Holidays on Ice

Imagine the boy from A Christmas Story. Now imagine he was born as queer as a three dollar bill in early 1960’s South Carolina as an alcoholic chain-smoking victim of the Feminine Mystique mother and a Greek engineer father who is so detached he is emotionally frigid. Add many siblings, and stir. That’s Holidays on Ice.

If you’ve never read any of David Sedaris’ other essays, or heard him on NPR’s This American Life, I recommend that you prepare a quiet place and an eggnog cocktail heavily laced with brandy before embarking on this reading adventure. I prefer to read it in the tub while enjoying a glass of wine as I find it difficult to refrain from unexpected fits of bursting out laughter, snorting and the inevitable spray of spittle on things around me that comes with enjoying these dark comic vignettes.

This book should be consumed as the perfect antidote to the endless list of mundane chores that seemingly become ‘....The Holidays’. On the surface, these stories fit in with traditional holiday themes such as department store Santa’s, family ‘Christmas Greetings!’ form letters, and school winter pageants. However, Sedaris has a knack for recasting each bit of overdone holiday pomp as the absurdly hellish experiences of life that they so often are. It will be impossible for you not to spend the rest of the holiday season having secret chuckles to yourself as you remember some delicious episode of completely inappropriate holiday humor.

See you at Angela's house on December 10th to reminisce about Sookie and laugh over Sedaris.
Leave a comment on this blog or on FB to RSVP.

This blog post was wrapped and delivered by Jen W.

VTown Book Club Cocktail Recipes

Here is the cocktail recipe recap of our November book club meeting:

1 part David Sedaris
1 part Amy Sedaris
2 parts Sookie infused simple syrup
Splash of Vampire
Splash of Werewolf

Shake ingredients together. Strain over ice, serve straight up, add a splash of Sprite on top.

Our November meeting started out gangbusters with everyone arriving right at 6:30. After introductions and we were seated we started out on a confessional, always a good sign, with one member shyly admitting that they have not read the books or the blog and felt weird about showing up to the meeting. Then a cascade of confessions poured in as many members disclosed that they have not read the books and/or the blog. With that information we were apprehensive about how to proceed with the meeting but also glad everyone showed up willing to try to participate in the discussion.

Luckily, another member arrived armed with knowledge through Book 4 and bearing copies of questions from the blog. A quick survey was conducted and we found that we were all game to apply the limited knowledge we each had to attempt to answer the questions.

Here are a few of the questions/responses we got from the meeting:

• If vampires cry bloody tears then why don't they have permanent pink eye? "Because pink eye is a virus/bacteria." Ok snarkety-snarks. The blog posters are now on alert and will attempt to be extra careful about editing (after this post). We even have an untapped editor in the club!
• What song would you choose for Tara and Sookie to dance to at the Supe club? Without question, "Tainted Love".
• El.....er Bubba sparked some great conversation about Elvis sightings and the dangers of bringing back the dead. We got a new question from our discussion about Elvis’ role in the series: "If you were a vampire and had a chance to bring back your favorite celebrity from the dead, would you do it?"
• Why is Sookie mad at Bill for not financially supporting her? One member had a compelling answer, she believes that Sookie is only mad because Bill is supporting the Bellefleurs, Sookie would not feel this way if the Bellefleurs were not involved.
• Out of six members we had two for Team Alcide, two for Team Eric and two for Team Bill.
• What cocktail represents Sookie? While it did not surprise us that Sookie liked a champagne cocktail, we all agreed that it was not her signature drink. We came to consensus on the Sunkissed Martini because it's sweet, a little frothy on top, not high end and packs a punch, here's the recipe:
  1 part Mandarin Vodka
  1 part Red Bull
  2 parts Peach Schnapps
  Splash of Orange Juice
  Shaken, strained over ice, served straight up.

A few members watched True Blood on HBO through Season 3 but have not read the books and were surprised and appalled at the lack of Tara and Lafayette in the book series. Those of us that have read the books released a bit of a spoiler that Lafayette died in Book 1. There were many declarations of disbelief at the news of Lafayette’s demise and everyone agreed that it was difficult to read the books without the significant storylines of Tara and Lafayette.

After dinner we continued our conversation under the night sky, gathering around the beautiful 40’ tall outdoor stone fireplace in the Suisun courtyard. Framed by firelight, one member happily noted that we met for over two hours without touching on the topics of kids, husbands, boyfriends, jobs or real estate. Although those topics are important and central to our everyday lives it was wonderful to be out with a group of women talking about books, history, parties and food while enjoying each other’s company and basking in a welcome night off from our everyday concerns.

We found time to preview Amy Sedaris’ book, I Like You: Hospitality under the Influence and discussed the recipes and décor that will be fun to share at the next meeting in December. We also found that we have a great mix of talents to contribute and share with one another; each member adding complimentary flavors of knowledge, skills and experience to the book club cocktail. The December potluck meeting is already taking shape, we are excited by all the possible threads of conversation and we can't wait to finally get everyone together.


Recipe for this post was provided by Angela:
1 part Ketel One
2 parts Tonic
Shaken, strained over ice, lime garnish.

Supe of the Day

It's a new year in Bon Temps and Sookie makes a resolution: "I just hope to not be beaten up...I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't want to see a doctor...so my resolution is to stay out of trouble." Good thing New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken because trouble is to be had along with a tall drink of our favorite Viking vampire, Eric Northman.

