The Boston Girl

Book menu for The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

Food mentioned in The Boston Girl:
Punch, 19, 66, 133
Cookies, 19, 133, 261, 309
Hot dogs, 24
Cherry pie, 24
Saltwater taffy, 24, 297
Mixed nuts, 29
Ham sandwiches, 30
Pickles, 30
Ice cream, 32, 128, 166, 286, 297
Lemonade, 32
Tea, 48
Coffee, 48, 80, 84, 213
Whiskey, 48-49, 57, 208, 253
Honey cake, 49, 57
Wine, 49, 80, 129, 208, 262
Chocolate drops, 54
Apple pie, 74, 229
Carrot tsimmes, 77
Lobster, 80
Parker House rolls, 84
Eggs and bacon, 84
Peaches, 107, 109
Boiled eggs, 109
Sponge cake, 129, 262
Chocolate cake, 167
Gin fizz, 177
Petit fours, 211-212
Chinese dumplings, 218
Pancakes, 228, 240
Hummus, 244
Pita bread, 244
Olives, 244
Challah, 256
Strudel, 261, 293
Espresso, 284
Kugel, 293
Stewed fruit, 296
Apples, 314
Watermelon, 314
Raspberries, 314
Sambuca, 314

Books mentioned in The Boston Girl:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 14, 81
     "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", 14, 17-18
 Charles Dickens, 24
William Shakespeare, 117
     Romeo and Juliet, 117-120
Uncle Tom's Cabin / Harriet Beecher Stowe, 163
The Waste Land / T.S. Eliot, 196
John Milton, 289
John Dryden, 289
Geoffrey Chaucer, 289
Willa Cather, 289
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 289
Sinclair Lewis, 289
Rumplestiltskin / The Brother Grimm, 301
Little House on the Prairie / Laura Ingalls Wilder, 301
Hop on Pop / Dr. Seuss, 302
The Feminine Mystique / Betty Friedan, 310

Music mentioned in The Boston Girl:
"Sweet Adeline", 20
"Over There", 132
Mozart, 224
"Let Me Call You Sweetheart", 224
The Beatles, 314

Movies mentioned in The Boston Girl:
The Wizard of Oz, 23

TV Shows mentioned in The Boston Girl:
Upstairs, Downstairs, 175

If you like Anita Diamant's books, you might also enjoy Sue Monk Kidd:

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Past the Bleachers

Book menu for Past the Bleachers by Chris Bohjalian
ISBN of edition I read: 0881848026 (hardcover)


Food mentioned in Past the Bleachers:
Hot dogs, 11
Gatorade, 11, 182
Coffee, 25-26, 69, 186
Chicken 32, 138
Coca-Cola, 44
Maple syrup, 79
Spinach & salmon fettuccine, 89
Blueberry yogurt, 93
Chopped apples with peanut butter, 93
Spaghetti, 111-112
Wine, 138-139, 212
Hamburgers, 155
Chutney, 169
Brownies, 193
Ice cream, 210, 217
    Peanut butter ice cream with chocolate sauce, 210
Shrimp & Strawberry soup, 212
Ice tea, 212
Bread, 213
Asparagus, 217
Cotton candy, 229, 232
Kool-Aid, 239

Books/Authors mentioned in Past the Bleachers:
"Fathers playing catch with sons" / Donald Hall, epigraph
Garfield comics, 47

Music mentioned in Past the Bleachers:
The Four Seasons / Vivaldi, 213

Magazines mentioned in Past the Bleachers:
Vermont Life, 244

Television programs mentioned in Past the Bleachers:
Jeopardy, 193

Libraries mentioned in Past the Bleachers:
p.48: The books are almost antiques now.
        "Can kids even find these books today?"
        Harper nods her head that they can."The Sedgebury library has almost the entire series, and even
        Lincoln and Havington have a couple each."

p. 235: "Yeah!" he finally answers, shouting over the roar of the roller coaster. "I did see some blonde
            babe. She was lookin' for dinosaur books."
           "What did you tell her?"
           "I told her to try a library," he says smirking. He then turns away from me, looking up at the
            Lava Coaster's last car..."

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The Last Detail

Book menu for The Last Detail by Darryl Ponicsan

(Page numbers refer to the original 1970 hardcover edition)

The Last Detail is the prequel to Last Flag Flying (now a movie)! The Last Detail also has a film adaptation starring Jack Nicholson.

