Before we get into the winning book, let’s talk about the exquisite photo of the Austrian mountains pictured here. If you haven’t noticed yet, there’s a hiker that appears on the lower right which adds to the perfect balance of the image. (The pic was taken by an Austrian named Simon Berger.)
I would also be amiss if I didn’t include an Austrian cookbook featuring desserts since as this cookbook notes, “For Austrians, dessert is the culmination of any meal—the crowning achievement that can make or break a culinary experience.”
In this beautifully photographed cookbook, Austrian pastry master Toni Mörwald, and award-winning restaurant critic Christoph Wagner share the secrets to crafting over 500 perfect Austrian desserts. From Old World traditional dishes such as Linzertorte and Apfelstrudel, to contemporary and diet-conscious recipes, Austrian Desserts has it all. With easy-to-understand instructions, Mörwald and Wagner allow chefs of any skill level to create and serve:
Iced temptations for sultry summer days
Fresh berry roasts and pies
Crème brulées with an Austrian twist
A variety of flaked baumkuchen (layer cake)
Chocolates and candied confections
And so much more!
Sprinkled between these delicious recipes are tips and tricks from a kitchen connoisseur, suggestions for health-conscious substitutions, and notes on the traditional origins of numerous Austrian dishes.
BUT WHAT BOOK ARE WE READING FOR THE CLUB?
It’s the novel that’s the perfect example of "premise fiction," where the author introduces a "single extraordinary premise by revising the realism of an imaginary wall, but lets everything else in the story conform to what one might expect in the real world."
Currently included for free with an Audible membership!
While vacationing in a hunting lodge in the Austrian mountains, a middle-aged woman awakens one morning to find herself separated from the rest of the world by an invisible wall. With a cat, a dog, and a cow as her sole companions, she learns how to survive and cope with her loneliness.
Allegorical yet deeply personal and absorbing, The Wall is at once a critique of modern civilization, a nuanced and loving portrait of a relationship between a woman and her animals, a thrilling survival story, a Cold War-era dystopian adventure, and a truly singular feminist classic.
“Haushofer’s thought-provoking masterpiece stands as a touchstone for popular literary post-apocalypses by such authors as Emily St. John Mandel and Ling Ma and is certain to be a life-changing read for many.” —Library Journal
”A cult classic!” —The New Yorker
''The minimalist plot is enhanced by rich description and wise insight, and the translation succeeds in capturing the author's fluid, lyrical style. Recommended for general readers. —Library Journal
A haunting feminist sci-fi masterpiece and international bestseller that is “as absorbing as Robinson Crusoe” —Doris Lessing, Nobel Prize winner
(Group read suggestion from Beth McCrea, book club co-founder.)