Barney's Online Book Club Discussion -- August 2009

Welcome to the second discussion post of Barney's Online Book Club! This month we are discussing Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. Below are questions to start the discussion, feel free to raise your own questions in the comments section. Please note that the questions and the comments sections may include spoilers! Read at your own risk. Please also note that I will be commenting live tomorrow night at 7pm EST. Anyone online at that time is welcome to join me!

Let the discussion begin!

Discussion Questions:

1. How did you initially feel about Julie and the Julie/Julia project? Did your perceptions of Julie change during the course of the book?

2. What do you think was Julie's true motivation for the Julie/Julia project?

3. Do you feel that all of her family and friends were supportive of the project?

4. Did anything in the book surprise you?

5. What were your impressions of Julia Child's dislike of the Julie/Julia Project? Do you think Julie handled Julia's dislike appropriately in the book?

6. What were your overall feelings about the book?

Review -- Julie and Julia

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
by Julie Powell
Little, Brown and Company, 2005
307 pages
Barney's Online Book Club Selection -- August 2009

Summary: Julie is unhappy with her life. So she decides to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking over the course of one year.

Review: This book was not what I anticipated. I thought it would be Julie's account of cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking and all the crazy kitchen mishaps that happened along the way. It is that and so much more. Julie feels stuck in a dead-end job, is nearing thirty, and is concerned about her ability to have children. So she decides to take on a project to help her feel more fulfilled. The project ends up changing her life. Julie Powell's account of her year of cooking is entertaining, revealing, and down right funny. There were times when I was reading and unsure of the point she was trying to make (such as connections between cooking and The Joy of Sex or Buffy The Vampire Slayer), but eventually she makes her point. Through these analogies you feel like she is a friend telling you an interesting yet complex part of her views on life. This book is an interesting memoir, filled with funny stories of Julie's family and friends and the year in which she completed the impossible. I only wish there was more then a glimpse of Julia Child's life, although you do feel the connection that Julie has with her. Rating: **** out of 5.

**** On Sunday, August 30th, there will be a discussion of Julie and Julia on Barney's Book Blog. All are invited. Click here for more information!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Currently Reading:
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (discussion is Sunday, August 30th -- all are invited!)

Destined for an Early Grave by Jeanniene Frost (good, but so far not my favorite of the series)

Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker (almost finished, review this week)
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Want to play along? Go to J.Kaye's Book Blog and join the fun!

Julie and Julia Discussion Reminder!

Just a quick reminder that there will be a discussion of Julie and Julia by Julie Powell on Barney's Book Blog on Sunday, August 30th. I am hoping to have the discussion questions posted on Saturday night. After the questions are up, everyone is welcome to post comments or questions of their own. I am going to try blogging live on Sunday night from 7-8pm EST, so anyone who is near their computer at that time is welcome to join me for a real time chat. Any questions? Just email me at jedziedz@hotmail.com. Everyone is invited and please spread the word to anyone you know who has read the book. See you next Sunday!