*GUSH* aka "Why you should go buy Molly Wizenberg's book"

FYI: I am writing to you from my parents house - my temporary home until Matt gets back from tour. Moving is officially OVER! Well...at least for a short while.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg, of Orangette bloggy fame. I must admit, prior to picking up the book, I had not been a regular Orangette reader. I knew of Orangette, but I had just never stopped for a good look around. Then I started reading reviews of Molly's book on blog after blog, and I thought to myself, "Hmm, they must be on to something good."

After reading A Homemade Life, my conclusion is this:

WHERE THE HELL HAS MOLLY WIZENBERG BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!

Seriously. It is so terribly cliche, but I laughed, I cried and I devoured the book like a piece of chocolate cake after a three day fast.

Let me explain why Molly, and subsequently her book, is so awesome.

Each chapter is a short, autobiographical story. The way that she writes about her life experiences and the way that she writes about food are inseparable. Molly's prose is casual, like reading letters from one of your very best gal pals. The book has all of the lovely qualities of a great blog - terrific writing, but short and easy to digest. Each of the chapters culminate in delicious recipes. These recipes are very much main characters in Molly's life and her writing. So often at the end of each chapter I found myself thinking, "Dear God, that sounds so delicious, I want to go into the kitchen and make it NOW!"

*SPOILER ALERT*

The bottom line is that Molly is a like-able person, so, as a reader, I became very engrossed in her story. Tears literally splashed down my face onto the pages describing her father's painful battle with cancer. Then later on, I "HURRAYED" out loud when Molly gets together with her husband Brandon.

*SPOILER OVER*

Not convinced yet? Let me just throw out some titles of the recipes that I'm itching to try. Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger, Butternut Soup with Pear, Cider and Vanilla Bean, Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Apricots... Do I really need to go on?

Often throughout Homemade Life, Molly describes her late father as someone who had love and enthusiasm for life and everything in it. This is clearly an inherited trait, and Molly's zest for life and the kitchen is contagious.

So what are you waiting for? Go. Read. Cook. Laugh. Cry. Live life to the max.