Lately, it seems more and more books are being published that are based on blogs. Take for example, Julie and Julia, the book detailing Julie Powell’s blog about her attempt to "cook through" Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking — which also went on to become the first movie based on a blog. Or, consider I Can Has Cheezburger? An LOL Cat Collekshun by Eric Nakagawa, and its sequel "How to Take Over teh Wurld : A LOLcat Guide 2 Winning," both based on the hilarious LOL Cat blog.
The blog book that I’d like to introduce today, however, is called Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong by Jen Yates. I can’t remember who first brought www.cakewrecks.com into my realm, but whoever you are, thank you. I haven’t laughed this hard in my entire life.
The concept is simple: sometimes the cake you order from the bakery isn’t quite the cake you end up with. For example, when the baker asks what you’d like written on the cake, and you reply, "Nothing," you might be dismayed to find the word "NOTHING" written on your otherwise beautiful cake. Or when you ask for a cake that looks like Curious George, and it turns out looking like Teen Wolf, something doesn’t add up. Blogger Jen Yates began bringing photographs of these confectionery conundrums to our attention back in May 2008, and finally has a book out to commemorate the hilarity. The book doesn’t disappoint even the most faithful follower of the blog, with the majority of cakes being never-before-seen wreckage.
Jen’s running commentary throughout is brilliant. Sometimes, to appreciate a "wreck" in it’s fullness, you need a bit of a back story, which Jen doesn’t hesitate to provide when helpful. Some of the humor is off-color (no pun intended) at times, but the book mostly relies on wholesome human error.
I laughed (a lot), I cried (a little), and, more than once, I performed a facepalm. But, in the end, I found myself with a contented smile and a greater appreciation for the little things in life that go right, but could have gone horribly, horribly wrong.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Thank you! It’s always good to start the day laughing until I cry! The blog is excellent, and the book is on reserve.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Dan, I just looked at http://www.cakewrecks.com, which is far more funny than I could ever imagine a blog about cakes could be. If the book is even half as funny as the blog, it will be a tremendous read. Thanks for the laughs.