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Comment on Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Cakes and Bakes: Over 200 Delicious Recipes and Ideas by EJ77

EJ77 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:01:19 +0000

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Handy little book., 26 Feb 2010

EJ77 (HAMPSHIRE) -

This review is from: Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Cakes and Bakes: Over 200 Delicious Recipes and Ideas (Paperback)

This book is clearly laid out with easy to follow instructions. There are colour pictures for every recipe and information for different variations to the recipes. Simply a nice little book!

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Comment on Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Cakes and Bakes: Over 200 Delicious Recipes and Ideas by Mrs. B. Handford "Biff"

Mrs. B. Handford "Biff" — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:19:39 +0000

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

cakes and bakes, 8 Feb 2010

Mrs. B. Handford "Biff" (UK) -

This review is from: Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Cakes and Bakes: Over 200 Delicious Recipes and Ideas (Paperback)

bought this as a gift & want to keep it myself!

clear layout
good photos
lots of nice recipes
handy size (1x5x6''ish)

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Comment on Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Cakes and Bakes: Over 200 Delicious Recipes and Ideas by Shaya

Shaya — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:27:20 +0000

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

200 Cakes and Bakes, 11 April 2010

Shaya (Wales) -

This review is from: Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Cakes and Bakes: Over 200 Delicious Recipes and Ideas (Paperback)

Yum, yum, yum, yum! What more can be said!!!
From the first page to the last, this book is full of lovely yummy recipes for different cakes. Small cakes, tray bakes, Centre piece cakes, teatime loaves, cookies, meringue gateaux and plenty more. Every one as Yummy as the other!! Found out this also has recipes for Hot Cross Buns (needed one for Easter and found one on the internet as all my cook books were void of bun recipes) All are easy to follow with clear instructions to follow and a full page colour picture of every cake in the book and also some have alternative sugestions like adding coffee or Chocolate or fruits etc.
Lovely little book with a stay flat binding and wipe clean cover, although I usually put mine in a book stand but after using it a few times it does loosen at the binding. Mine was stiff at first.
These are a great series of books and would recommend them to any cook, amateur or professional.
Oh and finally, if like me you have one or two of the 101 Good Food recipe books, they are different. I have the Cakes and Bakes from both series and they have very different recipes in them.
Well worth it and at a great price too!

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Comment on Cakes for Romantic Occasions: Over 40 Cakes for Weddings and Other Special Celebrations by Chattyali

Chattyali — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:32:22 +0000

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Enjoyed, 12 Mar 2011

Chattyali -

This review is from: Cakes for Romantic Occasions: Over 40 Cakes for Weddings and Other Special Celebrations (Paperback)

This is a very good book. The instructions are clearly outlined and everything is explained very well. I particularly like the recipe for chocolate cake, it turns out more like a chocolate brownie and I have received some very good feedback from everyone that's tried it.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to update or increase their skills base.

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Comment on Cakes for Romantic Occasions: Over 40 Cakes for Weddings and Other Special Celebrations by W. Doyle

W. Doyle — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:34:44 +0000

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

i can become a cake maker yet..., 24 Nov 2010

W. Doyle (ireland) -

This review is from: Cakes for Romantic Occasions: Over 40 Cakes for Weddings and Other Special Celebrations (Paperback)

began reading this book today, got it for the neighbour who may be making a wedding cake for me. my god, its written so clearly i think i can do this myself. im totaly into this now, the visuals are great and with clear step by step instruction you just can go wrong, big plus are the quanity measurement tables that make it appear so easy and im going to be looking up cake decorating equipment so i can try my hand at this.

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Comment on Cakes for Romantic Occasions: Over 40 Cakes for Weddings and Other Special Celebrations by Londoner

Londoner — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:44:25 +0000

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

beautiful book with wonderful advice and ideas, 8 Mar 2011

Londoner (London, England) -

This review is from: Cakes for Romantic Occasions: Over 40 Cakes for Weddings and Other Special Celebrations (Paperback)

Absolutely love May Lee-Cladman's cakes and so amazed she is so willing to give away some of her trade secrets, but then again perhaps I am not because none of us could come up to her standard (well not me anyway!) so we would not take any trade away from her for sure.

Wonderful cakes, ideas and advice. Well worth buying.

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Comment on The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Shazjera

Shazjera — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:31:56 +0000

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

A departure from your usual family saga, 17 Feb 2011

Shazjera -

This review is from: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Paperback)

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Aimee Bender

The story focuses on Rose and how, starting in childhood, she develops the ability to taste feelings in the food people make (and also where produce originates). The food maker is not aware of the emotions themselves and it leaves Rose inhabiting a totally unique world ..................but it is not all about her `special skill'. It is also a story about her environment - her mother and father's relationship; her relationship with them both; her brother Joseph and his needs; her friends; school life, and later on her working life - which are all undeniably affected by her skill.

I was particularly intrigued with the idea of being able to `taste' the feelings of people. I had come across the idea that preparing food in a loving and focussed way enhanced the vibrations of that food. I had also stumbled across synesthesia, where for example, some people see music on a screen in front of their face (a neurologically based condition). So it was no problem at all to see this as an actual possibility!

