Book Review: Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes by Shauan Niequist

Author Shauna Niequist shares her newest collection of essays in Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes about "family relationships, friendships, and the meals that bring us together. It's about the ways God teaches and nourishes us as we nourish the people around us, and about hunger, both physical and otherwise, and the connections between the two."

Her anecdotes of life around her table are filled with wit, as she shares touching tales of life experiences shared over a meal. She elaborates on creating and sharing traditions...and then she laments over some of the difficult moments of life. There is a healthy dose of reality, as she admits to the demands of trying to be "perfect" and the days when she must choose to "fast rather than feast." There is planning...and there is spontaneity.

As she provided a peek into her little world, it triggered memories of time spent gathered around the table with my family and friends...of favorite foods and tasty treats. The book challenged me to try new things...to make "birthday toasts"...to attempt basic risotto...to freeze blueberries in order to make a hot berry crisp, long after the berry season has left us...to create many of her recipes, that are now dog-eared and highlighted.

 I am inspired to fondly recall those memories and also encouraged to take more risks in gathering around my table. This is a book I will treasure for many years to come and one I plan on gifting to many friends to encourage them to nourish each other emotionally.  

Disclosure: I received this advanced reading copy via Handlebar Publishing as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.