Some books I’d choose for the hypothetical cookbook book club:
1. When French Women Cook by Madeleine Kamman.
Perhaps the best should be saved for last, but this would also be a great beginning. I’ve never made one recipe from this book, (though I haven’t given up hope) yet it retains its spot on my shelf because it gives me such pleasure to read. Each chapter of the book bears the name of women who fed & inspired Kamman in her youth. In our club, each member would be assigned a chapter: “You be Mimi, I’ll be Henriette, you take Victoire. . .etc.” (quite a thrill for any male members of the group, no doubt) and each member would then try to reproduce one of the recipes, which include: Oxtails with Five-Onion Sauce, Lettuce and Sweet Pea Soup, Crackling and Walnut Rolls, Terrine of Pheasant with Morels and Foie Gras—to name a few. Certainly we’d encounter a lot of disasters and maybe, at our meeting, there wouldn’t be much we’d actually want to eat, but it would be fun, nonetheless, if only to pretend for a little while we were someone else in a kitchen a long time ago and far away.
And then, having paid our dues to the French, for our next meeting we would peruse:
2. The Spanishwoman’s Kitchen by Pepita Aras.
This delightful book is divided into the various regions of Spain: Andalucia, Galicia, Extremadura, etc. and full of regional specialties. There is a lot of good reading in this book, each chapter has a well-written introduction of the author’s experiences as she traveled, shopped, cooked and wrote her way through Spain. Oh, --and ate, too, of course. How could I forget that?
3. How to Eat by Nigella Lawson
Aside from the fact that this book is deliciously written, we could all for a while pretend we were the divine Nigella. At this meeting, we’d no doubt eat ourselves silly, while talking about the things we love to eat & why.
After indulging in Nigella, the next meeting would have to be more austere.
4. Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Victor-Antoine D'Avila-Latourrette
The chapters are divided by months, each month devoted to soups appropriate for the season, based on available ingredients. Lots of water, lots of vegetables. We could rent a room at the local nunnery for the meeting.
From the Monastery to the kitchen of the 1940’s housewife—with a maid & cook.
5. The Cook is in the Parlor by Marguerite Gilbert McCarthy
This book is so archaic, it’s a hoot. The chapters are divided by purpose—what to do if you’re cooking Sunday Morning Breakfast or for The Cocktail Party or if The Men are Wearing Black Ties. Or, God forbid, if you have to cook In A Bandbox! (From the context I gather this is some sort of small efficiency apartment in NYC.)
Imagine: “Emergencies may suddenly arise to confront any hostess. Your husband, like mine, may hospitably invite six extra guests for the very formal dinner you have had for twelve. And to make matters worse, he doesn’t even tell you he has asked them!. . .But don’t be disturbed. Remember, it is flattering to have a husband who likes your parties well enough to include everyone he meets. . .”
And you can clobber him later in private.
I'm sure there are many more books to add to the list; the only requirement is that they not be your run-of-the mill Better Homes and Gardens Best Recipes. They need to have a little, or a lot, of spirit.
2:25:35 PM 
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