Food mentioned in The Last Detail:
Coffee, 2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 55-56, 59, 101-102, 130-131, 141, 148, 153, 177
Ripple (wine), 2,6
Beer, 10, 38-40, 70, 72-73, 102, 129, 132-133, 149, 162
Kielbasa, 10
Pierogies, 10
Bleenies, 10
Cheeseburgers, 36-37, 129
French Fries, 36-37, 129
Chocolate shakes, 36-37, 147
Eggs, 59
Bacon, 59
Salami & Swiss sandwiches, 69
Corned beef, 70
Pastrami, 70
Knackwurst, 70
Stuffed cabbage, 70
Whiskey, 70
Italian sausage sandwiches, 76-77, 103
Peanuts, 77-78
Capuccino, 86, 90
Chenin Blanc, 92, 96, 98
Hot dogs, 102, 132, 134
Lobster, 104
Coke, 104
Pretzels, 132-133, 162
Champagne cocktails, 135
Boilermakers, 149, 162, 170
Jelly doughnuts, 153
Potato chips, 170
Vegetable soup, 171

Books/Authors mentioned in The Last Detail:
The Stranger / Albert Camus, 2, 5
Stephen Crane, 7
The Centaur / John Updike

Music mentioned in The Last Detail:
"Drunken Sailor", 51, 78, 85
Johnny Mathis , 88
Aretha Franklin, 92-93
Tony Bennett , 102, 105

 

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Nest

Book menu for Nest by Esther Ehrlich

ISBN of edition I read: 9780385386074 (hardcover)

Food mentioned in Nest :
Chocolate pudding, 5, 6
Gin & tonic, 6, 37
Blackberries, 12, 15
Ice cram sundaes, 22, 109
Hard boiled eggs, 23
Cheese and Wheat Thins, 23
Watermelon, 23
SweetTarts, 30, 44, 67, 79, 171, 246
Ham and pickle sandwiches, 31
Fritos, 31
Fig Newtons, 32, 37, 53
Mushroom barley soup, 35
Fish sticks, 39, 42
Tomato soup, 46
Open-faced cheese melts, 46
Hawaiian Punch, 48
Sugar cookies, 48-49, 124, 127
Twinkies, 52
Yodels, 52-53
Ring Dings, 52-53
Screaming Yellow Zonkers, 52
Tab soda, 52, 306
Oreos, 53, 116, 195
Scrambled eggs and toast, 58
Fried egg sandwiches, 58
Apples, 62
Carrot sticks, 62
Cheese sandwich on wheat, 62, 94
Sugar Babies, 65, 75
Bit-o-Honey, 67
Bacon roll ups, 71, 78
Ritz crackers with cream cheese and green olives, 72
Hershey's Kisses, 79, 81
Dots (candy), 79
Spinach lasagna, 81
Kasha varnishkes, 87
Popcorn, 105, 320
Lemon meringue pie, 109, 128, 145, 151, 187, 207, 219
Pink punch 124, 127
Hot chocolate, 132, 286, 307-308
Cheesecake, 133
Fudgsicle, 141
Grilled cheese, 143
Clam strips, 143-144
Hog dogs, 144
Macaroni and cheese, 144
Chocolate milk shakes, 144
Raisins, 156
Apple pie, 174
Butter Brickle ice cream, 179
Eggnog, 184
Latkes, 187
Stuffed clams, 192
Pepperoni pizza, 202
Damson plum jam, 213
Dry roasted peanuts, 224
Fruit salad, 238, 240
Noodle kugel, 239
Potato salad, 240
Grape nuts, 242
Sponge cake, 244
Meatloaf and mashed potato, 252
Pita bread and cheese, 262
Strawberry Pop Tarts, 273-274
Apple juice, 274
Chocolate chip muffin, 286, 307-308
Ham and cheese sandwich, 306
Spaghetti and meatballs, 307-308

Books/Authors mentioned in Nest:
Harriet the Spy / Louise Fitzhugh, 12, 113
A Little Princess / Frances Hodgson Burnett, 19
The Burgess Bird Book for Children / Thornton Burgess, 32, 43
"The Tiger" (poem) / William Blake, 59
Frankenstein / Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, 67, 73-74
The Secret Garden / Frances Hodgson Burnett, 156, 163-164
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler /
     E.L. Konisburg, 257, 284

