I’m writing this while watching all of the #BlackLivesMatter rallies and marches across the country – between CNN and Periscope, I feel like I’m right there, fighting for justice, and I really appreciate all of those who are speaking out against these senseless acts of murder.
Don’t worry, I am working on a separate blog post to sort out all of my heartache and frustrations surrounding what’s happened in these last few days, and I look forward to sharing it. But for now, I’m happy to say that Blanche’s Book Club has finished yet another book: “The Friday Night Knitting Club” by Kate Jacobs.
Here is the description of the book from Amazon.com, “Once a week, an eclectic group of women comes together at a New York City yarn shop to work on their latest projects—and share the stories of their lives…
At the center of Walker and Daughter is the shop’s owner, Georgia, who is overwhelmed with juggling the store and single-handedly raising her teenage daughter. Happy to escape the demands of her life, she looks forward to her Friday Night Knitting Club, where she and her friends—Anita, Peri, Darwin, Lucie, and KC—exchange knitting tips, jokes, and their deepest secrets. But when the man who once broke Georgia’s heart suddenly shows up, demanding a role in their daughter’s life, her world is shattered.
Luckily, Georgia’s friends are there for encouragement, sharing their own tales of intimacy, heartbreak, and miracle-making. And when the unthinkable happens, these women will discover that what they’ve created isn’t just a knitting club: it’s a sisterhood.”
I’ll start by saying that this book has been on my reading list for years! I’m not sure why it took me so long to finally get around to reading it, but when I saw it on the library shelf a few weeks ago, I was pretty excited to finally have it in my hands.
I’m not a knitter, but I know knitting is stereotypically an activity for older folks – and I will say that the characters in the book are older. However, it doesn’t make the story any less interesting, as it still focuses around romance, family, and friendship.
Like any good book, all of the chracters have really developed backstories and the plot focuses more on these (much more) than it does on any type of knitting projects – though those are there, too.
I enjoyed various parts of Georgia’s story; as well as Anita’s – their lives intersected during the book and they both had very different plotlines, but were able to find a meaningful friendship.
This book is the first of three books in a series, and I will say that this book had a pretty surprising ending, so I’m definitely going to have to read the next book to see how the author manages to continue the story.
A small part in the book was Georgia’s daughter; she loved to bake, and she tried out many of her recipes on the ladies during the knitting club. The author even included one of her recipes in the back of the book, which I wanted to share with you.
Dakota’s Oatmeal, Blueberry, and Orange Muffins
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup plain rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
- Grated rind of one large orange
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup liquid pasteurized honey
- 3 Tablespoons oil
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- Juice 1 orange and add water to make 1 cup of liquid (I did 1 1/2 oranges because I didn’t get a lot of juice out of mine)
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper cups. combine the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl; oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut flakes and orange rind to the dry ingredients. Get a separate bowl and beat the egg. Then incorporate the wet ingredients: honey, oil, vinegar, juice, and water. Add teh wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir until just moist. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into muffin cups, being careful not to let any batter spill onto the tin. Bake in a preheated oven 20-25 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
The next book Blanche’s Book Club will be reading is “The Widow’s Guide to Sex & Dating” by Carole Radziwill. Want to read it with us? We’d love to have you! Share your thoughts on the book with us via the blog comments, email (holly@thebitterlemon.com) or on Twitter & SnapChat @OrangeJulius7.
I hope you all have a great, SAFE, weekend – I’ll be doing a little relaxing, but was actually able to get a few freelance jobs as I continue to work to tackle my taxes. I will also be working on the blog a TON, and prepping the next newsletter. I’d love to see you online! Until then, see you right here on Monday.
The Bitter Lemon 