Not Like the Movies

Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey, 320 pages

Nearing her 30th birthday, Chloe is working at a neighborhood coffee shop, taking night classes, living in the apartment over her best friend's uncle's garage, and dealing with the day-to-day care of her father, who's in the early stages of Alzheimer's. In other words, she has a lot on her plate, even without helping her best friend prepare for her wedding next month or dealing with the rom-com movie that's coming out that her best friend wrote about Chloe and her boss Nick. But Chloe is determined that she can do it all, without help or sleep. Sure thing, the cracks start showing as she attempts to juggle it all and fend off a relationship with Nick, despite the fact that there are some SERIOUS sparks flying there.

It's honestly great to read a romance novel about an anxiety-ridden worrier, especially where not everything's fixed by love at the end. And there's definitely a Gilmore Girls Luke-and-Lorelai (but with Sookie's baking skills) feel to the whole book that appealed to me too. But for a book titled Not Like the Movies, it sure is a romantic comedy in book form, which is definitely not a bad thing.

Pie Squared

Pie Squared: Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pies / Cathy Barrow, 321 p.

A slab pie has a rectangular crust rolled out to 11"x15" rather than the standard round.  The key difference, apart from the fact that I found it a little harder to roll those rectangles, is that slabs are shallower pies, resulting in a different (and better!) filling-to-crust ratio.  Following Barrow's instructions to the letter leads to almost-crispy crusts which really shine when paired with her interesting filling combos.  I tried spinach artichoke, asparagus and fontina, and Italian sausage and tomato, all of which were yummy.  The rectangular shape and shallower depth also make the savories more suitable to be served as canapes, although mine did just fine as dinner.