Monday, March 16, 2015

Bon Appétempt - Amelia Morris

Bon Appétempt:
A Coming of Age Story (with Recipes!)
Title: Bon Appétempt: A Coming of Age Story (with Recipes!)
Author: Amelia Morris
Publication Date: 2/3/15
Pages: 320
Genre: Memoir / Food / Nonfiction
How I Found It: Bon Appetempt blog!
Date Completed: 2/15/15

Summary: Amelia Morris, writer and founder of the Bon Appétempt blog, shares her coming of age story. She covers everything from her parents' divorce to her own marriage and foray into parenthood. Along the way, she shares how she came to love her time in the kitchen and some recipes she holds close to her heart. 

What I Thought: I have been reading the Bon Appétempt blog for, well, ages now. It was probably one of the first blogs I started following regularly. When I blogger you enjoy writes a book, it feels weirdly personal. As if the author is a friend or, at least, periphery acquaintance. When Amelia started prompting her book on the blog, I knew I wanted to read it. Thanks to NetGalley, I had that chance much sooner than expected.

The book was really enjoyable. The subtitle captures it exactly: "A Coming of Age Story (with Recipes!)." Morris shares everything from her early childhood days to her current life as a new mom. I expected there to be more about food in the early parts, but Morris didn't really come to her love of cooking until later in life. I could definitely relate to that.

I also really related to her struggle to figure out her niche career-wise and find the right job. Watching both her and husband Matt attempt to reconcile their creative pursuits with the need to pay bills rang so true for me. Props to them both for not giving up and sticking with their creative dreams. I feel that's an area in which I have and do give up far too easily.

Morris's story held a lot of true-to-life emotion and she pulled no punches when it came to struggles with her family or disappointments. I have to admit, there were a few times I found myself wondering what her family thinks of her words about them. She delivers that all those thoughts with a beautifully vulnerability and a delightful wit, softening what could otherwise come across as critical.

If you are not already reading Bon Appétempt the blog, I really encourage you to do so. Morris just had a great post early this week about how she's still not sure what exactly the direction of her blog is and how she continues to anticipate evolution therein. She's a great writer and has a lot of fun as well. You'll see it in the blog, and you'll see it in her book.  

Quote I Loved: "I love cooking dinner for my husband and myself and then eating it while watching House Hunters International. I'm realizing that that's OK." 

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Will I Re-Read: Yeah, possibly

A Reduced Review: Exactly as advertised: Morris shares her journey to both adulthood and a love of life in the kitchen with genuine emotion and a delightful wit. 

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