Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

I saw the preview for the soon-to-be movie of this book a few weeks ago and had to read it! Julie Powell is 29 and feels like she's yet to do anything with her life, when everyone within her circle that is within her age bracket has seemed to accomplish something. She is a temp for a New York office that is helping to build the 9/11 memorial, so on a daily basis, she is dealing with heartache. That makes for a depressing job, and a negative work day, everyday! Julie leaves the city for a weekend to visit her parents in Austin and has an idea as she is guzzling coffee and lamenting to her mother about the current state of her affairs. She begins thumbing through her mother's old Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook by Julia Child and decides that she will attempt to cook every recipe in Julia's famous cookbook, all the while writing a blog about her adventures in the kitchen. Along the way, Powell juxtaposes Julie's adventures and struggles with Julia Child's life in Paris.

Julie Powell could easily have been my older sister's forgotten twin. I say this because they both have a dry humor and wit that is gut-busting hysterical without being insulting. Julie's struggles with the bone marrow sauce have to be my favorite escapade in the entire book! "It feels like bone-rape" she says as she's trying to pry the tiny scrap of marrow from the bone. Sounds barbaric (and it is) but it is hilarious! Powell is an amazing writer and easily conveys her sarcastic personality within this novel. I would have loved to have more Julia tidbits, and found her rise to cooking fame very intriguing and inspiring. I can't wait to see the movie, but I would highly recommend you read the book before venturing into the theater! Here's the trailer for the film: