Book Club Dinner Ideas Novels & Stories

—Aiden got all pinkish at the top of his cheekbones—“helped me come up with something you would like.” “Maybe I should go out with him.” “I would strenuously object.” She unwrapped the book and burst out laughing. It was a folio society edition of Rebecca. The restaurant turned out to be a wood cabin built on a traffic island near London Bridge. Inside, it was clean and unfussy, all grown-up shades of brown, and books everywhere—there was even one on their table, a copy of Eros the Bittersweet. And it turned out the whole deal was about telling stories through food. Which she… yeah. Cheesy or not, she loved it.

DIXIE THUMBED THROUGH THE book, the group's conversation washing over her. Book club night usually energized her. It was a bi-monthly opportunity to be in a room full of women she counted as friends. They'd selected a paranormal book this time, and though Dixie had tried she just couldn't get into it. Hear head and heart were stuck in the real world and no amount of sexy werewolf shifter could fix that. Shonda leaned over and gestured at Dixie's plate. "Are you done with your dinner?"

“You have to give it some time. You were with Amelia about the same amount of time I was with Marcus. I just think that this will take some time to get used to. Be thankful you weren’t married with assets and a child to sort out.” “You have a point there. So why don’t we change things up and do dinner or something instead of coffee?” “Fine, if you promise to not make it another pity party. Maybe you can come over for dinner next Tuesday. Charlie has a Cub Scout activity so I'm solo for most of the evening.” “Great! What can I bring...some wine maybe?” The overt eagerness that is evident in his voice alarms me. “Sure, maybe bring a bottle of red but Ryan, you do know this is just two friends

I continued coughing into my hand, trying to clear my throat. “Not that kind of date.” Carter rolled his eyes. “A date for a dinner meeting. Damian and Grace are having a couple of our allied pack alphas and their betas over for a yearly meeting. To make everything more light-hearted they always have it as a dinner with… well with their mates.” As soon as he said the word mates I instantly started shaking my head. “Carter, no. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I stood up and took my food to the trash can, Carter on my heels.

"Maybe... maybe we could ask my parents to watch Lily for a few hours each week? Give us some time to reconnect?" Cathy's face lit up at the suggestion. "Ooh, yes! We could have date nights again. I've been dying to try that new restaurant where they serve everything on tiny furniture. It's like eating in a dollhouse!" I raised an eyebrow. "Is that... sanitary?" "Who cares?" Cathy exclaimed. "It's adorable and I*******m-worthy. That's all that matters." Taylor chuckled, shaking his head fondly. "How about we start with something a little more traditional? Maybe dinner and a movie?"

While we walked down, I could still hear the discussions of other parents in the background. “So,” Derrick said after a moment, “do you think we should celebrate the fact that our kids have not declared war on each other this week?” “Celebrate how?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Something like Dinner,” he said casually. “All four of us. Somewhere kid-friendly but with decent food. You know, for the grown-ups.” I hesitated. Derrick was still bent on having dinner with me no matter what. Even though the kids were going to join us this time around, it does not change anything.

What do you want? "I am sorry; is this a bad time to call?" "Not really," I murmur, and she sighs. "I was just wondering if you'd like to have dinner with us; we have a club where we meet once a month to catch up, and I think..." "You think that now that I am making rounds on social media that I am finally going to get used to you? You want me to come so everyone knows you know and hang out with Mrs. Vexley?" I said, and she gasped. I can’t believe I was about to think that going out to dinner with them would be a good idea.

“Then be careful and be brave. Those two things can coexist.” They sat in quiet for a minute, letting the jazz fill the space between them. Then Amber straightened, smile returning. “So. Changing subjects before I turn into your mother. The next big charity dinner is in three weeks—Pediatric Cancer Research. Black tie, rooftop at the Met. You coming?” Irene laughed. “Only if you promise not to let me get cornered by any vineyard owners looking for a new wife.” “Deal. I’ll be your human shield. And Jude’s flying in that week—he’ll probably charm the whole room and make everyone forget we exist.”

“Now, what will be the itinerary for the evening?” “Itinerary? You mean like games and stuff?” Selena asked with confusion. “No. We mean what time do you want before dinner drinks to be served or do you want them served at all?” Bruce asked. “Or will we have after dinner drinks?” Trevor asked. “But, I do like the idea of playing games.” “Maybe next year,” Bruce interjected. “This dinner is too important to try a new tradition.” “What do you guys usually do?” Selena asked. Trevor chuckled. “We usually drink all evening. We have before dinner drinks and after dinners drinks, and late night dinner drinks,” he said with a big grin.

Dinner was a mix of our favorites—grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce, roasted rosemary chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, and Naomi’s signature apple crisp for dessert. But food wasn’t the point. The real magic happened in the conversation. Peter told the story of how he met Leah’s mum at a bookstore—both reaching for the same old poetry anthology. Alex added in a teasing tale about Leah pretending she didn’t like him on their first date. Naomi and Beatrice talked about raising daughters with fire in their bones. Even Aurora chimed in with a dramatic retelling of how her stuffed bunny got stuck in a tree. At one point, I looked around the table and just… paused.