Friday, November 20, 2009

They Bake Cakes

As I try out my new format, I've been trying to consider what ties my recent reads together and how to group them for review. This batch was easy, as they all focus on baking (and life).

Set in post-genocide Rwanda, Baking Cakes in Kigali: A Novel by Gaile Parkin is the story of cake baker Angel. Everyone around comes to her for her brightly colored cakes (it's funny that the characters think our traditional white wedding cakes are BORING!) when they have a special event. Parkin tells her story through Angel, she is a natural sounding board for her clients and we get to know the various characters and how their lives have changed since the atrocities. Parkin has the ability to write about horrible subjects with a light hand, making this an accessible book. It is simply a novel, one that happens to be set in Rwanda. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Many thanks to Bantam Dell for this review copy.

Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker is Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of how she left the Hollywood rat race (she worked for her sister...get it...Bullock) to open a small bakery in Vermont with her husband. I enjoyed Bullock-Prado's voice, her straight talking, no-nonsense style appealed to me and made for a quick and fun read. While the greatest appeal of this memoir is probably for those who enjoy time spent in the kitchen (there are recipes!) , Bullock-Prado speaks to all who wonder if they dare to follow their dreams. Many thanks to Broadway Books for this review copy.


Fellow blogger, pastry chef, and Paris resident David Lebovitz has written a funny and charming book, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City, encompassing a few of my favorite subjects - food, cooking it, eating it, shopping for it, and Paris. I've read a number of 'American moves to Paris and is surprised by how different things are there!' books, and had high hopes that this one would cover some new ground. I was happily satisfied. I loved Lebovitz's dry sarcasm and stories of his adventures in Paris, foodish or not. Lebovitz has included recipes at the end of each chapter and I'm looking forward to trying his dulce de leche brownies and chocolate yogurt snack cakes.

These folks are not the only ones who bake cakes! I do too. We have a birthday coming up next week, number 8, and The Girl wanted Molly's lemon yogurt cake. That's my girl. But. Can you imagine if I serve this to a bunch of second graders and they !gasp! didn't eat it and I had to throw it away? I would cry. So we have agreed on cupcakes for friends and lemon cake for the household. Good plan.

12 comments:

bermudaonion said...

It sounds like you've been doing some good reading lately!

JoAnn said...

All three of those are on my wish list. Isn't it fun when a group of books has a common theme? Happy 8th Birthday to your daughter, too!

Nan said...

I remember when the bakery opened there was a lot of press because Sandra Bullock came and helped out. It isn't that far away, and we really should take a road trip and visit.

Ti said...

I like this format and grouping like books together is brilliant.

Andi said...

Oh my! I'm especially fond of baking, and my family have turned into a bunch of cake show junkies in general. I'm always up for foodie books, and the Bullock-Prado is looking especially promising!

Rebecca Reid said...

I really enjoyed the Baking Cakes novel too. And I've heard good things about the others.

That's awesome that your daughter appreciates good cakes! I'm with you on the cupcakes....save the good stuff for the family...

Tara said...

Kathy, yes, I really have!

JoAnn, really? Loving cooking like I do, I tend to fall into this sort of theme regularly. Thank you for the birthday wishes!

Nan, apparently Gesine has left the bakery and it's open under new management. The workload was very demanding and I think the weather may have gotten to them too.

Ti, thank you!

Andi, those shows are fun!

Rebecca, she really does like good cake - I've noticed she doesn't like frosting on commercial cakes -but she always eats mine (homemade).

Bybee said...

I'd cry too, if the lemon yogurt cake went uneaten...that would be criminal!

I'm getting closer and closer to buying an oven...

Tara said...

Bybee, totally! An oven, yes, I do find that necessary!

Les said...

Molly's lemon yogurt cake sounds so good! I remember when you first posted about it and I'm not sure if I had the book at that time or not. I do now and I really need to get crackin' and give it a read. If nothing but to sample that recipe. Mmmmmm!!! Great post, Tara. So good to have you back. :)

Nan said...

Ha ha! The weather! And it would 'get' to me if I had to live in sunny CA. :<)

Tara said...

Les, we love it around here. I think I'll be making it again next week for my bookclub.Thank you!

Nan, I love the sunny but not the hot. Blech. I could live in fall weather all the time.