Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and book club questions in that order!

Do you love small town romances? If so, then you’ll love Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas. The novel is the first in a new series by Jodi Thomas, who, if you don’t know, is the queen of Texas romance.

Her books, set in Texas, range from historical to contemporary, from series to stand alone books. While she primarily writes romance, several of her books also lean towards women’s fiction like The Widows of Wichita County and The Little Teashop on Main. She’s won three RITAs for her romance books, which led to her induction into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame (with only 17 other romance writers!).

The Great Gatsby Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For The Great Gatsby, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

This post is the third post in the Classics Series–you can check out the posts on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Emma by Jane Austen for more.

The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most renown work. Maybe you know The Great Gatsby from high school English, where it’s often required reading (gasp!–If you’re in high school English now, hi there! Don’t worry, you’ll survive!). Anyway, maybe that’s been a while…but you have a vague memory of parties and wealth along with Gatsby’s doomed obsession for a past love.

Or, maybe due to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jay Gatsby, you are more recently familiar with the story. Either way, you might not have read the book as an adult. I know I hadn’t.

Let me encourage you if it’s been a while or especially if you’ve crossed into mid-life, the place where we flounder between the tug of the future and the pull of the past, to consider rereading the novel. The Great Gatsby is a timeless book that can be read every few years and mined for new insights. It’s ultimately a warning against the pursuit of wealth unrestrained by morality. But, it’s more than that, too.

Emma by Jane Austen Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For Emma by Jane Austen, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

This post for Emma by Jane Austen is the second post in my new Classics series. If you missed the first, check out the Little Women Book Club Questions and Recipe post.

Emma is one of Jane Austen’s lesser known masterpieces (often behind Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility in readers’ minds). It is a comedy about romantic mishaps and youthful overconfidence.

Don’t you remember those blissfully ignorant and misguided days of youth when you absolutely knew what everyone else wanted and needed but had no idea what you wanted or needed? No? Just me?

Well Emma, the book’s namesake, is the epitome of this dichotomy. She’s quick to meddle in all of her neighbors’ lives, yet she has is blind to the desires of her own heart. She’s presumptuous, loved by everyone, and stubborn to a fault. Throw in a cast of quirky characters including a loquacious spinster, a gold-digging vicar, and an anti-social father and you’ve got a book full of mayhem and mishaps.

If you’ve read any of her books, you’ll know that Jane Austen is the queen of miscommunication. Her books often revolve around dangers of assumptions. Emma is no different, but I found the heroine to be especially charming in a unique way to other Austen heroines.

The Alice Network Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For The Alice Network, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

Have you read any books featured by Reese’s Book Club? (As in Reese Witherspoon. In case you didn’t know, she has a online book club which is part of her company Hello Sunshine and the books they choose get the Reese seal of approval–much like Oprah’s book selections.) Anyway, for me, the books I’ve read have been hit or miss. Lately, though, it seems Reese is hitting it out of the park with titles like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Little Fires Everywhere, and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Needless to say, The Alice Network is a Reese’s Book Club pick and I loved it. The novel is a dual timeline story featuring two women as they deal with both WWI and WWII. It is set primarily in France. When the two women meet in the aftermath of WWII, their stories converge and they set out on a journey of discovery and revenge.

In Farleigh Field Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For In Farleigh Field, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

In Farleigh Field has been floating around as a potential read for me for quite a while. I’ll tell you why.

Did you know that Amazon has it’s own publishing house now? That’s right. Just like Penguin, Random House, and the others. It’s called Lake Union and it’s been putting out some hits.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s fine. Readers are meant to enjoy books and not know how the sausage is made, so to speak. However, as someone who likes to keep abreast of the industry, I’ve been wanting to read a book that Lake Union has produced. So, I chose In Farleigh Field.

You might recognize some of the other titles: The Tuscan Child, The Ragged Edge of the Night, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, What the Wind Knows...all put out by Lake Union.

Then There Was You Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For Then There Was You, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

As a (mostly) traditional reader, I haven’t read many books that have been indie published. So, I decided to change that. Insert Kara Isaac and Then There Was You. Wow. I was beyond pleasantly surprised.

