I don't remember why I was in the book store (probably because I was near the bookstore... I'm like that... Books Inc. gets a serious amount of my disposable income...)
What caught my eye about the cover: 1) the cover art has both a photo of an old fashioned recipe box (the kind like grandma had, with index cards, and preprinted divider cards) as well as the photo of a woman with the covers pulled up over her head. Which captures how I often feel on days when I've got people coming for dinner, that 'why did I think this would be fun?' feeling you get when you realize you've not only got to cook dinner, but shop for the food and clean the house - the last being an activity you've neglected for a frightening amount of time, leaving you on the day of the dinner party with a frightening house.
I also liked the name, since it also captures my generic 'yikes what was I thinking?' feeling on days I've got people coming over.
Lastly, I've always had a soft part for fiction that includes recipes since I read Nora Ephran's Heartburn and baked her peach pie recipe.
Hi there. I just came across your post. So glad you enjoyed Nancy Spiller's novel. If you're interested, she recently published her food memoir, Compromise Cake: Lessons Learned from My Mother's Recipe Box (Counterpoint/November 2013). I'm working with Nancy to help her connect with readers, so if you'd like a copy for review, just say the word!
ReplyDeleteIt's a thought-provoking holiday read with unique recipes, sure to scratch the holiday reading itch for mothers, daughters and all women who struggle with the concept of compromise and how the bad and good compromises we make define our relationships with our family, loved ones, and the world at large. Not to forget, the book features some fantastic mouthwatering holiday recipes. In fact, Nancy was just featured today on the Home & Family Show on the Hallmark Channel for her special family fruitcake recipe.
One of my favorite parts in Compromise Cake though are the photographs of Nancy's mother's hand-written recipe cards. It reminded of the wonderful tradition of family recipes being handed down from generation to generation, and by the same token, I realized that we're gradually losing these heirlooms as most people now resort to sharing recipes digitally. What a tragic loss of both culinary and reading culture!
Hoping to hear from you when time is yours. For more info on Nancy Spiller, visit: http://www.nancyspiller.org
Warm regards,
Julia Drake
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CEO/Director, Julia Drake Public Relations (JDPR), www.juliadrakepr.com, 323-304-2433, @juliadrakepr