The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J Ryan Stradal

June's Official Book Club Pick: The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

I’m pleased to announce that it is our official June Pick for this year.

Get your copy of this month’s book club pick:

Buy the book on Amazon.

Buy the book on Audible.

Money-saving tricks for reading this month’s book pick:

• You can get the book from your library.
• The Kindle version is cheaper than the paperback AND you can save money on the Audible version if you own the Kindle copy! I love to use the Amazon Whispersync feature to go back and forth between audio and digital reading.

What Is This Month's Book About?

"A novel of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate and the secrets of making a world-class beer, from the bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest.

Two sisters, one farm. A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living. So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself."

Read the full description of the book here.

Discussion Questions for The Lager Queen of Minnesota

I think the best book club questions help members to connect with one another on a personal level.

While you're free to discuss the specifics of the plot of the book, here are a few great personal questions to help you get to know each other better based on The Lager Queen of Minnesota:

You can download the full discussion guide here and then print it to have handy.

1. Do you enjoy beer? Have you ever visited a local brewery? Did this book make you want to?
   
2. Which sister’s story did you most enjoy? Do you relate to one more than the other?
   
3. Have you ever worked in a male-dominated industry or workplace? Do you feel Helen’s storyline was accurate? How about Diana’s?
   
4. What advice would you give to Edith as a young woman?
   
5. The sisters don’t talk to each other for decades, can you imagine something similar with your family?
   
6. Have you ever visited Minnesota or know anyone from there? Do you feel the portrayal of Midwestern people is accurate?
   
7. If you were going to brew your own craft beer like the grandmas, what would be your flavor?

Fun Midwestern Recipes

I think it is so fun to plan your book club dinner menu or dessert list based on the theme of the book.

This month's book club obviously takes place in Minnesota and other spots in the Midwest.

Plan a few classic Midwestern recipes as fun treats to enjoy while you're reading this month's pick or to serve at your book club party.

Plan a family dinner with my Minnesota tater tot hotdish and an authentic Minnesota salad called Snicker Salad.

Or enjoy a cozy Instant Pot chicken wild rice soup that tastes just like the one at Grandma's Saloon & Grill in Duluth, MN.

Bake a batch of hot pretzels and or my easy seasoned pretzels and serve them with a homemade raspberry mustard dip.