Friendship Bread - Darien Gee

Title: Friendship Bread
Author: Darien Gee
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 363
Date read: December, 2014

In the quiet community of Avalon, Illinois, Julia Evarts wonders how to move on with her life. Though her husband and five-year-old daughter give her an abundance of love, Julia still reels from a tragedy that has left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend. Meanwhile, across town, widow Madeleine Davis takes great pleasure in serving up delectable treats and cozy comforts at her tea salon - now, if only she had some customers to enjoy them. And famed concert cellist and recent Avalon transplant Hannah de Brisay finds herself at a crossroads when her career and marriage come to abrupt ends. The three strangers forge a friendship at Madeleine's Tea Shop, and soon their camaraderie extends to everyone in Avalon in the guise of a unique and wonderful gift. But even as Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.


I've been wanting to read this ever since I received "The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society" as an ARC a couple of years ago, and was thrilled to finally get my hands on it this summer.

Fortunately it lived up to my expectations :) While not quite as good as TALSS, it is still very much worth reading. There were times where I had to put it aside because I was convinced some of the characters were about to make wrong decisions, but last night I decided to just finish it already, and I was very gratified to see that my trust in Darien Gee wasn't misplaced, and that the characters ended up making the right choices after all :)

There's not much to it, but it's a cozy book that could easily become a comfort read.

Ikk' for sjov: om kemo og comedy - Geo

Title: Ikk' for sjov - om kemo og comedy
Author: Geo
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 240
Date read: December, 2014

Geo is one of the most well-known stand-up comedians in Denmark, so when he got hit by cancer a couple of years ago - or rather, when he was declared well again afterwards - he decided to use his voice to speak out about his experiences, in the hopes of offering some sort of help and comfort to others who were in his shoes. This book is his journey through diagnosis, chemo and recovery, interspersed with entries from his wife's diary, in order to give us her side of the story too.

Full disclosure - I am not a fan of Geo. He used to be hugely into physical comedy, which isn't really my cup of tea. But I had head so many good things about this book - and it's such an important topic - that I wanted to read it. I was drawn in immediately. That man can write! It was extremely engaging, and it was impossible not to feel for him, and empathize with what he and his family (including their 4-year-old daughter) were going through.

A very, very good book, and one I would highly recommend to just about anybody. Geo also did a stand-up show recently, focusing on cancer as well, and despite how I used to feel about his comedy acts, I now kind of want to watch that one as well. I have a completely new level of respect for him after this.