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6 Ways to Celebrate Summer with Recipe by the Book

6 Ways to Celebrate Summer with Recipe by the Book

Is there any better way to while away a summer day than to spend it talking about your latest favorite book? Only if you add a delicious treat into the mix. So, in our ongoing celebration of summer, we dipped into the Recipe by the Book archives and selected six favorites for you to enjoy at your next book club meeting. Plan for a feast, and capture the essence of summertime with seafood treats, cool beverages, and other light fair, chockfull of fresh ingredients.
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MaineLobster Salad for J. Courtney Sullivan’s Maine

A family saga set in a beach house, J. Courtney Sullivan’s Maine perfectly evokes the joy of long, lazy summer days by the sea. In our search for the perfect lobster recipe to complement Maine, we turned to the venerable Julia Child. Enjoy it alongside Sullivan’s equally delectable novel!

View the recipe | Get the reading guide | Buy the book

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TheWidowerJulia Glass’s Scalloped Oysters with Bacon for The Widower’s Tale

Meet Percy Darling, a widower who appreciates his isolated life and his quiet routines. When he allows a local preschool to take up residence in his barn, he finds that solitary life disrupted—and, perhaps, changed for the better. Author Julia Glass offers a flavorful seafood recipe that Percy would surely love to supplement your book discussion. Download the recipe and peruse a special note from Julia!

View the recipe | Get the reading guide | Buy the book

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LastMan_smCold Cucumber Soup for Aravind Adiga’s Last Man in Tower

Go ahead and cool off with a bowl of cold soup. We paired this refreshing Indian dish with Man Booker Prize–winning author Aravind Adiga’s Last Man in Tower, about a retired schoolteacher who refuses to accept the buyout of a real estate developer wishing to demolish his apartment building. This chilled soup is the ideal accompaniment to your discussion of the plight of the residents in the decidedly un-air-conditioned tower!

View the recipe | Get the reading guide | Buy the book

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TheInifinities_smAn Olive and Feta Frittata for John Banville’s The Infinities

In The Infinities, a clan of Greek gods mischievously infiltrates a family’s gathering. As your reading group devours John Banville’s novel, consider cooking up a Greek-inspired meal to please the gods. This delicious frittata, laden with garden-fresh basil, is a snap to prepare and will prove a light yet filling meal for the summer. Imagine yourself leisurely savoring it at a Greek tavern by the beach, with the waves gently lapping.

View the recipe | Get the reading guide | Buy the book

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Perla_smCarolina de Robertis’s  Flan for Perla

Swear off heavy desserts during the hot months. While your book club discusses Perla—an intimate portrait of a young Argentine woman’s search for truth—why not treat yourself to some homemade flan? Carolina de Robertis has provided us with her mother’s recipe, now translated into English for the first time!

View the recipe | Get the reading guide | Buy the book

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Seating_smChampagne Punch for Maggie Shipstead’s Seating Arrangements

Top it all off with a summery cocktail—and raise a glass to Seating Arrangements’ betrothed. The Van Meters have gathered at their family retreat on the island of Waskeke to celebrate the marriage of daughter Daphne to the impeccably appropriate Greyson Duff. Yet the wedding that should have gone off with military precision threatens to become a spectacle of misbehavior. Discuss the lives of the well-bred and ill-behaved at your book club meeting while sipping this fruit-laden champagne punch!

View the recipe | Get the reading guide | Buy the book

 

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