SUMMER BOOK CLUB...THE BOOKS, THE FOOD, THE CASUAL THEME

Hello all you Kindred Spirits
and welcome to Summer....and to
the Summer Book Club Soiree!

The GATHERING is
hopefully going to portray
a Casual Southern Hospitality Vibe
and provide you with inspiration
to kick off your summer entertaining!

So, the kickoff to summer

 is the perfect excuse to set the table

 with festive dishes and

 make a menu worthy of a party!

That said, summer is all about

those carefree vibes,

so embrace an unfussy approach to the table. 

When hosting a book club, you may want to keep
your guest list to a limit...
I have found that five or six guests makes for a 
comfortable group rather than hosting fifteen to twenty...

I like to choose a lovely paper collection when the gathering
is casual and informal...
there are so many lovely patterns to choose from these days,
and I simply combine these with sturdy dinnerware
for guests to hold their plates without worry of spilling their food!
This can make clean up a breeze.....

As this was going to be a very casual affair,
the patterns in The Pioneer Woman collections
were unique and just a gold mine for selecting the serving pieces.

I like to always create a welcoming vibe
with floral bouquets, whether they be fresh or silk!

Light your favorite candle....
I love walking into a home with the scent of a lovely candle burning.....
it can be calming and add to the ambiance.....
It's important to keep your menu simple...
tiny bites of light fare, which is homemade, delicious and
can be enjoyed while your guests are socializing
prior to the book discussions!
 

Don't forget the wine....
Summer is perfect to offer your guests a light, crisp Pinot!
And....include that delicious summer citrus....

SUMMER CITRUS SLICES..
ORANGES, LEMONS AND LIMES

PINK LEMONADE AND FRESH LIMEADE......
Instead of serving your beverage in a pitcher, think outside the box...
I used beautiful recycled glass liquor bottles!

SOUTHERN PIMENTO CHEESE

SERVE WITH STRAWBERRY PRESERVES

TUNA SALAD WITH RITZ CRACKERS

CHEDDAR BROCCOLI QUICHE

LEMON BUTTER BUNDT CAKE

This cake is absolutely delicious!
The recipe link is below and is perfect for any summer celebration!

LEMON BUTTER BUNDT CAKE

THE BOOKS


READING IS VERY SUBJECTIVE, as is art,
photography, food preferences and home décor.
What one person may like, the other person
prefers something totally different, so I feel
it's important to keep that in mind when
making suggestions in books.
Summer reading should feel light and carefree.
nothing too heavy or disturbing....

I chose to feature four books that I was
drawn to for the summer reading list....
one is about courage and friendship,
one is a mystery with a dash of romance,
the third book is just plain fun....light and frothy
like a spoonful of whipped cream!
I loved the humor, the eccentric personalities
and all the bits and bobs of Texas culture!
and lastly, one is the life story
of one my favorite First Ladies!

For four young immigrant women, living in Boston’s North End
 in the early1900s, escaping tradition doesn’t come easy.
They face family conflicts, romantic entanglements, career struggles and cultural prejudice.
 But at least they have one another and
the Saturday Evening Girls Club,
a social pottery-making group offering respite
 from their hectic home lives
—and hope for a better future.

Physician Bess Codman has returned to her family's Nantucket compound,
 Cliff House, for the first time in four years.
Her great-grandparents built Cliff House almost a century before,
 but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the sea.
Though she's purposefully avoided the island,
 Bess must now pack up the house and deal with her mother,
 a notorious town rabble-rouser, who refuses to leave.

The Book of Summer unravels the power and secrets of Cliff House as told through the voices of Ruby Packard, a bright-eyed and idealistic newlywed on the eve of WWII, the home's definitive guestbook, and Bess herself.
 Bess's grandmother always said it was a house of women,
and by the very last day of the very last summer at Cliff House,
 Bess will understand the truth of her grandmother's
words in ways she never contemplated.

Lady Bird Johnson is typically remembered as a polite Southern woman
 and adoring wife whose sole accomplishment as
 First Lady was a highway beautification campaign.
But Julia Sweig says the diaries show Lady Bird
to be a far more formidable figure -
a savvy, indispensable political adviser to the president,
a supporter of women's rights, and the author of serious efforts
 to protect the environment and address urban poverty and blight.
Remembering the times she lived in, she managed the White House
in the years of national upheaval, through the Civil Rights Movement
and the escalation of the Vietnam War.
She ran the East Wing like a professional office...
she was the ultimate host to women from all walks of life..
I love that her name was Claudia,,,I love her calm demeanor,
I was so grateful to visit her home and ranch in
Johnson City and imagined her hosting those big BBQ's
for her husband's friends....she had grace and poise....
she was highly educated, intelligent, wise and dedicated to her family....
A true gem to our country and the great state of Texas!

Rich and flamboyant Honeybelle Hensley,
the most colorful character in Mule Stop, Texas,
dies a suspicious death and enrages the whole town
by leaving her worldly fortune to the most undeserving recipient - her dog.
The incorrigible Miss Ruffles is a Texas Cattle Cur, not a cuddly lapdog.
But now Miss Ruffles is in danger, and it's up to Sunny McKillip,
the unwilling dogsitter, to keep her safe.
With a killer on the loose and a cowboy lawyer
keeping a suspicious eye on her every move,
 Sunny needs all the help she can get,
 understanding how Texans think.
There's more to Honeybelle's death than meets this Yankee's eye.
It's a bucking bull ride of an adventure for Sunny and Miss Ruffles.

I so hope you enjoyed this post
and it gave you a bit of inspiration
to host your own book club.
I always thought this would be
a great way to encourage your children
and grandchildren to read over the summer.
I hope you will share your gatherings
and reading choices!
Thank you for visiting today! Hugs!!