Television program mentioned in Nest:
Get Smart, 46
As the World Turns, 52
I Love Lucy, 127
Let's Make a Deal, 288

Music mentioned in Nest:
"Twist and Shout", 8
"Singin' in the Rain", 11
Herb Alpert and the Tiajuana Brass, 16
"I Feel the Earth Move", 25
"I Woke Up in Love This Morning:" / The Partridge Family, 31
"Help!" / The Beatles, 53
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered" / Stevie Wonder, 54
"I Think I Love You" / David Cassidy, 55
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" / Rolling Stones, 75
"Build Me Up, Buttercup", 89
"Lay, Lady, Lay" / Bob Dylan, 105
"Aquarius", 131
"I'll Be There" / The Jackson 5, 254

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Caleb's Crossing

Book menu for Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

ISBN of edition I read:  9780670021048 (hardcover)

Food mentioned in Caleb's Crossing :
Clams, 13
Scallops, 20
Chowder, 90
     Clam chowder, 21
Strawberries, 23
Blueberries, 23
Cranberries, 23-4
Venison, 25
Sea bass, 25
Wild currants, 35
Apples, 42
Lobster, 52
Huckleberries, 52
Corn cakes, 59
Seed cake, 61-2
Beer, 62
Cider, 72, 245
Bread and butter, 90, 92
Corn bread, 90, 92
Dried fruits and nuts, 90
Clabber, 96
Roasted cod and green beans, 148
Treacle pudding, 149
Raspberries, 149
Small beer, 107 156, 164
Bread and cheese, 176
Indian pudding, 250
Oatcakes, 291

Books/Authors mentioned in Caleb's Crossing :
Sententiae Pueriles, 14
The Bible
     Proverbs 31:verses 10-31, 17
     Matthew 21:26-, 159
New England's Prospect / William Wood, 37
Homer
     The Odyssey , 112, 239, 133, 139
Anne Bradstreet (poet), 158-9, 186, 227, 233
     "The tenth muse", 186
     "In Honour of the High and Mighty Princess, Queen Elizabeth", 187, 190
 Thomas Tully, 167, 190
Cicero, 197, 249
Isocrates, 197
Virgil, 197
Ovid, 197, 249, 
Martin Luther, 197
Thomas Aquinas. 197
Francis Bacon, 197
Jean Calvin, 197
Plutarch, 197
Hesiod, 258

People mentioned in Caleb's Crossing :
John Winthrop (governor), 8
Anne Hutchinson, 232 
Metacomet (King Philip), 272, 273, 286
Massasoit, 272 

Discussion questions for Caleb's Crossing:
Compare Caleb to Bethia.
What, if any, is the significance of the name "Solace"?
Compare how women are treated among the native Americans versus English women.
Why does Caleb nickname Bethia "Storm Eyes"?
What role does knowledge and education play for Makepeace? For Caleb? For Bethia?
There are many references to Homer's The Odyssey in Caleb's Crossing. What significance do those references play?
Describe the relationship between Makepeace and Bethia.  Between Bethia and Caleb.

Great vocabulary in Caleb's Crossing:
dimmet, 12, 216
tegs, 13, 60, 125
wetus, 43
sennight, 51, 76, 105, 163, 179
lappity, 52
cackhanded, 54
aught, 60
bever, 72
opprobrium, 102 
abstemious, 116
encomiums, 120
coracle, 124
garth, 157, 222, 225
trenchers, 157, 176
flagitious, 211
bavins, 22
flux, 223
abecedarian, 162

Libraries mentioned in Caleb's Crossing:
pages 189, 195-6 224-5, 264

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The Namesake

                                                                                   

                                                          

Book menu for The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

ISBN of edition I read: 0618485228

We read this for my book group.  I had looked forward to it since the movie adaptation looked good. I was disappointed with the writing: much of the story is written in the passive voice.  I am not sure this novel works in the present tense.  It had potential and I was interested in the connection to Russian authors. I happened to be reading Anna Karenina while trudging through The Namesake. I was all too glad to finish the chore of Lahiri's novel and devote myself entirely to Tolstoy!

