Book Review: Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

Bread & Wine: Finding Community and Life Around the Table * Shauna Niequist * 9780310328179 * $18.99 HC ** Zondervan *** I was so bummed when I finished this book! Pun intended, I completely devoured every word, every chapter, every recipe. And in fact, within two hours of finishing it I had already made two of her recipes and ordered three copies of the hardcover book—two for gifts and one for me. My husband will not know about this purchase . . . I am already in trouble for having more books than I could read in a lifetime, and more keep arriving. Hazard of my job, I tell him. Anyway, back to Bread & Wine—this book paints a picture of the life I imagine and sometimes get to enjoy—family and friends around the table, creating and sharing beautiful and delicious food in every circumstance. Every vignette tells a story of real life--longing for a pregnancy to no avail while everyone around you seems to be pregnant, using food as comfort to an extreme, learning to cook, creating wonderful friendships around milestones. There is a recipe for each chapter, and they are written lovingly and with all sorts of encouragement; I even feel empowered to bake bread, which I have tried many, many times, with very little success! I had to have this book in my collection so that I can come back to the recipes time and again. Wonderful!! Thank you Ms. Niequist, Zondervan, and NetGalley!