Last week I finished a book by Christa Parrish called Stones for Bread that I was asked to review from
Booksneeze. I have to say the cover captured my heart! I have made homemade bread with my husband before and the results are delicious and heartwarming.
Stones for Bread (Thomas Nelson, 2013)
Liesl McNamara’s life can be described in one word: bread. From her earliest memory, her mother and grandmother passed down the mystery of baking and the importance of this deceptively simple food. And now, as the owner of Wild Rise bake house, Liesl spends every day up to her elbows in dough, nourishing and perfecting her craft.
When Wild Rise is featured on television, her quiet existence appears a thing of the past. And then a phone call from a woman claiming to be her half-sister forces Liesl to confront long-hidden secrets in her family’s past. With her precious heritage crumbling around her, she must make a choice: allow herself to be buried in remorse, or take a leap of faith into a new life.
I was intrigued by the story and really enjoyed the exciting part of her being on a television show. I love watching cooking shows on tv and the opportunities that came her way were awesome. Throughout the book the author intermingled bread recipes and the story of bread. I thought it was interesting but I'm not much of a bread baker so I skipped through some of those parts. I did read enough to understand the title of the book. The story of Liesl's life was what captured my heart and I would recommend you check your local library or buy it at the bookstore!
Here are a few Quotes I loved from the book:
But I stay, I want to be kissed again and washed with warm water. I want my mother's hands on me, tender and strong at the same time, shaping me as she does the bread.
The starter I use is more than eighty years old, cultured by my grandmother and brought from Germany when she came here, widowed, her nine-year-old daughter in tow.
But then Oma tells me of bread, of the six hundred kinds made throughout her homeland, white and gray and black in color.
He's the artist. He makes me brave enought to try. With his encouragement, I've focused on the creativity of bread, writing my own recipes, exploring nontraditional flavors and shapes.
"People change." "That they do." Sometimes right in front of your eyes.
Yes, the irony of all ironies; the hearty, dark bread once considered fit only for thieves and livestock is now some of the most prized of all.
Bread brings them comfort.
xoxo,
Nicole Flothe
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