For a respite from the crazy around us, my
suggestions for what to read, watch, and cook during April…
READ THIS
Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra
This book…..oh, this book! I bought it to read on a plane.
Thought it looked interesting and, furthermore, it was long enough that I
figured it would get me through the flight there and back. It did much more
than that.
This is one of those novels that grabs you by the shoulders,
pulls you in, and doesn’t let go, even after you’ve finished the last page. The
best historical fiction based on actual people and events takes what we know
from primary sources and fills in the details, offering us the chance to better
understand the past. George is a master when it comes to seamlessly incorporating
thorough—and accurate—research. She’s never didactic, but you will come away
from her retelling of Cleopatra’s life realizing that everything you thought
you knew about the last Egyptian pharaoh is, pretty much, wrong. If you’re like
me, you’ll also come away with a deep and abiding hatred of Octavian. You will
scoff at the mention of anything Augustan. You might, even, be inclined to take
scowling photos next to busts of the emperor. You will wish there was a way to rehabilitate
Marc Antony’s reputation. But most of all, you will fall madly in love with
this intelligent woman who the Roman historian Dio Cassius described as "brilliant...with
the power to subjugate every one..."
I bought this in hardcover. When it came out in paperback, I
bought that, too, so that my hardcover wouldn’t get too worn out. And now I’ve
got the e-book as well. Yeah. It’s one of those. Read it now; you won’t regret
it.
True story: When I was doing an event in Madison, Wisconsin,
I had my best-ever writer moment. Margaret George came to my signing. I have to
say it again. MARGARET GEORGE CAME TO MY SIGNING. I still get giddy whenever I
think about it. Funnily enough, a few minutes before she arrived I was singing
the praises of The Memoirs of Cleopatra to the booksellers…
WATCH THIS
The Misadventures of Margaret
OK, so this is a quirky movie that a lot of people hate. I
get that it stretches credulity to suggest that any woman would get irritated
by Jeremy Northam reciting love poetry to her, but don’t let that put you off. It’s
witty and fun and based on Catherine Schine’s satirical novel Rameau's Niece.
Which reminds me: I loaned my copy to someone and never got it back. Anybody
know where it is? I’ll love you forever if you return it. At any rate, Schine’s
story is a riff on Diderot’s Rameau’s Nephew, a deliciously witty philosophical
dialogue that might remind you a bit of Candide.
In the film, Margaret (Parker Posey) is a catastrophically
neurotic writer who, after penning a blockbuster bestseller, is paralyzed with
writer’s block. For the follow-up to her debut, she’s trying to adapt the 18th
century diary of a French philosopher and is getting nowhere until she travels
to France and discovers the truth about the philosopher’s relationship with the
beautiful, young woman he is tutoring.
The film bounces back and forth between Margaret’s world and
that of her book as she imagines the scenes she’s writing (often with
deliberate anachronisms from her own life). The strong supporting cast,
including Elizabeth McGovern, Brooke Shields, and Craig Chester, provide lots
of laughs. Northam nails his role as Edward, Margaret’s dreamy English
professor husband. In the book Schine describes the character thus:
"If he had been seated beside a rock, he would have
quickly begun an animated discussion of its layers of granite or sandstone or
lime, its life underground, its ocean journeys and aspirations for the future.
Intoxicated by this encounter, he would regale Margaret with tales of the
rock's history, which he would tell with such enthusiasm and such grace that
she would laugh and hope that some day she too might sit beside a stone at
dinner. And the stone? It would sigh and bask in its newly realized glory, its
importance and beauty, necessity and dignity: I pave roads and build towers, I
form mountains, I rest on the throats of gracious ladies!"
Don’t try to tell me you don’t want to watch Northam be this
man; I’ll know you’re lying.
It’s a fun romp, always eccentric, occasionally sly, and
often silly. But go with it; you’re bound to laugh at least once.
COOK THIS
Buttermilk Scones
I’m sure none of you need me to explain why we all need a
great scone recipe. This is my favorite, adapted from Baking with Julia. Yep.
More Julia Child. Because she’s the best. In this book, she brings in master
bakers to contribute, and Marion Cunningham is the genius behind this recipe.
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ sticks (6 oz) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (approximately) buttermilk
Zest from one good-sized lemon
Set aside an additional half stick (2 oz) of melted butter
to brush on the scones
Preheat oven to 425
In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder,
baking soda, and salt together with a fork. Add the cold butter pieces and,
using your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the
mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. It’s OK if some largish pieces of butter remain—they’ll
add to the scones’ flakiness.
Pour in 1 cup buttermilk, toss in zest, and mix with the
fork only until the ingredients are just moistened—you’ll have a soft dough
with a rough look. If the dough looks dry, add another tablespoon of
buttermilk. Gather the dough into a ball, pressing it gently so that it holds
together, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead it very
briefly—a dozen turns should do it.
Roll dough, using a light touch, until it is ½ inch thick.
Using a biscuit cutter, cut out the scones. I generally use a 2-inch round
cutter, but you can choose whatever size you prefer. Place the scones on a
parchment-covered baking sheet, leaving space between each, and brush the tops
with the melted butter.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until both the tops and bottoms
are golden (time will partly depend on what size cutter you used, so keep an
eye on them as they bake). Transfer scones to a rack and cool slightly.
They are spectacular warm with butter on them, or at any
temperature with jam and cream. Obviously, you will need tea with them…
