Vegetarian Cooking

**Our January novel is: Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan** **This month's featured novel is a 20th-century biographical fiction, coming-of-age, historical romance, women’s fiction, world literature, student biography, heartfelt, magic, and feel-good novel. The book is 311 pages in print and 7 hours and 8 minutes on audiobook.** 1950: Margaret Devonshire (Megs) is a seventeen-year-old student of mathematics and physics at Oxford University. When her beloved eight-year-old brother asks Megs if Narnia is real, logical Megs tells him it's just a book for children, and certainly not true. Homebound due to his illness, and remaining fixated on his favorite books, George presses her to ask the author of the recently released novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a question: "Where did Narnia come from?" Despite her fear about approaching the famous author, who is a professor at her school, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with C. S. Lewis and his own brother Warnie, begging them for answers. Rather than directly telling her where Narnia came from, Lewis encourages Megs to form her own conclusion as he shares the little-known stories from his own life that led to his inspiration. As she takes these stories home to George, the little boy travels farther in his imagination than he ever could in real life. After holding so tightly to logic and reason, her brother's request leads Megs to absorb a more profound truth: "The way stories change us can't be explained. It can only be felt. Like love."

Join the [Columbus Vegan Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/columbusveganmeetup/) on **Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 11:00 AM** at **1043 W 3rd Avenue in Grandview**! Come hang out and enjoy delicious pastries from this **all-vegan, family-owned** local favorite. Whether you’re a longtime vegan or just curious, it’s the perfect time to build your social circle and support a community business. See you there!

On a list of "My Favorite Things", few people would put a "break up" in their top ten. More often, these words evoke feelings of shame, embarrassment, poor choices, and bad or sad endings. Before the new and beautiful can be built, the old, broken, and unnecessary must be cleared away. This process can be painful, but it is good, needful, and can produce wonderful results when done wisely and well. How does one break free from anxiety, comparison, or shame? Christian Bevere points people to the freedom God desires for His children, as well as giving practical ideas on how to shed both unhealthy baggage and the lies that seek to leave us anchored to past failure. Drawing from the Bible, ***Break Up With What Broke You*** clearly shows that what Satan would seek to use for evil, God uses for good and to accomplish His purposes. Join us **Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 6:30 pm**, when we gather at **Panera Bread, 300 West Lane Avenue, Columbus, across from St. John Arena**. We'd love to see you there! Get your tickets on EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/break-up-with-what-broke-you-tickets-1970803869426 Check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/3496806620469488

Join us for lunch at True Food Kitchen in Easton as we celebrate the New Year and our friendships!

Join us for our January Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *Can't Spell Treason Without Tea* by Rebecca Thorne in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

I don't usually pick romance but I really wanted to do a Hanukkah book. It's a bit on the longer side but hopefully a quick read. The library only has 5 audiobooks so please try to remember to "release it" when you're done. Columbus libraries: [https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3503238](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3503238) Location: The Goat Riversouth [219 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215](https://www.google.com/maps?q=219%20South%20High%20Street%2C%20Columbus%2C%20Ohio%2043215%2C%20United%20States) [Menu](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/686d3ed16745133042482c5f/t/68ff654dbb03b96875430bde/1761568077220/all_brunch-20250311.pdf) Book summary: Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach. But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not *Christmas*. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg. Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.