjoyed them, but don't know how to choose one on my own.

7) What kind of books would you like to read in book club? More of your favorites? Something new? Any specific titles?
- I look forward to reading all kinds of NEW things this year.

8) What characteristics does a book need to make it a good discussion book?
- in order to be a "discussable" a book needs to: deal with universal themes; have a strong story line; contain memorable main characters; be open to debate; be WELL written, but accessible and not too long.

Cooks:

9) Do you like to cook/bake? What are you favorite things to make/eat?

- love to bake, but not as comfortable cooking. I am always trying to push myself to try something new, but unfamiliar ingredients and techniques intimidate me.

- ahh... my idea of a perfect fall/winter afternoon is mixing up a batch of home-made bread to set by the wood fireplace to rise and then stirring up some yummy soup in the crockpot. Fun to cook - fun to eat. I love to bake cookies and muffins. I love to eat asian food and seafood - but don't have a clue how to prepare it.

10) Do you like to experiment with new recipes, ingredients or cooking techniques? Would you like to cook/bake or eat new things in book club?
- push my limits, girls! I love to eat new things, but I'm often scared to try cook them.

11) What kind of menus would you like to see in book club? Would you prefer low-effort, simple snacks or more inventive meals? Or some of both?
- I think pot-luck is the best way to eat. I like a full menu as often as possible... appetizers and desserts, or dinner and dessert. Might as well make it a night out, eh?

12) Give an example of a book that you've read and a dish that you could serve with that book to enhance the experience.
- I'll admit it. I'm a total geek. I read Huckleberry Finn and spent days dreaming up a Mississippi Menu to serve with it. Appetizers: Mississippi "caviar" (a spicy bean dip served with tortilla chips), Mississippi Six (a cheese dip baked in a loaf of crusty bread) and then Dessert: Mississippi Pie, Mississippi Mud Cake and Mississippi Brownies. This explains why I'm not a svelte 125 lbs - I swear you can gain weight just by thinking about food because I didn't cook a single one of these things! Not exactly a diet night, but catfish roasted over an open fire and cold corn pone is best saved for a day spent canoeing down the river.