New Orleans

Have you ever seen a movie that was filmed on location, where the location was so much a character in the story that you just knew you had to visit there? Or, maybe you’ve read a book set in an exotic destination that is so expertly described that you’d like to be transported there on the spot?

For example, Anne Rice so poetically describes New Orleans that it’s hard not to go there and expect to see her vampire Lestat leading one of the nightly ghost tours. Jim Butcher makes a gritty city like Chicago seem like the most interesting place on the planet, especially when wizard Harry Dresden is your guide. Candace Bushnell makes New York seem like more than a city – it’s one of your best friends.

As a fan of J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter books, I think a trip to England would be a delight. Even though I’m a Muggle, I sure would like to have a tour of Harry Potter’s London and surrounding areas. I can’t believe that London hasn’t been crossed off of my travel bucket list yet, but I look forward to standing on Platform 9 3/4 (there’s actually a plaque in King’s Cross Station that denotes it), where I will imagine the Hogwarts express pulling into the station. Then, I’ll hire a car (because they won’t let non-wizards through the barrier to board the train) to take me to Oxford University and Gloucester Cathedral, where the scenes at Hogwarts were filmed for the movie versions of the book. I’ll head over to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer, which is actually Goathland, a village in Yorkshire.

Maybe Harry Potter books aren’t your cup of tea. Perhaps you are more drawn to books like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, and the movies that followed. A trip to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Square takes on a whole new meaning when you’re looking for statues of Angels to lead you to the Illuminati, just as Professor Robert Langdon did. There are several “official” and “unofficial” tours to be found in Rome for fans of the series, but either way, you’ll see some of Rome’s top sites while guides read passages from the books to remind you of their literary significance, as well as their historical significance.

Do you have a literary journey you’d like to take?

Sausage-Cream Cheese Swirls

One pound medium or hot sausage browned
8 oz. cream cheese softened
1 pkg. Pillsbury Butter Crescent Rolls

Combine browned, drained sausage and softened cream cheese in a bowl. Unroll the crescents in two sections and knead perforations together to form 2 square sections. Spread half of sausage-cream cheese mixture evenly on each section of crescents and roll into log. Freeze logs for about 15 minutes and then cut into 1/2 inch slices. Lay on ungreased cookie sheet and bake as per crescent directions.

Cheese Cake Cups

One Jello No-Bake Cheesecake
Cupcake cups
Desired toppings (chocolate chips, cherries, etc.)

Place cupcake cups in muffin pan (12). Mix Jello No-Bake cheesecake filling and crust as per directions on box. Press crust into each cake cup evenly and then add cheese cake filling on top of crust. Refridgerate till ready for use and top as desired before serving.

The meeting was a blast. We served the above goodies above plus crackers and cheese. We also served Merlot and White Zinfendel wines. We discussed the books we’de read over the past month and we decided on a monthly instead of bi-monthly meeting. The girls chose the books they wanted to read for the next meeting which are as follows:

Tammie L. chose Angels and Demons and The Di Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Enslave by Cathy Yardley, which was sent to CK from Book End Babes.

Sonya P. selected Darkfever and Bloodfever by Karen M Moning and The Host by Stephanie Meyer.
CK picked Doomsday Key by James Rollins for review and DJ picked Royal Exile by Fiona McIntoch and Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander for review.

The club’s next project will be a live, sit-down author interview that will be posted on the WebbWeaver blog during November.

Real Babes Read and Book End Babes Rock!