This, then, is the curse of love: that every moment apart be as slow as the turning of the seasons, and every moment together as fleeting as a dream. pg 38
So I admit I've read ahead of you...I just started getting into it. Sorry! No spoilers though! Did anyone else read ahead? How are you liking the book so far?
Today I thought I'd show you how to make turkish coffee Persian style. And leave you with a few questions for discussion. Remember, you can always sign up for the book club on my-bookclub.com.
I didn't make my coffee exactly right. I freaked out when the coffee dropped and thought it was going to burn.
Turkish Coffee Persian Style
Ingredients
Turkish ground coffee: Do this at the Grocery Store
Sugar
Water
1 tablespoon and 2 cups of water per cup. Add sugar to taste
place the coffee sugar and water in a small deep saucepan (DO NOT STIR ANYTHING)
 |
| This is Rock Sugar from Teavana |
Turn heat on Medium high. Watch the coffee until the grounds sink to the bottom.
Stir the coffee and let the sugar dissolve.
Turn the heat to low and continue stirring until there is a froth in the coffee (DO NOT LET IT BOIL!)
Keep the coffee frothing without boiling. The thicker the creme the better the taste.
(This is where I freaked out)
So then the froth is suposed to fall and then rise up again a couple of times. Once it's done this once or twice THEN it's supposed to be done.
It's a prety thick coffee.
Persian Butter Cookies
I found this recipe on Food.com.
1 cup butter
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, rind of, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
Directions:
1
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks. Make sure you use a rubber spatula to push down the accumulation on the sides.
2
Stir in grated lemon rind. I didn't have a cheese grater so I used a peeler to peel off the rind. Then I used a chopper to chop the rind really fine. The rind is what gives the cookies their color and intense lemon flavor.
3
Add lemon juice and vanilla
4
Add flour.
5
Form into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten into rounds.
6
Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until done.
7
Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/persian-butter-cookies-149689?oc=linkback
Chosen Book Club Chapter 5-15
A few guidelines while participating in this book club
How to participate in a discussion
1. Watch your language! Try to avoid words like "awful" or "idiotic"—even "like" and "dislike." They don't help move discussions forward and can put others on the defensive. Instead, talk about your experience—how you felt as you read the book.
1. Watch your language! Try to avoid words like "awful" or "idiotic"—even "like" and "dislike." They don't help move discussions forward and can put others on the defensive. Instead, talk about your experience—how you felt as you read the book.
2. Don't be dismissive. If you disagree with someone else, don't refer to her as an ignoramus. Just say, "I'm not sure I see it that way. Here's what I think." Much, much nicer.
3. Support your views. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. This is a literary analysis technique called "close reading." (LitCourse 3has a good discussion of close reading.)
4. Read with a pencil. Takes notes or mark passages that strike you—as signficant or funny or insightful. Talk about why you marked the passages you did.
5. Use LitLovers for help. Check out our Litlovers Resources above. They'll help you get more out of what your read and help you talk about books with greater ease.
(Discussion tips by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution. Thanks!)
How are you experiencing the book? Is it a quick read? How are you feeling as you read it?
Is there anything that is confusing you about the book?
At the end of chapter 5 Esther writes in her diary,
But I knew now that it was time to leave them and become one with another. I leaned out my window and whispered to them among the stars, “Good night, Mother. Good night, Father. I know it is time to let you go and embrace my new love. I will look for you again on the shores of heaven. Watch over me as I make my way to my destiny
Is there anything that is confusing you about the book?
At the end of chapter 5 Esther writes in her diary,
But I knew now that it was time to leave them and become one with another. I leaned out my window and whispered to them among the stars, “Good night, Mother. Good night, Father. I know it is time to let you go and embrace my new love. I will look for you again on the shores of heaven. Watch over me as I make my way to my destiny
In this Novel, how old do you get the impression Mordecai is? How would his age affect how you see the relationship between him and Esther?
Why do you think that Mordecai counts his money every night?
What are some of the monsters and boiling waters that Esther might be talking about? Have you had times when you felt the same way?
What is your favorite quote from this part of the book? Why?
Do you think the panther is symbolic of anything? What purpose does it serve?
How do you feel about Cyrus by the end of this section of reading? How do you think Cyrus feels about his father?
What would you do if you were Esther or Mordecai at the end of Chapter 15?
Esther prays fervently to avoid the selection day in the village. Yet she is
taken against her will and despite her prayers. Have you ever prayed about
something and received “no” for an answer? In the long run, was this a positive
or negative event in your life? Were other people benefited in the process?
I wanted to provide a better format for us to discuss this book. Of course you can discuss it here, but my-bookclub.com seems like a good platform to keep you in the loop.
For next week I would like us to make the goal to read to chapter 40.
