two for the price of one

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I watched the movie first, and this is one of those rare occasions where I'm really glad I did it in that order. I knew going in what to expect, which was not a book about cooking, but a humorous navel-gazing book about finding a passion and sticking to it. I wish there had been more about Julia Child, but that's really my only complaint. Sure, Julie does some things that are deplorable - most times, I felt awful for her husband, and sometimes, I really didn't like the author and would have loved to say a few things back to her, but overall, this book made me laugh more than it made me cringe, and even the cringes were worth it.

View all my reviews >>

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If you read Time Traveler's Wife, think about all of the bits that tore you apart inside. Don't think about the romance, though that was wonderful - think about the miscarriages, the loss, the parts that made you want to cry. Amplify those gut wrenching bits from 40% of the book to 70%, replace a time traveling husband with ghosts, twins, a cemetery, and an incredibly screwed up family, and you'll come close to Her Fearful Symmetry.Note - if you take a drink every time you read the word "Victorian" in the first 20 pages, you'll have to pick the book up days later after you've sobered. Otherwise, this was the most satisfying book I've read in a very long time. And every character gets exactly what she deserves.

View all my reviews >>