Sadly, no cameras to record the food and the fun but we had a great turnout, despite some sorely missed compadres as Jane, Mark, Jennie, Doris and Gill were unable to join us.
Eamonn "3-dos in one night" managed to stay with us longer than expected for champagne and the annual Secret Santa book exchange but Shubha (with guest chauffeur and chef-extrordinaire Sanj, the pork-king), Alex (chef du salad accompanied by pastry chef Davis), Carl (the evening's veritable Mr Kipling), Nathalie (contributor of the cheese (edibles, not conversational)), Jen (hors d'hoevre queen and sous chef) and guest Brian (honourable chess-loser) were in it for the long haul through: tasty pastries; smoked chicken, pomegranate and pecan salad; roast pork, sausages, glazed ham, dauphinoise potatoes, buttered shredded sprouts, roasted butternut squash with pecans and blue cheese; Brazilian Pudim and Bakewell Tart; and, finally, cheese (or depending on the guest preference, cheese and, finally, Brazilian Pudim and Bakewell Tart) all of which was washed down with Champagne, Reisling, Pinot Noir, Port, Whisky and sparkling lime and mint refresher (the latter Nathalie's by choice and Shubha's less happily!).
As is traditional, only after all of the food and most of the alcohol had been consumed did we turn our attention to the book of the year awards so, with no further delay, the BoOkSCARS (and, boy, were we scarred by some of this years books!) go to:
Book of the Year:
City and the City, a narrow winner up against: Travels with My Aunt, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Messiah, although we failed to record the official runner up.
Blooper of the Year:
The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Blue Bear, a popular, by which we mean unpopular, winner in the most fiercely fought category this year with strong showings from: Empire of the Ants and Kiss of the Spider Woman and an honourable mention for Boxer Beetle, although the latter was never really a contender (boxing joke alert!).
Best (Good) Character:
(Female) The Aunt, Travels With My Aunt (the only unanimous decision of the night)
(Male) Lt. Mamiya, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Best (Bad) Character:
Mr Stoll, Don't Look Now and Other Stories
Best Venue of the Year:
Brindisa, Kiss of the Spider Woman
Most Apt Venue:
The Criterion, The City and The City (not to be taken as a recommendation but awarded for the staff who unsaw us and the unseen 8 people for whom we were charged)
Most Shocking Moment:
The skinning alive, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Most Gripping / Haunting Moment:
The death of John at the hands of the dwarf, Don't Look Now
Most Disappointing Book of Promise:
Kiss of the Spider Woman
2011 could be a contender for worst book-year to date. Let's raise a glass to 2012, we do, after all have Great Expectations for it.
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