Thanks so much to everyone who joined in for Month 1 of the Pink Carnation Read Along!  I’m thrilled to announce that it’s time for Book II: The Masque of the Black Tulip!

I can’t lie.  We’re not supposed to have favorite children, but The Masque of the Black Tulip has always been way up there on my personal favorites list.  I love Hen and Miles– and, of course, ginger biscuits.  So I’m so excited to re-read this with you!

Join me and special guest co-host Tasha Alexander on Thursday, April 1, as we discuss favorite couples of espionage and all things Black Tulip!

I know this is our March book, but it seems very Miles to have our book club meeting on April Fools Day instead.  (Also, I was booked solid with Band of Sisters events.  Details, details.)

Just click here to register.  After some issues with the Eventbrite link not going live for folks last time (I am SO sorry for all technological snafus!), I’m  using a different registration system which will email the Zoom link directly to participants.  Fingers crossed that works better!

Also, I promise not to leave anyone stranded in the waiting room next time.  Someone else will be handling that for me, because I have now learned that I cannot, apparently, mind the admin stuff and talk at the same time.  Again, I am SO sorry.

And now on to the important stuff: snacks!

Black Tulip snack: ginger biscuits!  Because Black Tulip wouldn’t be Black Tulip without the ginger biscuits.

Here’s the link to the wonderful ginger biscuit recipe Christine shared for her Pink Carnation cookery series low these many years ago.

I’ve been searching in my recipe folder for the ginger biscuit recipe I was using way back when I wrote The Masque of the Black Tulip, and managed to deeply confuse myself by unearthing not one, but three recipes from that era.  I have no idea which is the real Black Tulip ginger biscuit (will the real Black Tulip ginger biscuit please stand up?) so I may just have to have a ginger biscuit bake-off and bake these one a week all month and post the recipes and results here.

Do you have favorite ginger biscuit recipes to share?  Should I do a ginger biscuit bake-off post where we can all trade recipes?  Let me know what you think!

Black Tulip drink: a kir royale with way too much kir.  I discovered this one the hard way at last month’s Zoom book club meeting when I was trying to make a kir royale and poured out my kir with a somewhat heavy hand, resulting in a dark purple drink that is a) very sweet, and b) looks deeply Black Tulip-y.

Black Tulip non-alcoholic drink: Henrietta decrees lemonade acceptable.

Now that we’ve gotten the food and drink out of the way, here are some background materials for your amusement:

• Get the scoop on your romantic leads with this Pink Carnation Who’s Who. (Just click on Henrietta and Miles in the sidebar.)
• Locate your favorite characters on these Selwick, Balcourt, and Wooliston family trees.
• Want to learn more about early nineteenth century England and the world of the Ton?  Here’s some suggested background reading.
• Curious about the scenes that didn’t make it into The Masque of the Black Tulip?  You can find outtakes here.
• Need something to listen along to while you read?  Try the Black Tulip playlist!
• Compare favorite Black Tulip quotes–and jot down your own to share later this month!– with the long ago Pink Carnation Quotation Compendium project.

Check back here later this month for ginger biscuit bake-offs, my favorite quotes (and yours!) as we re-read, and photos of Black Tulip in the wild.  Please do share lots of photos on Instagram and Facebook!  Just tag me and add #pinkcarnationreadalong.

Is there anything else you’d like to see that I’ve forgotten?

Brush off your copies of The Masque of the Black Tulip, grab that plate of ginger biscuits, and let’s get reading!