The questions and discussion topics that follow are intended to enhance your reading of Attack of The Theater People, the hilarious sequel to How I Paid for College. We hope they will enrich your experience of this mesmerizing novel.

1. Edward gets a lot of advice from everyone around him, much of it bad. With which advice do you agree? If you were his friend, what would you tell him?
2. Edward pretends to be a lot of people. How does that relate thematically to the book?
3. How I Paid for College is a love letter to friends. What is Attack of the Theater People a love letter to?

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From The Most Decadent Diet Ever by Devin Alexander. I dreamed about eating a cake like this for years (both in my sleep and just rapid-fire thoughts during the day). I’m serious. I’m one of those “There’s no such thing as chocolate cake that’s too rich” types. I was dieting, but I would have to “cheat” with chocolate from time to time just to keep my sanity.

And then came this cake. It’s as rich as they come and I love it more than any other flourless chocolate espresso cake I’ve had. Plus, it packs six grams of fiber, so it really is guilt free!

If you really want to impress your friends, store some, unbaked, in the ramekins in an airtight container in your freezer. When you need a no-fuss dessert, pop them in the water bath and bake them 30 to 32 minutes. (more…)

Just as he is turning fifty, Ambrose Zephyr is told by his doctor that he has one month to live. Reeling from the news, he and wife Zipper embark on a whirlwind expedition to the places he has most loved or has always longed to visit, from A to Z, Amsterdam to Zanzibar. The End of the Alphabet is a timeless, resonant exploration of the nature of love, loss, and life. The questions that follow are intended to enhance your reading experience.

1. The book opens with an epigraph by Elizabeth Bishop, excerpted from her poem “Questions of Travel”: “Think of the long trip home/ Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?/ Where should we be today?” What do you think of this choice for an epigraph? Why is it significant? Look up the original poem if you wish. Is CS Richardson influenced by other aspects of this poem?
2. CS Richardson has called this book “a fable, a parable on the notions of love and loss and relationships, and how far you would go in the name of love.” How does the tone of fable impact the way you receive the ideas contained in this book? Why do you think Richardson chose to tell this particular story with nuances of the fabulous?

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The buzz around The Gargoyle continues across the blogosphere. Recently Sci Fi Weekly posted a review, as well as Historical Tapestry and Mary’s Writing House. However, a post at Unshelved caught our attention: a comic strip synopsis of The Gargoyle. Thanks to Bill and Gene for allowing us to use the image.

The Passion of Tasha Darsky draws readers into the glamorous and competitive world of classical music, capturing its harsh demands and its magical power to move performers and audiences alike. With rare mastery, Yael Goldstein Love offers a sweeping tale of female ambition, unflinchingly rendered in all its danger, confusion, and passion.

1. Tasha Darsky seems blessed with every advantage — beauty, brains, talent, money, fame. Did this make it harder for you to sympathize with her story? Do you think it would have been easier or harder to care about her story if it were told through the eyes of another character?
2. In what ways do you think Tasha’s parents shaped the woman — and the mother — she ultimately became? Do you think she’s fair to them when she recounts her childhood? What do you make of the scene beneath her mother’s partially hidden masterpiece? Do you think that moment of recognition was instrumental in guiding her later life choices, or did it simply present a convenient hanger on which to drape already existing tendencies?

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From Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges by Jean Georges Vongerichten. Serves 4.

The silky butternut squash puree adds a spiced sweetness to the crisp shrimp. This is an ideal starter for a fall dinner.

1. To make the pumpkin seeds: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with some parchment paper.
2. Toss the pumpkin seeds with the oil and salt. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, until golden and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.
3. To make the ginger syrup: Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and squeeze the ginger juice into the saucepan. Return the squeezed ginger pulp back to the saucepan and stir well. Cool to room temperature, then strain through a ­fine-­mesh sieve. Set aside.

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A love story inspired by The Age of Innocence, about a young man and woman thwarted by tradition and the fears of a world suddenly defined by tragedy.

1. How does the alternative life that Nasr imagines for himself affect his relationship with Farah? In your experience, has the ability to imagine a path not taken haunted your life?
2. What do you think of Nasr’s mother’s generation’s desire to push their children into arranged marriages?
3. In a love marriage, the desire to commit to someone for life comes after falling in love. In an arranged marriage, the opposite is true: with the commitment of marriage comes love. Given this difference, would a love marriage between Nasr and Jameela have been more successful than the arranged marriage he has with Farah? Can Nasr ever hope to develop feelings for Farah that are as strong as the feelings he has for Jameela?

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From the author of the 2007 Orange Prize finalist A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers comes a wholly original and thoroughly captivating coming-of-age story that follows a bright, impassioned young woman as she rushes headlong into the maelstrom of a rapidly changing Beijing to chase her dreams.

Read rave reviews from The New York Sun, Entertainment Weekly (A-), The Washington Post, and Salon.com. Read an excerpt at WSJ.com.