As a child, Rose comes across as very intuitive (even without tasting the emotions) and mature for her years. She often appears to take on the `adult' role in the family. Communication (or lack of) plays a huge role in this family, which I think is fair to say is also true of how the majority of us interact within our own communities and so a reflection of the culture we live in.

The story is full of exquisite analogies, which brings the words to life. Throughout the book I had very vivid mental pictures and sometimes had to pause for them to take shape before I could continue reading. It is written in the first person, which works well in shaping Rose's world but I did find it difficult to follow at times, for example, where there is dialogue and no speech marks.

`Particular Sadness' is definitely a good description of how I have been affected. Even though I felt distanced and not too involved with the characters (concentrating too much on the images!), it still had the power to dip my spirits. It is poignant and certainly at places feels like a wilderness.

There is eventually a positive slant portrayed to being able to taste emotions and I would like to have seen this developed and given more prominence. I would also have liked to have seen how or if Rose's life balanced as she grew into herself. The ending was brilliant and made me reflect on Joseph - I rethought my perception of him and saw him in a different light.

Overall I would recommend this book to have a place on your bookshelf. It does deviate from the usual family saga but definitely worth reading with an open mind.

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Comment on The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Alice Y. Yeh

Alice Y. Yeh — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:35:12 +0000

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

More dense cake than fluff, 16 Jan 2011

Alice Y. Yeh (New York, USA) -

This review is from: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Hardcover)

The concept behind Bender's novel is truly unique: a little girl who can taste the feelings of those involved in the food-making process. I was surprised, therefore, when the book seemed more focused on the disintegration of her parents' marriage and the difficulties faced by her genius brother rather than the problems surrounding the main character. Told from a small child's eyes, the feelings evoked were poignant and real, and I was drawn into the beautiful destruction.

Bender's pacing in this book is fantastic. The push and pull are tangible, and it turns reading into what it should be: an all-absorbing affair. With that being said, there were a few brief moments where she suddenly jumps into the past, and it takes a moment or two for me to realize what had just happened. All of these scenes are relevant, of course, but the shift is still abrupt, even for the start of a new chapter. The lead-up to the explanation behind Joe's disappearances was well-played, and the ultimate revelation is reasonable, but it lacks the impact that it could have had due to the suddenness of its delivery.

I find myself torn in how I feel about the writing style. On the one hand, it is simplistic, and it matched very well with the mentality of a youngster. Even so, the "he said/she said" method was overly grating in some sequences, where a greater variety of verb would have been greatly valued. The story ends when Rose is in her twenties, and while there is much to be said for consistency in an author's writing, the change dispatched my assumptions regarding her word choices. The lack of quotation marks was also disorienting, as I couldn't tell sometimes whether I was reading first person narrative or dialogue.

In short, this book was a worthwhile read with a few flaws. Even now, I feel emotionally wrung out, which says a great deal for the impact that the author made with her tale. If one can work one's way past the stylistic ticks and unclear designations for speech, one will find an enjoyable story to while away a few hours.

Stimulated Outlet Book Reviews

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Comment on The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by BookishSue

BookishSue — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:48:42 +0000

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

Intriguing, but ultimately disappointing, 18 April 2011

BookishSue (London) -

This review is from: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Paperback)

First of all, what a title! It instantly piques the interest and intrigues ... but overall the story falls a little short of it's promise. This is a thoughtful tale of Rose, who can taste people's feelings through their cooking. The writing is gentle and flowing and the premise thought provoking - but what a burden to have to bear! Poor Rose discovers things she really doesn't want to know, and how awful would it be to be unable to enjoy food simply for what it is?!

I think this book suffered a little from lack of plot development. Rose as a character does not really develop through the story until the very end, and the whole mystery of Joseph's "special skill" is perhaps just a bit too bizarre and pointless. The conclusion felt rushed and sudden, and quite unsatisfying.

All this is not say I didn't enjoy the book - I did. But I think Aimee Bender missed a trick ... with a little more tweaking of the plot, this could have been an amazing and unusual read. As it is, it is just a bit strange.

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Comment on Sweet & Simple Party Cakes: Over 40 Pretty Cakes for Perfect Celebrations by Shelly S.

Shelly S. — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:19:50 +0000

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

Sweet and Simply Moreish, 23 July 2008

Shelly S. -

This review is from: Sweet & Simple Party Cakes: Over 40 Pretty Cakes for Perfect Celebrations (Paperback)

In helping to plan my best friend's wedding, I was only to glad to accompany her on cake-tasting missions. After much sampling and mirth, we found the perfect cake at Maisie Fantasie's. Amazingly, May Clee-Cadman invited us into her home for a cake-tasting menu not to be forgotten. While there, I laid eyes on a copy of her book, Sweet and Simple Party Cakes. As a consolation prize to not being the one getting married, May gifted me with a copy of the book. I am now on my third cake making recipe of hers. Her directions are instructive, yet casual and very easy to follow. And while my frosting never turns out as smoothly as hers and my cakes never as even (I must admit I drink while I bake), the taste is remarkably similar to May's actual cakes and just as delicious. I don't see myself being a cake baking competitor any time soon, but I will forever be a fan of Maisie Fantasie and any book May Clee-Cadman writes.

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