Inspired by Women's History Month, we’re sharing 5 perfect book club themes that celebrate the female experience. So round up your favorite reading friends and pick one of our book, food, and drink pairings to immerse yourself in a particular perspective via your next book club pick.
The Woman Abroad
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
by Terry McMillan
Is there anything more satisfying than a story about redemption and romance after love lost — especially when it all takes place abroad? How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a classic in the genre. It’s rich with sumptuous atmosphere, smart writing, and passion passion passion. There’s plenty to devour, and plenty to discuss.
For a perfect pairing, pull together this Jamaican classic, jerk chicken, courtesy of Food & Wine. (It’s got quite a bit of spice — not unlike the novel!) Take a break from the wine for this particular meeting and pour yourself and your friends a Kingston Negroni, which swaps the usual suspects for rum. You and your book crew will be transported in no time. Bonus: after reading, watch the very sexy, very absorbing movie adaptation starring Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs.
The Woman as Daughter
Summer Island
by Kristin Hannah
The experience of being a daughter, no matter how you came up through life, offers endless inspiration for conversation and contemplation. For a perspective a step aside from your own, pick up Summer Island by one of our faves, Kristin Hannah. In this gorgeous novel set in the San Juan Islands near Washington, a mother and daughter — Nora and Ruby — are reluctantly reunited following a fierce twist of fate. Old wounds resurface as shared history bubbles up to the surface.
We’re keeping things crisp and local with our pairings for this one. For your book club dinner, take your cue from the Pacific Northwest with this baked salmon recipe. The fish is forgiving — unlike our protagonist — and will fare well with a crowd. To drink? This Archery Summit Vireton Pinot Gris from Oregon, which has a fair amount of fruit, but plenty of salinity to keep things balanced. Close pals with your book club friends? Be sure to take a break from the depth of the novel’s layers to share some of your favorite personal memories of daughterhood.
Your Driver Is Waiting
by Priya Guns
Priya Guns’s novel Your Driver Is Waiting introduces us to one of the coolest, most complex female characters we’ve seen in a while. Damani is a driver for a rideshare service, trying fiercely to make ends meet, covering the gap left behind by her late father. When one of her customers tempts Damani toward love, she’s swept along into the life of an activist in this unnamed, protest-soaked Sri Lankan city. Damani is a harsh character — and one you’ll no doubt talk about at length with your reading crew.
For this meeting’s pairing, stick with the notion of constant motion and keep your pickings to finger foods. We think chicken satay would go great with a lively discussion. For a Sri Lankan touch, consider serving it alongside this coconut sambol. For your club’s cocktail, we’re taking inspiration from Damani’s love of coffee with a very straightforward, very delicious espresso martini. Just be ready for the extra zip it’ll bring your way!
Woman with a Secret
American Spy
by Lauren Wilkinson
Speaking of zip, what book club wouldn’t want to lean into a little espionage and intrigue, especially with a frustrated yet fascinatingly complex and ambitious woman working in the male-dominated arena of intelligence in the 1980s? Welcome to American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson, which brings us to Burkina Faso during the Cold War, alongside FBI officer Marie Mitchell.
For our meal pairing, I spy with my little eye something that will sneak up on you with this American classic: Buffalo chicken wings. What’s the sneaky party? We dare you to make batches with varying levels of kick by adjusting the hot sauce and cayenne, if you think your literary pals are up to the challenge. And, of course, you’ll need something to cool things off, so try a chilled zinfandel, like this one from Mendocino’s Artezin Winery. Oh, and to warm up your book club? Start with a little icebreaker by asking everyone to share their favorite (though harmless!) latest secret.
Woman with a past
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ready to round up your book club in celebration of a life fully lived? Your next pick is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Our titular heroine is a Hollywood icon. Now living far outside the spotlight, she’s ready to share her story. All of it. She summons a little-known reporter to document her story — her rise in Hollywood, the loves gotten and lost along the way, and all of the disappointments and joy in between.
Get glammed up for this month’s book club and insist your guests dress the part! You’ll want to serve gin martinis, of course, and we feel strongly that there’s only one way to approach the classic. And while we wouldn’t expect anyone to sit down to feast when in their finest with cocktail and novel in hand, there’s no reason not to serve a little something. We’ve been mad about stuffed endives lately, and while this recipe offers a very tasty, very classic version with blue cheese and apples, feel free to get fancier in your own creation.