“To All Middle-Aged Women! Live vicariously (as we did) through the lives of Miriam and Kate while they renew their friendship and revitalize their sexuality during a tryst in Malaysia with their selected paramours. Recipes included!”
Terri Matheis & Kristin Powell, www.sassypinkpeppers.com
A culinary novelist finds her hungry audience online. For the full article, click here.
From the first sentence I could tell this book was filled with life, originality and a love for cooking. As cookbook author Miriam Levy tries to decide between a low-fat and regular cheesecake the story of her life unfolds in all its vibrant detail. If you start to get hungry while reading this book, the recipes have all been included at the end of the chapters. When she travels to Malaysia with Kate McGrath we even learn how to make macaroons.
Cooking for Love has the flavor of a reality TV show and moments of warmth that seem so genuine, you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. There are innumerable twists and turns that make the story very unpredictable.
Sharon Boorstin’s energetic writing style is infused with witty remarks and secret thoughts. As Miriam Levy is falling into her change of life stage, she seeks solace in the adventures of her best friend. As she escapes from an avalanche of family situations, she runs straight into the arms of danger itself.
If you love the Bridget Jones series or adore books with recipes and delicious descriptions of sexy recipes, then this book will find a way into your heart. I found myself laughing and generally more amused by this novel than I have been in a long time. The choices the characters make seem to enhance the fantasy elements and while Kate’s adventures are not explained in detail, Miriam Levy has some passionate dreams and sensual longings. Contains a few erotic twists and is at times a feast of reality itself. At times it is so real, I forgot I was reading a novel.
Looking forward to reading: “Let Us Eat Cake.” This authors writing style really appeals to me because it is infused with energy and decadent descriptions.
~TheRebeccaReview.com
Author of Moonbeam Moths
Author Interview: Sharon Boorstin
Sharon Boorstin author of Cookin’ for Love: A Novel with Recipes; iUniverse (2005) is a pleasure to speak with for three reasons: she is a self-made woman grounded in the values of food, family and friendship, (not necessarily in that order) who writes humorously about issues germane to women in their 40’s and 50’s, and has accomplished her goals by embracing technology in a creative way that you will enjoy reading about.
Read the full interview here.
From the first sentence I could tell COOKIN’ FOR LOVE was filled with life, originality and a love for cooking. As cookbook author Miriam Levy tries to decide between a low-fat and regular cheesecake the story of her life unfolds in all its vibrant detail. If you start to get hungry while reading this book, the recipes have all been included at the end of the chapters. When she travels to Malaysia with Kate McGrath we even learn how to make macaroons.
Cooking for Love has the flavor of a reality TV show and moments of warmth that seem so genuine, you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. There are innumerable twists and turns that make the story very unpredictable.
Sharon Boorstin’s energetic writing style is infused with witty remarks and secret thoughts. As Miriam Levy is falling into her change of life stage, she seeks solace in the adventures of her best friend. As she escapes from an avalanche of family situations, she runs straight into the arms of danger itself.
If you love the Bridget Jones series or adore books with recipes and delicious descriptions of sexy recipes, then this book will find a way into your heart. I found myself laughing and generally more amused by this novel than I have been in a long time. The choices the characters make seem to enhance the fantasy elements and while Kate’s adventures are not explained in detail, Miriam Levy has some passionate dreams and sensual longings. Contains a few erotic twists and is at times a feast of reality itself. At times it is so real, I forgot I was reading a novel.
Looking forward to reading: “Let Us Eat Cake.” This authors writing style really appeals to me because it is infused with energy and decadent descriptions.
~TheRebeccaReview.com
POD-dy Mouth
Wading through the sea of Print-on-Demand titles, one overpriced paperback at a time—and giving you the buried treasure.
Monday, April 18, 2005
COOKIN’ FOR LOVE, by Sharon Boorstin (iUniverse Star)
For those (so many) people that have asked if I write chick lit, here is the answer: no. I don’t like to read chick lit. I find it formulaic and, more often than not, insulting. Even the covers are predictable.
That said, let me introduce a most worthy book: COOKIN’ FOR LOVE by Sharon Boorstin. You might call it chick lit—if your chicks are 49 years old. Maybe this is the vague “hen lit” that people tell me is becoming/was hot. Who knows. In any case, this book is anything but formulaic or insulting.
COOKING tells the story of Miriam Levy, a cookbook author who has (as you can guess) fallen head first into (the end of) mid-life. When her best friend googles an old flame, gets in contact with him and ends up wanting to travel around the world to reignite the fire, Miriam comes along and the adventure gets spicy (ba dump dump.)
The writing is light and fun and full of life and is far better than any of the chick/hen/mommy/girl/slut lit that I have (been forced to) read over the years. Ms. Boorstin is a clever writer and manages to incorporate food in the most creative way (the recipes are available at the end of each chapter.)
But there is another interesting (and admittedly self-serving) substory here: Ms. Boorstin’s first book, LET US EAT CAKE, which was released in 2003—not by iUniverse, but by HarperCollins (ReganBooks) and sold vigorously. So why did COOKING go POD? According to Ms. Boorstin’s website, the publishers found the 49-year-old protagonist an unlikely winner among readers—because readers can’t identify with 49-year-olds. Of course—we all know mature women are not readers; they’re out clubbing. How about the fact that this author had a built-in following of readers? If her first book had sold 100,000 copies, the protagonist could have been 89 and it would’ve been published, believe me. But a print run of, say, 5,000 is not as appealing. When POD becomes the standard print mechanism, no one will care anymore.
What would have happened had POD not come in to save the day (and this book from a lightless desk drawer?)
