This is so me!

After I finished my last post, I saw this quote and had to post it.

The last book I read, The School of Essential Ingredients, made me feel exactly this way. The fact that the quote is from Colin Firth is just a bonus in my opinion!

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

Fiction - 4 stars

In her debut novel, Erica Bauermeister creates a captivating story in which the main character, respected chef and restaurateur Lillian, finds and then tries to instill love and know-how of the sensual and healing aspects of food in others.  Through a season of Monday evening cooking classes in her restaurant, she teaches her students to look inside for inspiration and "feel the food" that they want to make. The novel also highlights the story of each of her students, sometimes painful and sometimes not. Bauermeister's words seduce the senses, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this quick and satifying read. While this would be the perfect book club selection for adults, I think anyone with an interest in cooking or food would love it.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Fiction - 5 stars

Our February book club selection, Pride and Prejudice, is probably my favorite story of all time. The story is of Elizabeth Bennett, 2nd daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett of the British landed gentry. She is a girl with gumption. In the story, she meets Mr. Darcy, a proud aristocrat who immediately turns her off, and she doesn't mind telling him so. However, she uses such manners and grace in telling him that he is drawn to her spirit despite her dislike and initial refusal of him. As he seeks to win her respect, he in turn makes her fall deeply in love with him. (I know this is a spoiler, but if you don't know the story of P&P, you need to crawl out from under that rock!) Neither of these characters is a pushover, and both have intelligence, integrity, and are incredibly loyal. These characteristics are what make me love them so. I highly recommend this book to everyone!