Fiction Book Club (August)

Our general fiction book club pick for August is Butter by Asako Yuzuki. Meetings last about an hour and discussions are led by one of our staff bookworms. This is a casual, no-commitment book club. There is no fee but we'd appreciate you buying the book club book from us or making another purchase of your choice while you're here. This will help us keep events like this going. Copies of the book are available for purchase now in the store. Swing by soon or reserve your copy online here: https://threebellsbooks.com/item/Vus7kAU5V3WnZ_ruFb_vEw

About the book:

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer, and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story

There are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back. Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a master class in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that Rika might be the one changing. Do she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought? Inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer—the “Konkatsu Killer”—Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

You may also like the following events from Three Bells Books:

• This Monday, 7th July, 12:00 pm, Silent Book Club (Early Session) in Mason City
• This Monday, 7th July, 04:30 pm, Silent Book Club (Later Session) in Mason City
• This Wednesday, 9th July, 05:30 pm, Historical Fiction Book Club (July) in Mason City

Also check out other Food & Drink events in Mason City, Workshops in Mason City, Meetups in Mason City.