Food mentioned in The Namesake: (highlights)
Lamb curry, 10, 72
Dal, 10, 39, 72, 162, 180, 276
Pistachio ice cream, 10
Broccoli quiche, 33
Samosas, 35, 50, 147-149
Goat and potato stew, 37
Halwa, 38
Biryani, 39, 164
Chicken curry and rice, 54
Tandoori, 64, 229
Sandeshes, 72
Bouillabaise, 137, 198
Osso buco, 137
Pink lassi, 147
Aloo dum, 155
Paella with clams and mussels, 156
Sancerre (wine), 198
Porcini ravioli, 203
Coq au vin, 209
Mishti, 216
Aloo gobi, 223
Pakoras, 229
Spaghetti allo vongole, 241
Falafel sandwich, 271
Blood oranges, 272
Mincemeat croquettes, 274
Lamb korma, 277
Sweet yogurt and pantuas, 277

Books/Authors mentioned in The Namesake:
Nikolai Gogol, 13, 17, 21, 28-9, 56, 66, 77, 88
     "The Overcoat" (short story), epigraph, 89, 245, 290
     The Stories of Nikolai Gogol, 74, 288
     "The Nose" (short story), 89
     The Government Inspector (play), 90
     Dead Souls (novel),90-91
Alfred Tennyson, 7, 29
William Wordsworth, 7, 29
     "The Daffodils" (poem), 9
Aristotle, 7
William Shakespeare, 7, 118
     Timon of Athens, 110
Charles Dickens, 12
Graham Greene, 12
     The Comedians, 173
Somerset Maugham, 12
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 78
      The Brothers Karamazov, 13
 Leo Tolstoy
      Anna Karenina, 13
     War and Peace, 13 
Ivan Turgenev, 91
      Fathers and Sons, 13
The Cat in the Hat / Dr. Seuss, 50
The Hardy Boys / Franklin W. Dixon, 78
Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen, 73
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy / Douglas Adams, 75
The Hobbit (Movie Tie-In) / J.R.R. Tolkien, 75
Laura Ingalls Wilder, 83
The Great Gatsby / F. Scott Fitzgerald, 88
The Good Earth (Oprah's Book Club) / Pearl S. Buck, 88
The Red Badge of Courage / Stephen Crane, 88
Ethan Frome / Edith Wharton, 88
William Faulkner, 89
Ernest Hemingway, 89
"The Necklace and Other Tales (Modern Library Classics)" / Guy de Maupassant, 90
Alexandr Pushkin, 90
Divided Soul:The Life of Gogol / Henri Troyat, 92
Nietzche, 93
Moliere, 99
Oscar Wilde, 114
Virginia Woolf, 114
Journey to the East / Le Corbusier, 116
Ben Johnson (poet), 121
Gustave Flaubert, 255
The Man without Qualities / Robert Musil, 259
The Red and the Black / Stendhal, 261
Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, 267
Marcel Proust, 267
The Swiss Family Robinson / Johann David Wyss, 288
On the Road / Jack Kerouac, 288
The Communist Manifesto / Karl Marx, 288

Magazines mentioned in The Namesake:
Desh, 16, 44
Time , 51, 55
National Geographic , 76
Reader's Digest , 98
The New Yorker , 109
Food & Wine , 270

Movies mentioned in The Namesake:
Gone with the Wind , 30
The Seven Year Itch , 30
Ritwik Ghatek, 38
Satyajit Ray, 38
The Big Chill , 87
The Rocky Horror Picture Show , 93
I, Claudius, 135
Alphaville, 259

Music mentioned in The Namesake:
Nazrul, 38
Tagore, 78
The Beatles, 116
     The White Album , 74
     Abbey Road , 269
Bob Dylan, 93, 99
Eric Clapton, 93
The Clash
     London Calling , 102
Talking Heads, 77, 102
Brian Eno , 105
Elvis Costello, 105
Charlie Parker , 105
Simon and Garfunkel, 117
Neil Young , 117
Cat Stevens, 117
Abba , 224
Bossa Nova, 228
Crosby, Stills & Nash, 257
Bartok , 266

Television programs mentioned in The Namesake:
The Price is Right, 54
Guiding Light, 54
$10,000 Pyramid, 54
Sesame Street, 54
Electric Company, 54
The Love Boat , 73, 211
Fantasy Island , 73, 211

Libraries mentioned in The Namesake:
pages 48-50, 56, 66, 71, 104, 107, 114, 120, 149, 160, 162-3, 168, 238, 257, 279  

 

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