Questionnaire - Kate

1) What is your vision for book club?

The book club should encourage you to read different types of books, learn about new authors, and the discussions should help you to look at the books through other people's eyes, which will hopefully give you a better appreciation of the book as well as help you to learn a little more about the other members.

2) What do you hope to get out of the club? What do you hope to contribute?

I hope to expand my literary and culinary horizons - I look forward to reading new books, cooking/baking and tasting new foods, and hearing many different perspectives on books and food.

3) Suggest one helpful guideline for discussion.

Books:

4) What are a few of your favorite books?

I'm a big fan of "Oprah's Book Club" type books - This Much I know is True by Wally Lamb (and his latest - The Hour I first Believed), The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (and A Thousand Splendid Suns), The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill.


5) How much do you typically read? (for example: # of books/week or month or year)

I used to read a lot, but I have a lot less time to myself since Annika was born. I need this book club to keep me reading at least one book a month!

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 books with a little substance - I don't really like fluffy chick-lit type books. As much as I've heard people rave about the Twilight or Shopaholic books, that type of book doesn't appeal to me at all.

I would love to read more of the classics. I'm a bit intimidated by the language, but they must be good stories, right?

7) What kind of books would you like to read in book club? More of your favorites? Something new? Any specific titles?

I'm looking forward to reading all sorts of different books and discovering new authors.

8) What characteristics does a book need to make it a good discussion book?

I think the book needs to have some substance in order to evoke good discussion. I think that lighter subject matter is great for reading at the beach, but doesn't really elicit strong opinions and emotions. I also think that good characters at important - if I don't care about the character, I can't get too excited about what happens to them.

Cooks:

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

I like to cook and bake, but I tend to get into a rut and stick with the old stand-bys. Where I really excel is in the eating! :)

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?

I'm sometimes intimidated by new techniques, ingredients, etc. especially when I know I'll be serving it others. I need to step outside the box!

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?

Potluck meals are great!

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'm really not that creative - I need the book or Tessa to tell me what to make!