A storm of supernatural activity crackles and spins out of control in Dead to the World. Witches’, weres’, shifters’ and vampires’ chest-bumping pride and bank accounts get everyone sucked into the tornado. Who knew vampires could have a curse laid on them? Did it surprise you that a feline culture became inbred? We are presented with so much activity in this book we probably need some vampire blood to stay on course.

Bon Temps Cocktail Hour ~ November Meeting

Greetings Fangbangers and Tourists and others innocently sucked into Sookie's world of Supes,

Here is the information about our November meeting:

6:30pm on Friday November 12, 2010~ Sookie Stackhouse, by Charlaine Harris, books 3-4
Cast Iron Grill & Bar
700 Main Street, Suite 104
Suisun, CA
http://castirongrillandbar.com/

At this meeting we will:

• discuss the Sookie Series
• plan the December meeting/potluck using Amy Sedaris as our guide
• exchange books and ideas for future meetings
• decide on the signature cocktails for each of the following characters: Sookie, Bill, Eric, Pam, and Alcide

Please use FB or email Angela to RSVP because we will need to make reservations for this meeting. If you get there early reservations will be made under the name "Sookie Stackhouse", use Bill's inflection when you say "Sookie".

~

Book 3 ~ Club Dead / Man Buffet in Mississippi

Team Bill vs. Team Alcide? Or Team Eric? Sookie's got choices to make. Oh, if only we were in her shoes! Who would you choose?

• Do you like the promise of sunshine kisses and domestic bliss of Team Alcide?
• Or the sexy Corvette danger and political power plays of Team Eric?
• Or is Team Bill more your thing with the promise of passionate sex and two quaint homes that book-end a cemetery?

For anyone reluctantly succumbing to peer pressure to read book 1, then trudging through book 2, we promise that Club Dead is the light at the end of the tunnel. Charlaine Harris' writing style is finally making sense, her characters are 'fleshing' out, we have fully bought into Sookie. We understand Sookie and the conflict that her heart and mind are playing out: one side of her craves domestic bliss then the next moment she takes every risk to protect those she loves/those that she feels deserve to be loved.

After reading the first few chapters of Club Dead do you feel Bill deserves to be loved? In Chapter 1, did your heart break a little for Sookie when she expectantly went over to Bill's house for some frolicking good times and instead found Bill focused on the computer and drinking a bottle of synthetic blood type B? What is behind Sookie's motivation to help Eric find Bill? Is she driven by revenge, curiosity, love, or hoping for a second chance at love?

Here are some questions that popped up during Club Dead:

1. What did you think of El... er... Bubba's vampire role?
2. Do you trust Eric?
3. In books 1 & 2 Sookie consistently asserted her independence to Bill, taking offense when he offered to open an account for her at Tara Tog's. In Club Dead she is now getting mad at Bill for not offering financial support to fix her gravel driveway ? Why do you think Sookie is inconsistent in her expectations of Bill?
4. One of the connections between Sookie and Alcide, besides physical attraction, is that they have recently experienced being left for another. Sookie seems to need the truth. Alcide seems to still need his Ex. Have you ever been left for someone else? Did either characters’ actions or emotions ring more true to your experiences?
5. To have sex with Alcide or not to have sex with Alcide? After being dumped by Bill, if you were sharing an apartment for the weekend with Alcide what choice would you make?
6. How did you feel when Sookie ordered her first champagne cocktail at the Supe bar? Did you think that she was about to find her signature cocktail or do you think another cocktail represents her more?

Tara!
• How did you feel about Tara and Sookie in this book?
• Were you relieved that Tara showed up?
• Did you get embarrassed by the “Love is a Battlefield” dance? Or did you think, Hmmm, I would have chosen them to dance to __________.
• Do you think Harris chose “Love is a Battlefield” to symbolize the theme of Club Dead?
• Have you ever had a few to many and danced ridiculously at a bar? Maybe reliving your very own version of Coyote Ugly?

Sookie is developing a worldliness about her through her many Supe associations. She is discovering a new moral compass; the right and wrong parts of her personality appear to be bending and bowing towards selfishness. For example, in book 1, she saves Bill in the parking lot because he shouldn’t be wronged. In book 3, she’s hiding a body. Those two actions would not be next to each other on Kohlberg’s stages of moral development. Question~ Was Sookie prevented from truly identifying her beliefs when she tried to blend into her community?

One thing that is fantastic about vampire stories is that each author or screen writer gets to make up their own rules. Examples:

• Twilight’s vampires don’t sleep, Sookie Stackhouse’s need rest
• Anne Rice’s & True Blood’s vampires have sex with each other, but the Stackhouse books say that vampire/vampire coupling is frowned upon. Who knew vampires frowned upon any sex?
• What do you make of Harris’ vamp sexual impasse?

And some general points to ponder as we recall Club Dead:

• Have you ever experienced a situation where you were not thinking for yourself and were surprised by your actions?
• If vampires cry bloody tears then why don't they have permanent pink eye?
• If you are fan of the HBO series True Blood…are you enjoying Pam in the books?
• How many bottles of Tru Blood did you see on Halloween weekend? Who tried it?

All these questions are making us antsy for another meeting! Our-cocktails-in-Suisun meeting is quickly approaching, hope to see you there!

This post was coagulated by Kim and Angela