Book Review: Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

I initially picked up Julie & Julia because I was interested in seeing the movie. I’ve been conducting my own cooking project at home this year, and I instantly related to Julie’s plight – How do I stick to my project’s goals without going insane? My project is a lot less intense than Julie’s. I’m trying one new recipe a week for the year – it was my New Year’s Resolution. Julie was cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. That’s a lot of food. It’s at least a recipe every day, and a lot to catch up on if you miss a few days in a row.

Julie & Julia covers the start of the project, and how a passing thought turned into a year-long quest. Julie cooks desserts, veggies, whole live lobsters, beef marrow, and even learns to de-bone a duck. She gets interviewed by mainstream press, gains loyal followers on her blog, and learns about herself in the process.

I really enjoyed the book. I found myself instantly relating to Julie’s stumbles and I felt I had an intimate understanding of her small victories. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys cooking and experimenting with new recipes or cooking techniques – a lot of this will feel very familiar.

The book is a quick read and definitely worth the time. I bought it in paperback at Barnes & Noble on impulse, but it’s also available on the Kindle