Meetup @ the Library

Please register through the library and let us know what you're bringing. Call 860-828-7126 or register online: https://berlinpeck.org/events/2025-05-cookbook-club/

Do you enjoy flipping through cookbooks to decide what to make?
Do you search through recipes for inspiration?
Come join our monthly book club, featuring cookbooks! Just register, pick a recipe from the specified cookbook, make the dish on your own, and then gather for a feast. While you eat, you can discuss the cookbook, its recipes and the process of choosing what to make and how to make it. We will aim to evenly distribute the recipes among starters and sides, main courses, and desserts.
You do not need to be an experienced cook, just an enthusiastic one!

## How Do I Participate?

1. Register for the program.
2. Visit the Adult Reference Desk to view the cookbook and pick a recipe. Some copies are available to borrow.
3. Let us know which recipe you picked. You can call, email, or visit in person.
4. Then bring in your dish for a fun potluck!

## About the Book

This month’s cookbook is The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100 by Dan Buettner.
Best-selling Blue Zones Kitchen author Dan Buettner spent years uncovering the Blue Zones–the five places around the world where people consistently live to or past, 100–and sharing lifestyle tips and recipes gleaned from these places. Now, creating your own Blue Zone at home is easier than ever, thanks to plant-forward recipes in this inspiring book–all developed right in our own backyard.
Buettner shares recipes from four American food traditions perfectly matched with the Blue Zones concepts for a longevity diet. From a Gullah Geechee stew of okra and benne seeds to a Cherokee succotash, Buettner reveals the healthy origins of America’s culinary heritage–and a multitude of delicious ways to improve your health, extend your life, and fill your plate with joy.


This is an online event. Please register through the library's website for access: https://berlinpeck.org/events/author-rachelle-bergstein-how-judy-blume-rewrote-childhood-for-all-of-us/

You’re invited to an online intimate conversation with bestselling author Rachelle Bergstein as she chats about her newest book, The Genius of Judy. This book takes an expansive look at Judy Blume’s life, work, and cultural impact, focusing on her most iconic—and controversial—young adult novels, from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to Blubber.

## About the Book

Everyone knows Judy Blume.
Her books have garnered her fans of all ages for decades and sold tens of millions of copies. But why were people so drawn to them? And why are we still talking about them now in the 21st century?
In The Genius of Judy, her remarkable story is revealed as never before, beginning with her as a mother of two searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban New Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoughts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales, Blume explored the pillars of the growing women’s rights movement, in which girls and women were entitled to careers, bodily autonomy, fulfilling relationships, and even sexual pleasure. Blume wasn’t trying to be a revolutionary—she just wanted to tell honest stories—but in doing so, she created a cohesive, culture-altering vision of modern adolescence.
Blume’s bravery provoked backlash, making her the country’s most-banned author in the mid-1980s. Thankfully, her works withstood those culture wars and it’s no coincidence that Blume has resurfaced as a cultural touchstone now. Young girls are still cat-called, sex education curricula are getting dismissed as pornography, and entire shelves of libraries are being banned. As we face these challenges, it’s only natural we look to Blume, the grand dame of so-called dirty books. This is the story of how a housewife became a groundbreaking artist, and how generations of empowered fans are her legacy, today more than ever.
Register now for a conversation you don’t want to miss!

## About the Author

Rachelle Bergstein is a lifestyle writer, author, and editor, focused on style, pop culture, and families. Her work has appeared in the New York Post, The New York Times, NPR, and more. She is the author of three books: Women from the Ankle Down, Brilliance and Fire, and The Genius of Judy. She lives with her husband and son in Brooklyn. Find out more at RachelleBergstein.com.