Cooking Through Fiction: Van Ripper Olykoeks

In The Wishing Thread, the Van Rippers live in Tarrytown, and they don’t live there unnoticed. In fact, there are some who say they are angels and some who say they’re swindlers. Why? Because the Van Rippers are thought to be able to weave magic into their yarn designs.

Need a new job? Maybe you could ask them for a new sweater to wear to an interview. But beware—in order to receive this gift, you’ll have to relinquish something very precious to you. What, might you ask? Only you can answer that. What would you give up in order to have what you desire?

Cooking Through Fiction – Eleanor & Park's Stromboli

Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park is about first loves. Do you remember your first crush or your first love? Do you remember when making a mix tape for someone meant you were serious? It took a lot of time to gather all your cassettes together and stop and start the record button at just the right moment. I don’t know what people do now … make iTunes playlists? Will that make someone as giddy as a mix tape?

Do you remember when you could stay on the phone for hours? When you would be half asleep but still refuse to hang up because there was someone special on the other end of the line and just hearing that person breathe was enough? When your ear was red and hot from smashing the phone against your face just to hear that person breathing? The things we do for love…