Women's Book Club for Introverts (30's & 40's) in Berkeley

For this event, I've chosen this book of essays by Geraldine DeRuiter. Geraldine is famous for making the cinnamon roll recipe (and writing an essay which inspired this book) that Mario Batali included in his apology letter. Food + feminism = fun? We will find out! https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/177186058-if-you-can-t-take-the-heat

"DeRuiter assembles essays into a funny, irreverent memoir about family, food, cooking, and eating, as well as life in the kitchen and around assorted tables. She recalls her first memory of food ('mint toothpaste, served straight from the tube'), her discovery of New York bagels, and her shameless love of Red Lobster, which began when she was growing up in Florida. Red Lobster 'had people who were kind to me, and cheesy biscuits that were served warm, in a little basket. It taught me that life had more to offer.' Women portrayed on TV shows, though, would likely refuse those warm biscuits: Either they wouldn’t eat at all, or when they ate, they’d be chided for being super picky. It was 'a hard thing to learn,' DeRuiter admits, 'that we can ask things of other people, that we can order food how we want it. That our bodies deserve to be nourished and loved and fed the way we want them to be." — Kirkus Reviews

*Note, this event will be at my place in West Berkeley (near Page and Fifth Street), so it will be super low-key! My apartment is cozy and I have just enough room for 6 of us. It's also not usually hard to find street parking nearby. I will provide beverages and some snacks. Feel free to bring something if you want, but you are not required to! Please be aware that I have a senior beagle mix, Frito, who will be around in case you are allergic/don't like dogs. Please reach out if you have any questions. Thanks!

For this event, I've chosen Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats by Courtney Gustafson. As a long-time dog fan, I'm challenging myself to branch out and open my mind (and heart) to the idea of 30 (!) feral cats. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216971220-poets-square

"Courtney writes toward a vision of connectedness, showing how taking care of the cats reshaped her understanding of empathy, resilience, and the healing power of wholly showing up for something outside yourself. She takes us from the dark alleys where she feeds feral cats to inside the tragically neglected homes where she climbs over piles of trash, and occasionally animals, and then into her own driveway with the cats she loves and must sometimes let go. Compelling and tender, Poets Square is as much about cats as it is about the urgency of care, community, and a little bit of dumb hope." — Penguin Random House

*Note, this event will be at my place in West Berkeley (near Page and Fifth Street), so it will be super low-key! My apartment is cozy and I have just enough room for 6 of us. It's also not usually hard to find street parking nearby. I will provide beverages and some snacks. Feel free to bring something if you want, but you are not required to! Please be aware that I have a senior beagle mix, Frito, who will be around in case you are allergic/don't like dogs.

Please reach out if you have any questions. Thanks!