Book Launch: Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights
We are pleased to welcome Cookbook Author Aleksandra Crapanzano on Monday, October 20, at 7 pm in our Program Room, Radcliffe Building, Perrot Memorial Library, for the launch of her newest cookbook, Chocolat: Parisian Desserts and Other Delights. A follow-up and natural companion to her bestselling book Gâteau, which celebrated the casual cakes Parisians bake at home, Chocolat focuses readers’ attention on chocolate, decidedly France’s favorite ingredient. Aleksandra spent years living in Paris, and her recipes are blended with the history, personal memories, and first-hand experiences of a true insider.
In France, chocolate isn’t just a treat—it’s an everyday essential, and in Paris, an object of obsession. From the classic gâteau au chocolat, a nearly flourless cake that’s the little black dress of desserts, to whimsical creations like mousse au chocolat served in cones and lavender-scented tarts, Chocolat blends timeless French technique with playful Parisian flair. Equal parts cookbook, cultural dispatch, and indulgent inspiration, Chocolat is a must-have for anyone enchanted by the sweet life.
Aleksandra Crapanzano is a cookbook writer, screenwriter, consultant, and Wall Street Journal food columnist. Recipient of the M.F.K. Fisher Award for Distinguished Writing from the James Beard Foundation, and the Best in World Gourmand Global Cookbook Awards, Aleksandra is the author of The London Cookbook; Eat. Cook. L.A.; Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes; and now Chocolat. Her work has been anthologized, most notably in Best American Food Writing, and her recipes and essays may be found in most of the major magazines, including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Town and Country, and Bon Appetit, and online on Food52, Epicurious, and Goop. Aleksandra is married to the writer John Burnham Schwartz, and they live in New York City with their son, Garrick, and Bouvier des Flandres, Bison.
Registration is required. To register, click here.
Reserve a copy of the book through our catalog or order it from Athena Books.
For more information, contact Judy Sgammato at 203-637-1066 x15 or judys@perrotlibrary.org.
GPW Book Discussion: “Lonesome Dove,” by Larry McMurtry
If you’re a fan of Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove, join us on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 7 pm in the Program Room, Radcliffe Building, as we share our thoughts about this great book! Even if you read it many years ago, please join us. We want to hear from you! Doris Mady of Greenwich Pen Women (GPW) will discuss the book with GPW President Adrienne Reedy.
A love story, an adventure, and an epic of the frontier, Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America.
Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Native Americans, and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.
Registration is required. To register, click here.
You may reserve a copy of the book through our catalog or purchase a copy from Athena Books. Or bring your copy from your home bookshelf!
For more information, contact Judy Sgammato at 203-637-1066 x15 or judys@perrotlibrary.org.