Gardner, Sarah

PERSONAL: Married; husband's name Jim; children: James.

ADDRESSES: Home—Sarasota, FL. Office—Literary Gathering, P.O. Box 5087, Sarasota, FL 34277.

CAREER: Literary Gathering (newsletter), Sarasota, FL, founder, publisher, 2002–. Also employed at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

WRITINGS:

Read It and Eat: A Month-by-Month Guide to Scintillating Book Club Selections and Mouthwatering Menus, Hudson Street Press (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Sarah Gardner is the founder, publisher, and author of Literary Gathering, a popular bi-monthly newsletter dedicated to bringing together reading and cooking. Gardner founded the newsletter in 2002, and has since received favorable mentions in such publications as Bon Appétit, Buffalo News, Oakland Press, and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Gardner's first book, Read It and Eat: A Month-by-Month Guide to Scintillating Book Club Selections and Mouthwatering Menus, furthers the efforts of her newsletter, providing lists of suggested reading material appropriate for book clubs and combining her recommendations with menus that are thematically matched to each title. Susan Hurst, in a review for Library Journal, called Gardner's effort "a crowd-pleasing guide that will be popular with book groups and cooks alike." Writing for USA Today Online, Bob Minzensheimer opined that "Gardner's recipes are more appetizing than many of her discussion questions." However, Grace Riker, in a review posted on the Pelican Press Web site, found that "lots of good reading, good eating and good discussions are to be had with this creative collection." Additionally, Booklist contributor Mark Knoblauch commented that the meal suggestions are "not intimidating to anyone with even modest kitchen skills."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 2005, Mark Knoblauch, review of Read It and Eat: A Month-by-Month Guide to Scintillating Book Club Selections and Mouthwatering Menus, p. 1880.

Library Journal, June 15, 2005, Susan Hurst, review of Read It and Eat, p. 93.

ONLINE

Pelican Press Web site, http://www.pelicannews.com/ (November 20, 2005), Grace, Riker, author profile and review of Read It and Eat.

USA Today Online, http://www.usatoday.com/ (November 20, 2005), Bob Minzensheimer, review of Read It and Eat.