I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti Book Review And Giveaway

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I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti

By Giulia Melucci

Grand Central Publishing

Category: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Format: HARDCOVER BOOK

Publish Date: 4/8/2009

ISBN: 9780446534420

Pages: 288

From the publisher – From failure to fusilli, this deliciously hilarious read tells the story of Giulia Melucci’s fizzled romances and the mouth-watering recipes she used to seduce her men, smooth over the lumps, and console herself when the relationships flamed out. From an affectionate alcoholic, to the classic New York City commitment-phobe, to a hipster aged past his sell date, and not one, but two novelists with Peter Pan complexes, Giulia has cooked for them all. She suffers each disappointment with resolute cheer (after a few tears) and a bowl of pastina (recipe included) and has lived to tell the tale so that other women may go out, hopefully with greater success, and if that’s not possible, at least have something good to eat. Peppered throughout Giulia’s delightful and often poignant remembrances are fond recollections of her mother’s cooking, the recipes she learned from her, and many she invented on her own inspired by the men in her life. Readers will howl at Giulia’s boyfriend-littered past and swoon over her irresistable culinary creations.

“I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti” is a book about a woman who loves cooking and used it in many facets of her life. Throughout the years covered in the book she is inspired to cook by numerous men but ends up with none of them. Her writing style is warm and inviting, drawing the reader in like a simmering soup on a cold day. Her story is funny and held my interest. It’s light reading, the kind that’s easy to put down and pick up without losing track of the story. I love the way she mixes real recipes in with her story. The recipes sound delicious and are all written in everyday language and call for regular food items. She’s the kind of person that can make a gourmet meal out of three unrelated items in a cabinet. I wish I could do that. Her recipes were named for the events happening in her life at that time, so some of them are pretty funny. I mean, how can you not chuckle at “No Nookie Gnocchi”, “Pear Cake For Friends With Benefits”, “A Salad That Failed to make a Perfect New Year’s Eve” and “Spaghetti and Meatballs for Cooking Sluts and those Who Love Them”. There’s “Kit’s Drunken soup”, which just cracks me up.

If you’re into personal stories or if you’re a foodie you might enjoy this book.

WIN IT!

THREE winners will each receive their own copy of “I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti”.

FYI – I’m giving away another 2 copies over on From Val’s Kitchen.

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

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THE SMALL PRINT.

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.