Julie & Julia

Summary: 

Powell needs something to break the monotony of her life. So, she invents a deranged assignment: She will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," and cook all 524 recipes in the span of just one year. (summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

 Review: 

Julie & Julia was fantastic.  Her self-deprecating humor and tendency for hyperbole had me laughing out loud.  With many kitchen disasters under my belt, I could 100% see myself in many of the ridiculous scenarios she found herself in the pursuit of finishing all the recipes.  Does she go over the top?  Yes, but that is also what adds to the hilarity.  The first thing I did after finishing this book was to pick out the recipe for beef bourguignon in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and got cooking with my mom.  As in all things, we probably had more fun cooking than eating the final product, but it was a great adventure.

The book balances stories about Juila Child, the cooking, real life and her own family’s cooking history.  The combination is refreshing and an entertaining combination.  As an aspiring regular writer, I also loved the many panic-induced moments about THE BLOG and handling the chaos that comes with putting forth an opinion to the Internet. All in all, it was a fun book that I recommended to everyone.

Rating: 4 stars! 

Who Should Read It?  Cooking enthusiasts, blogging enthusiasts and anyone who can relate to the panic of “not doing enough”.