Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously

Very cute, worth the read even if you saw the movie. ( )

Julie Powell is just your average, bored secretary in New York City. As she approaches her thirtieth birthday, she's feeling extra dumpy. Faced with few prospects and a mother nagging her about her biological clock, Julie is looking for a change. But what?

One night after an especially soul crushing day, Julie whips up a simple potato soup that just happens to be Julia Child's recipe for Potage Parmentier. And just like that, Julie and her husband come up with an idea. Why not cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck and blog about it? It was a win-win idea. Not only would they get to eat French food, but Julie would learn cooking techniques, and be able to write about it. And so, the Julie/Julia Project was born.

But as with Potage Parmentier, the project wasn't as easy as it sounded. Cooking 524 recipes in one year would prove to be hard work. Julie worked full-time and ingredients were sometimes hard to find. Little by little, people began to read her blog. And despite her use of snarky, foul language, brutal honesty, and some mean spirited comments, Julie began to learn. Not only did she learn about French food, but through taking chances and trying new things, like eggs, she began to grow as a person. The result is humorous a book about being yourself and perseverance.

The Bottom Line: Although the concept is interesting, Powell's liberal use of foul language and whining was difficult to read through. As she writes about herself, her friends, and her family, Powell seems to have no filter. She complains throughout the book; and yet there are a few interesting observations and, of course, tantalizing tidbits about Julia and Paul Child before Julia became a celebrity chef.

At the time she worked her way through Julia Child's recipes, blogging was new and perhaps being able to connect with readers near and far was a novelty. Stories about Powell's friends make the book mildly entertaining. Was the Julie/Julia Project a stunt or was Powell serious about French cooking? No one can say, but the author. Some fans of culinary biographies might enjoy this.

For the complete review including Book Club Notes, please visit the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Julie Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saved her soul!

I read this book around the same time the movie came out - because the movie was so funny!!

I know I shouldn't laugh, but watching Julie try to cook was hilarious at times.

And Meryl Streep's version of Julia. That was funny as well. Her accent was hilarious.

The book had some wonderful recipes in it - and some not so good recipes.

I absolutely detest escargot, and mushrooms and sushi... ( )

Adult nonfiction. Read by the author, pretty well done. ( )