I think we all know the answer.
posted by yours truly: PODdy Mouth at 7:16 AM
Since its launch in September 2004, Kirkus Discoveries has received hundreds of submissions, from self-published books to books from large publishing houses to out-of-print titles from corporate imprints. From poetry to novels to children’s books to academic treatises, the variety of books flowing into the Kirkus Discoveries offices seems to be limitless.
Many of the books that Kirkus Discoveries has reviewed so far have not been “discoveries” so much as, well, disappointments. Our hope is that our reviews of those have at least been constructive. Within the rough, though, we’re gratified to have found several diamonds. Thus, here, in the inaugural Kirkus Discoveries monthly newsletter, we present 15 of the books we’re happy to highlight. They include a book that a major publisher bought after it was reviewed by Kirkus Discoveries and an unpublished manuscript that we hope will not go unpublished much longer.
Chick-lit grows older and wiser. Food writer Boorstin, author of Let Us Eat Cake (reviewed in the February 1, 2002, issue of Kirkus Reviews) serves up a concoction, more dessert than entrie, that exuberantly mixes the sweet things in life love, friendship, family, and plenty of spice.
Forty-nine year old narrator Miriam Levy is an L.A. wife, mother, and with cookbook author ( someone who enables the author to get the By credit ). Her friend Kate, also 49, is divorced, rich and unsettled. Eric, Kate s first love, was the Swiss guide on the girls college trip to Europe in the 70s. Of course, Kate, itching for adventure i.e., a love affair for old times sake Googles Eric, with resounding success: Naturally, he s now the Swiss Ambassador to Malaysia, and jackpot! he s never forgotten her. Steamy e-mails ensue, itchy condition worsens, and Kate s off to Kuala Lumpur, attempting to drag along the always cautious, very reluctant Miriam, as support and partner-in-midlife-antics. Miriam remains stalwart in her refusal until her eldest daughter, a TV reporter, announces she s pregnant and expects Miriam to raise the baby; Miriam s aging mother, who lives in Buffalo, wants to move in; and failed screenwriter husband Alan continues to ignore her. Miriam s soon on the plane. In Malaysia, attempted assault, a kidnapping, and other zany adventures the two women face hit the picaresque high marks, avoiding, in true chick-lit fashion, somber reminders of life s real dangers. Kate finally hooks up with Eric, as his suspicious, pesky, dumpy wife mills about. And Miriam is wooed by Vijay, a rich Indian doctor she met on the plane. A widower, Vijay proposes marriage to a very tempted Miriam. (Alan, remember, isn t the fun fellow he used to be.) The twists, turns, and revelations of life and love pile wisdom on top of wisdom and leave Kate and Miriam waxing wistful. Though inspired by a true incident . . . involving Boorstin and one of her best friends, this is an adult fairy tale (albeit with very real recipes). Happy endings may just be in the works.
A ruefully witty love story, more for dames than babes.
(Note: Kirkus Discoveries originally reviewed Cookin’ for Love as a self-published iUniverse book. Since then, iUniverse has selected it as the inaugural title in its new “Star” program, which provides full editorial service and retail distribution for the the iUniverse books that have top-shelf editorial quality and proven marketability.)
COOKIN’ FOR LOVE: A Novel With Recipes
By: Sharon Boorstin
Publisher: iUniverse Star (277 pp.)
Pub Date: May 2005
Price: $17.95 paperback original
ISBN: 1-58348-233-4
Exuberantly mixes the sweet things in life—-love, friendship, family, and plenty of spice.”
“Chick Lit for the aging baby boomer and beyond. Hold the baby bottle, pass the cheesecake.”
“An irresistible romp.”
“Thelma and Louise 20 years later.”
“Delicious doses of food, love and sex will leave you craving second helpings.”
“A delicious confection that you’ll want to devour to the last page.”
“Recipes sprinkled throughout add a delicious dimension to the tale.”
“Will resonate with women in their 40s and 50s, whether they are long-married, remarried, single or divorced.”
“Fulfills all the requirements for a great beach read. Gave me giddy goosebumps.”
“Boorstin leaves no balabusta behind when it comes to adventure.”
“A middle-aged woman’s fantasy trip.”
“A delicious story with all the trimmings of humor and womanspeak.”
“A great read with a luscious layer of naughtiness.”
“Boorstin writes humorously and honestly about the issues of women in their 40s and 50s.”
“Has the flavor of a reality TV show and moments of warmth that are so genuine, you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.”
“As irresistible as a really good chocolate cheesecake!”
“A charming book that shows how food nourishes the soul and stirs reminiscences.”ss=”spacer”>
—-Bon Appetit
“A charming homage to women’s camaraderie. There are treasures to be found in this likeable baby boomer memoir.”
Weekly
“A tantalizing memoir, recipes included, of food, family and friends.”
—-The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
“The heart of Boorstin’s book is the stories; the recipes are, simply, the icing on the cake.”
—-Jewish Woman Magazine
“In the mold of Ruth Reichl’s ‘Tender at the Bone’ comes Boorstin’s charming autobio/cookbook hybrid.”
—-Entertainment Weekly Magazine
“It’s a book you’ll want to share with your mother, send to your high school buddy.”
—-The Indianapolis Star
“The literary equivalent of Proust’s Madeleine.”
—-Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Julia and Paris Sweets
“A charming celebration of four decades of culinary Americana.”
—-Faye Kellerman, author of The Forgotten and Day of Atonement
“Sharon Boorstin serves us a collection of elicious recipes and fascinating stories.”
—-Marion Cunningham, Author of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
“Think Ya-Ya Sisterhood, but younger, in the kitchen.”
—-BN.com
“Reminds us all of the simple happiness and contentment that the friendship of women can add to our lives.”
—-Evan Kleiman, Co-author of Cucina Fresca and Cucina Rustica
