This Thursday’s Lunch at the Library program will cater to appetites for literature and delicious meals, Selma-Dallas County Public Library director Becky Nichols said.

The guest author, Betty Ruth Speir, will discuss her latest work “Come Cook with Me,” which has been described as “a witty compilation of poetry and home cooked recipes” by critics.

According to Speir, a gynecologist by training, she “traded her scalpels for paring knives.”

She said she enjoys cooking and entertaining.

Now that she has time, she said she “has substituted cooking classes for medical classes.”

Nichols, who said the program will begin at noon and offer an $8 lunch, said the monthly presentation has grown steadily.

“We usually have anywhere from 25 to 50 each time,” she said. “This one should be fun because she will discuss cooking. It’s just in time for Thanksgiving.”

Speir, Nichols said, has a very interesting approach toward discussing her books.

“She is a lot like Paula Dean,” she said. “She likes to cook and tell a story. It should be a really good time.”

Speir, who has relatives in Selma, will discuss recipes like her Braunsweiger Peppercorn plate; Sally West’s Croustades; Chilled Avacado Soup with Caviar; Frittata Alla Veneta; Issy King’s Shrimp; Tony’s Custard Creole Flan and Elmira’s Lane Cake.

For more information, call Nichols at 874-1725.