Table of Contents: From Breakfast with Anita Diamant to Dessert with James Patterson – a Generous Helping of Recipes, Writings and Insights from Today’s Bestselling Authorsby Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp

Release date: 2011 / 265 pages

Synopsis (from the back cover): Have you every wished you could enjoy an Italian dinner with Frances Mayes? Or swap recipes with Jacquelyn Mitchard? It’s all possible in Table of Contents, the unique cookbook that features recipes drawn from the works of today’s bestselling authors, along with intimate insights that help bring their most beloved books to life…

Review:  What a happy surprise this lovely book was!  The creators of The Book Club Cookbook contacted me about whether or not I would like to check out a copy of Table of Contents and I thought, “Why not? I love to eat and I love to read!”  My book clubs meet at restaurants, so I didn’t think the recipes would be useful in that sense, but I have recently discovered a love of cooking. 

Well, while the recipes are interesting, the true gift of this work are the insights shared by the featured writers.  Fifty writers were asked about their inspiration for writing, something their readers ought to know, questions readers frequently ask, and artistic influences.  The result is a fascinating look into the writing process of many of our most recently beloved writers.  Writers featured included Julia Glass, Philippa Gregory, Sara Gruen, Anita Diamant, Chris Cleave, Gregory Maguire, Frances Mayes, and many more. I had read works by approximately half of the writers, but quickly started a TBR list of many of the others

Gelman and Krupp explained their inspiration for this work in the Introduction:

Besides tapping the creativity of book clubs, we have frequently turned to authors for recipes inspired by their own writing and this book is the result. Food is often used as a plot device, a way of establishing historical or cultural context, or a method for revealing character in literature. But what we find most fascinating are the stories behind these references. Why did a certain dish appear in a particular scene? Did the author simply imagine the dish? …In short, was there a reason a particular food or recipe worked its way into their writing? Authors answerd these questions, and through recipes and notes shared their family histories, interests and ambitions, the origin of their characters, or the meaning of their books’ settings.

I was fascinated by how each writer described his or her process for finding stories, inhabiting characters, and then sharing them with readers.  I was not surprised to learn that so many writers have dogs — wonderful companions when you work alone — but was intrigued by how many cited Jane Eyre as most influential, as well as Virginia Woolf.  I, too, love Jane Eyre, but didn’t expect this one title to appear so often. Woolf was even more surprising — I love Woolf, but she would intimidate my pants off if I hoped to write anything original.  Fortunately, these writers simply found inspiration  and were not deterred her singular voice.

This would be a wonderful gift for any reader — and I nearly kept it for myself, quite honestly!  However, I have been a vegetarian for 25 years and so many of the recipes featured meat, so I copied the half a dozen I can’t wait to try and decided to pass it along to another lucky reader…

Interested in winning a free copy? Drop me a comment below and I will choose a lucky winner very soon!

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