I enjoyed this, although it was kind of gloomy. The mention of similarities to Jan Karon made me think it could be a good Christmas present for Mitford lovers, but I think the cast of characters is unconventional enough that it won't be a good choice for those who are uncomfortable with lives that don't mirror their own. ( )

I loved this book. It took me two chapters before I realized it was switching narrators every time. Once I had that down, I was intrigued by whichever character was speaking. I always love it when recipes are included and this book has plenty that I want to try! Plenty of drama goes on in this book because it mirrors real life in a small town. Plenty always goes on in a church, also. The characters are often loveable and so real but also so funny. Great read! ( )

I wouldn't call this book heartwarming. Bittersweet, yes. Heartwarming, no. For a variety of reasons I related most to Louise. I've known families torn apart by Alzheimers or Parkensons disease. I enjoyed the book through the first 2/3 and then much like Breath Eyes Memory, the book went on an abrupt tangent mostly for shock value. I don't think either book needed it Finally, the moral of the story doesn't need to be spelled out with the bogus recipe at the end.

Now for a great recipe (unless you have peanut allergies, inwhich case, you'll need to make a different icing)

Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting:

4 cups flour
6 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shortening (or corn oil)
2 cup sugar
3 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2 cup chocolate chips
1 1/3 cup milk

For the frosting
Peanut butter (1 to 2 tbs)
confectioner's sugar (roughly half a box)
milk (1 to 2 tbs)

For the cake:
1) Mix the dry ingredients except for chips and set aside.
2) In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk and vanilla
3) Dump the wet mixture into the dry mixture bowl and mix thoroughly with a large wooden spoon until the mixture is only slightly lumpy. DON'T use an electric mixer or the chips will fall to the bottom.
4) Fold in the chips
5) Pour mixture into two heart shaped greased cake tins
6) Bake at 350 F for roughly 1 hour.

For the icing:
1) While the cake is cooling...
2) Pour roughly half a box of confectioners sugar into a bowl.
3) Depending on how much you like peanut butter, put one or two table spoons into the bowl.
4) Carefully pour one table spoon of milk into the bowl and mix. Add a little milk at a time until the icing is a spreadable consistency

Of course if you can't eat peanuts, leave out step #3. It will be a nummy white icing instead.

Enjoy! This cake recipe is our family's traditional birthday cake going back 3 generations. :) ( )

-- A community member gave a copy of FRIENDSHIP CAKE to my library's paperback exchange section. In its pages readers meet the members of a North Carolina church cookbook committee. Each chapter begins with a recipe submitted by a churchgoer. Committee members share their joys & sorrows. FRIENDSHIP CAKE includes bi-racial & lesbian relationships as well as heterosexual. Occasionally I like to read a book about women & friendship. Hinton is a North Carolina pastor as well as bestselling author. -- ( )

This is a lightweight, easy read.with a fairly explicit message. Obviously written from a 'christian' perspective and is a story about women whose common connection is a church, and yet it isn't too preaching to be enjoyed by non-church-goers. It's romance, in the sense that all major issues turn out OK in the end, although to Hinton's credit, there are clearly some underlying problems which are unresolved. Lynne Hinton won't be getting any Pulitzer Prizes, but I suspect she'd be quite a good pastor. ( )