Sunday, November 30, 2014

Food, Food, Glorious Food

 Title: Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous
                                      # of Pages: 234
                                      Author: Kathryn Williams

                                      Previous Work: (YA not done under her pen name)

                                     The Debutante

                                     The Lost Summer
                                       
                                     Summary: Sophie Nicolaides has worked in her family's
                                     Greek-Italian Restaurant all her life. She feels like she ready
                                     for a new challenge- becoming a "real" chef.  The reality
                                     show Teen Test Kitchen will give her the chance to prove her
                                     mettle as a chef. However once the show starts, distractions
                                     are everywhere. Can Sophie rise above it all to win the
                                     competition?

                                     Rating: This book is a 4. The recipes definitely made it.
                                     Awards: None

                                     Opinion: I chose to review this particular book because
                                     everyone knows Thanksgiving is all about food. So what
                                     better Thanksgiving book can you have, than one about a
                                     cooking competition? The book was kind of like a cross
                                     between Masterchef Junior and Food Network Star. I really
                                     liked the recipes in the book and it was a quick read. It was
                                     nice and thankfully not frustrating, like certain competition
                                     books. My one complaint is that it really wasn't about love
                                     like it was advertised.

                                                              ********Bonus********
                                                         Interview with Kathryn Williams:

                                    1. What would you say is your favorite book, short story, or 
                                    essay that you've written in your entire life?

                                    That's kind of like asking a mom which is her favorite kid,
                                    which is impossible:) Working on a book is hard because I
                                    love it, clearly, or I wouldn't be writing it, but then I also
                                    kind of hate it, especially by the time I'm on my tenth draft.
                                    But then when I'm done, I can't help but have some affection
                                    toward it.That said, I probably think most fondly of my
                                    second book, The Lost Summer. Maybe because it's set at a
                                    summer camp, which was a special place to me growing up
                                    (still is). But I had the most fun writing Pizza, Love, and 
                                    Other Stuff that Made Me Famous. My research essentially
                                    involved messing around in the kitchen, watching TV, and
                                    stuffing my face.

                                    2. What was your favorite childhood book?

                                   Another hard one. I loved Anne of Green Gables. I was just
                                   talking about that series with a friend because I'm going to
                                   Nova Scotia this fall and want to go to Prince Edward, where
                                   it's set.

                                   3. What is your favorite book as an adult?

                                   It changes often and as I read more books. There's a book by
                                   Donna Tartt called The Secret History that I think is amazing
                                   -- suspenseful, dark, and beautifully written.

                                  4. What was your inspiration for "Pizza, Love, and Other 
                                  Stuff That Made Me Famous"?

                                  I love to cook, and I also love watching cooking competition
                                  shows. In another life, I would have been a chef.

                                 5. Since this post is being published around Thanksgiving,
                                 what is your favorite part of the feast? If you don’t have 
                                 a feast for Thanksgiving, what traditions do you have?

                                 I'm from the South originally, so I have to say sweet potato
                                 casserole (no marshmallows) and green bean casserole (lots of
                                 fried onions).

                                6. What are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving?

                                I am getting married (or will be married, when this comes out!)
                                in October, so I am thankful for my new hubby. He's pretty
                                awesome.

                               7. Is there anything else you’d like to say to readers of your 
                               books?

                               I'd like to say "thank you" about a million times over. I also 
                               encourage readers, if they enjoy a book, to reach out to the
                               author, like you did. For many of us, meeting readers through
                               email or in person (or snail mail -- I love getting written letters 
                               and pin them above my desk) is the best part of the job. 

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