‘A Slice of Cherry Pie’ Book Club

Aside from cooking, one of my big loves is books. Of course I own lots of cookbooks but I have books on many subjects and lots of fiction. Like many people I’ve always enjoyed reading; losing yourself in a good book is such wonderful escapism, good for the mind and soul. No matter where you are – on a train; sitting at the bus stop; in the bath; on the sofa; in a park – you’re instantly transported to another world as soon as you open a book. I can spend hours browsing Amazonfor books to add to my ‘to read’ pile and I get so excited when the packages arrive. I eagerly open them up and take out the pristine new books to flick through and – here’s a confession – to smell! I simply adore the smell of new books; strange, perhaps, but I’ve found I’m not alone. Once I admit that confession I find lots of people say ‘oh yes, me too!’. My husband still looks at me like I’m crazy when I do it though.

Over at the ‘A Slice of Cherry Pie’ forum, we have a book club running for like-minded individuals. It came to a bit of a halt for a while but the lovely Holler from Tinned Tomatoes has started it up again with a brand new choice:

Here is a review to give you an idea what it’s about:

“While looking for a place to buy for his 76-year-old mother after his father’s death, Benjamin Mee, living in France with his wife and two children, received details of his “dream scenario” by his sister. Unusually, the property in question was a struggling zoo.

We Bought A Zoo tells the story of how the dilapidated Dartmoor Wildlife Park, populated by around 400 exotic animals, was transformed into the busy Dartmoor Zoological Park by an ordinary family using a trial-and-error method. Along the way, Mee has to deal with an escaped jaguar, fighting (among people as well as animals), an escapologist wolf, and a tiger which stands up during general anaesthetic.

The book also describes how the family coped during the gradual deterioration of Mee’s wife Katherine due to a brain tumour and how they coped with her loss.”

Another reviewer says: “It is superbly written, filled with interesting titbits of info about animal and human behaviour, adventure, sadness and is sprinkled with humourous moments (I laughed out loud at least 20 times). I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend reading it.”

We’d love for you to join us; simply join the forum, leave a comment on the March book club thread to introduce yourself and get hold of a copy of the book. You don’t have to be a blogger to join in the fun, anyone can join in and the more the merrier!

P.S. Don’t forget it’s Pancake Day today. Let’s get flipping!