The Spellman Files
by Lisa Lutz
Tuesday, August 18
6:00 p.m.
Combined Book Club Potluck #10
All three Halifax *adult* book clubs -- Evening, Afternoon and Mystery Readers -- joined together to enjoy a pot luck supper on a warm August evening. A buffet featuring regional New England favorites took everyone’s mind off of the current week’s relentless heat wave.
A traditional Holmes Pot Luck Punch with lemon and orange sorbet provided seasonal color and refreshment along with a selection of icy sparkling beverages.
An extensive buffet featured hot and cold main courses, salads, and finger sandwiches. Broccoli crunch, tricolor pasta, macaroni, chicken, green and fruit salads were paired with fresh bread and butter.
Hearty fare included fried green tomatoes, sausage with green peppers and onions, macaroni and beef in tomato sauce, and Laurie’s special chicken enchiladas (Ex-Boyfriend #9's specialty from the book). Pinwheels and chicken salad sandwiches offered even more choices.
After supper everyone adjourned to the Library’s reading room for the book discussion and desserts: frosted cupcakes, blueberry lemon squares, banana cream pie, country peach pie, and more Pot Luck Punch.
Club members agreed that the book was a good summer read. Some members said that it was boring and repetitive but they were interested in the story, anyway, even though some of the characters grated on their sensibilities. The quirky Spellman family dynamic and the eccentricities of individual members generated a lot of discussion. Readers did not agree on the point of the story, the likeability of characters or the surprise ending. One member commented that “It’s hard to write good humor.” Most confessed that they had laughed out loud while reading even though they weren’t certain about the plausibility of events.
A lively discussion ensured about what was a lie and when is okay to lie. Were those lies actually evasions and playing a game? This led to members dredging up memories of childhood and adolescent escapades and lies that had everyone in gales of laughter. Some questioned whether those memories were truth, lies, or embellishments. Perhaps the truth is stranger than fiction!
Thank you to all who participated in Book Club Potluck #10, and to those who couldn't attend, we missed you and hope to see you at Book Club Potluck #5 this winter! We welcome all your comments and thoughts on The Spellman Files, the food, the punch, and book club members' misspent youths! ;)