Of course, this book won a RITA in 2018, so I’m not sure why I was so delighted to find out how awesome it was! It is an inspirational (faith) romance, but can easily be enjoyed by any reader. However, as a Christian, I found this book to be a breath of fresh air compared to other titles I’ve read.

It was just so REAL. I loved the characters, the romance, and the plot. I hope you do, too!

I wanted to share this gem here as a book club suggestion for groups who might be looking for a feel-good inspirational read that still has depth. If that’s your group, I hope you’ll take a chance on this read. I’ve provided book club questions and a recipe for Then There Was You to facilitate your meeting!

The Rosie Project Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For The Rosie Project, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

If your book club needs a good laugh or a feel good book, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is the book for you. From page one, I loved the narrator’s voice and couldn’t stop smiling. As someone who works in a business office during the day, I have met so many Don’s that I can’t count them. Too bad they weren’t as funny or redeemable.

This book really was a breath of fresh air to me. I’ll be interested to know if you felt the same. Even though it is a rom-com essentially, I had no trouble finding more than enough book club questions and a recipe (ummm, margaritas anyone?) to compliment the book.

Love Comes Softly Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For Love Comes Softly, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

After reading When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke, I decided to revisit an old friend: Love Comes Softly. It’s another classic by Janette Oke. I read this book as a teenager and loved it. When Hallmark made a movie out of it, I was even happier. What can I say? I love a good, clean romance, especially a historical.

This book is the first in a series by Janette Oke, much like When Calls the Heart. The books have all been made into movies, which is a testament to how much readers love them.

If your book club hasn’t read Love Comes Softly, I recommend it as a reprieve from the heavier options that book clubs often read, especially if your book club is open to inspirational titles. If you love a sweet romance as much as I do, but you’ve already read Love Comes Softly, then you should also check out this post and this post. Both posts feature books you’re sure to love if you love small-town, feel-good romances.

For Love Comes Softly, I’ve created a recipe for coffee punch and book club questions to help facilitate your meeting. And, who doesn’t love coffee and ice cream?

Outlander Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For Outlander, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

Please do not freak out when I tell you that I just learned about Outlander and Diana Gabaldon this past year. That’s right, I’m extremely late to this game. As in, almost 30 years late. Can anyone believe 1991 was almost 30 years ago??

And, no, I didn’t even discover it because of the fantastic Starz series. I just stumbled clumsily upon it one day. Speaking of the Starz series, who’s been watching it since Netflix picked it up? Happy dance.

Do not discount this book as “just a romance.” It’s not. There’s time-travel, war, family feuds, lots of history and…What I’m saying is, if your book club hasn’t read it, go out and read it.

Yes, it’s 800+ pages, but you won’t notice. Also, the audio book is FABULOUS. And, when you’re done, come back here for book club questions and a recipe to indulge in while your meeting runs well over it’s time limit because there’s SO much to discuss!

But before we dig in, did you know that since Outlander’s publication, an entire genre of books has emerged? It’s called Scottish Time Travel Romance. If you love the premise of Outlander and want to read more in the genre, check out the books here!

When Calls the Heart Book Club Questions and Recipe

*If you are new here, WELCOME! For When Calls the Heart, I provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order!

If your book club hasn’t read, When Calls the Heart, I recommend it for a light-hearted read. I decided to read When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke after watching the Hallmark series by the same name. (Maybe I watch too much Hallmark–is that a thing?)

If you love Hallmark as much as I do, then you should check out this post and this post. Both feature books you’re sure to love if you love small-town, sweet romances.

Anyway, it isn’t a new book, but it’s by Janette Oke, and I am a fan of her Love Comes Softly series, too. Check out my post about that book, here.

This book will remind you of simpler and slower times in this fast-paced world of ours, and sometimes it’s good to remember to slow down. There’s still plenty to discuss within the pages, and I’ve provided book club questions and a tasty recipe for blueberry coffee cake as well!