“He'd only give away his food if the corners were cleanly cut, as he believed a homeless person would just feel worse eating food with ragged bitemarks at the edges - as if, he said, they are dogs, or bacteria.”
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The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel | 
“He'd only give away his food if the corners were cleanly cut, as he believed a homeless person would just feel worse eating food with ragged bitemarks at the edges - as if, he said, they are dogs, or bacteria.”
panTo taste the thoughts and emotions of those who cooked your food; such a fantastic concept. So much tension and possibility. However, there seemed to be too many overlapping storylines, and I felt lost and left wondering about the flavours and possibilities. Overall it was an okay read. One I‘d be curious to revisit later to see if I better connect with the writing.
bailedDNF‘d this one probably later than I should have. The premise is an interesting one. Rose begins to be able to taste the emotions of others by eating the food they prepare when she turns 9. The narrative is very disjointed and kind of dull tbh and it just gets weirder when other family “gifts” are revealed. Still want to try this lemon chocolate combo tho 😝 #AllHailTheBail
pickI heard about this on a podcast years ago and it has been on my tbr since then. I really enjoyed the descriptive language. I easily accepted the world the author created, and am always thrilled to come across a story like nothing I‘ve encountered before.
Here‘s a cake book for the #WinterReadathonDailyChallenge.
I say eat the lemon cake and skip the book.
I read this in the summer of 2018. I didn‘t really like the picture so I never posted it, but luckily I saved it for a challenge like this since the book has been traded away long since.
#WinterReadathon
35 points
so-soLemon and chocolate is a combo not to my taste, and neither was the combo of sad girl literary contemporary meets discovering unhelpful superpowers. This gently surreal take is different than others I've seen in this sci-fi/fantasy premise - but atmospheric descriptions of California don't really make up for how much of this story was just a bummer to read.
Today, in phrases-I've-never-encountered-before:
"...adultery sandwiches..." ?
panThis one was a bust for me. A young girl realizes she can taste peoples' emotions in the food they make. Fascinating idea, but the execution was tedious. Despite it covering years of time, the story felt empty and pointless. I kept reading because of the brother's mysterious story, but there was no real resolution to that.
bailedI thought I‘d give it a go, but I didn‘t make it past the 1st disc. Just kind of weird.
bailedThis was supposed to be my pick for #booked2021 #bakedgoodsoncover but I will have to find another one.
When I found myself bored 10 chapters in, I decided to bail. I wS already annoyed by the use of the R word for a person with an intellectual disability.
Good thing I have a back up book for the baked goods prompt!
so-so#Booked2021 Baked Goods on Cover
I suspected Bender‘s fantastical fiction wouldn‘t be for me and I was right. This is the story of a dysfunctional family where no one expresses what they really mean or want. The narrator, Rose, as a child is highly sensitive to the feelings of others - the author gives her the ability to taste the emotions in food of those who harvested, processed and cooked it. Fine, but I‘d rather read a realistic account.
I regret to inform you that this cake is amazing (regret because I can‘t share any). I read the tagged book years ago and can‘t eat a lemon cake without thinking of it
pickReal weltschmerz this one!
So much beauty in such sadness. Loved it!
Early morning reading as the sun rises.
Make it a great one, Littens!
so-soInteresting but a little lost!
Okay! Here are my #Top10oftheDecade #fictionedition. This was actually easier than I expected. It helped that I stuck to books published since 2010. I like lots of books but these are ones I LOVED! They wowed me in some way. Also, this is a very white woman list! A reminder that in the next decade I need to read more novels by POC!
@cinfhen
pan⭐⭐
I absolutely loved the premise of this book! However the story fell short for me.
https://www.facebook.com/108639357199479/posts/131094091620672/
#theparticularsadnessoflemoncake #aimeebender #bookstagram #bookreview #2star #lallahbookreview #readinginlallahland
pickI really loved this. For the the first quarter of the book I thought I was going to hate it because it was told from the perspective of child and then a preteen. Please give this book a chance, this is a complex family and emotional coming of age story. This needs a much higher rating on litsy. #36 #2019
Starting this next on #overdrive #currentlylistening
pickThis was an arbitrary pick off the library shelf, based on the idea I would be taking home a book with a blue cover that day. So by the cover‘s shade of blue, combined with a love of lemons and the swell of my own recent sadness, my choice was made. It felt right for me (and it was.) When I finished reading, I held the book close to my chest - satisfied and moved by what I had read, but weighted with the particular sadness it ended at all. 🍋
so-soI really liked the premise of this novel, on Rose's ninth birthday she receives the ability to taste people's feelings through the food they cook, but the execution and writing and plot development ranged from bizarre to non-existent. Not my least favorite book ever, a small amount of memorable lines, but I was confused and dissatisfied after it was over.
#Booked2019 @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft
Food or Beverage on the Cover
pickWasn‘t to sure what to think about this book but it looked interesting. So glad I gave it a try. Such a story of family and finding ones way in the world. Also, full of magical realism as the main character, Rose, can actually taste a person‘s emotions and know what is happening in their life simply by tasting a food they have made or prepared. Really enjoyed this one and stayed up late last night to finish it.
so-soI picked this one based on the cover on Overdrive to finish up the spring subjects of #booked2019, so I went in with no knowledge of what it was about. Definitely an odd read. There were some things I liked about it, but the subject matter was pretty unusual.
Spoiler in comments with my thoughts.
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage
pick⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I am absolutely GUTTED by this book, and by the fact that there isn't more of this book.
My alphabetical super old TBR reading fest continues with this one - on the list since 2010, you guys. Insane. I‘m not loving the lack of quotes when people speak but other than that, it‘s solid so far. I can‘t imagine how awful it would be to taste people‘s secret feelings in food, unless you knew some really happy good cooks. #Edie is resigned to my poor attempts to get a decent picture of her in the dim light. #catsoflitsy
pickThis book is so clever! The writing is spare and descriptive at the same time (Don't believe me just [read]).
For me it is a look at how people handle life, family and emotions and the different coping mechanisms people have. It's unique, bizarre and fantastic. I think it would be a good book club pick as there's lots to discuss and would likely get a range of reviews.
BOOK: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake 🍋🍰
MOVIE: Eddie Izzard‘s stand-up special Dressed to Kill (because of the “cake or death” bit 🤣🤣🤣)
SONG: Sugar, Sugar
#manicmonday
📚 The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
🎥 Life of Pi
🎵 Girls Just Want to Have Fun
#manicmonday @JoScho
Book: there were two titles that I mangled together, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and The Coincidence of Coconut Cake. 🍰🥥🍋
In my version, the coconut cake was sad.
Film: nothing comes to mind.
Song: Short Skirt Long Jacket
#manicmonday @JoScho #🍰
1. Tagged book by Aimee Bender 📖
2. Cake (2014) starring Jennifer Aniston 🎥
3. Cake by the Ocean by DNCE 🎶
I‘m just too literal, I think...
#manicmonday
#🍰
September reading wrap-up! 8 books total, all SFF and nonfiction except one magical realism (I was in a very specific reading mood 😂). My favorite was The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (4.5⭐️) but loved the new releases from favorite authors Ilona Andrews and Charlaine Harris.
#readingresolutions @Jess7
pickThis is not a high-rated book on Litsy or GR, but for me it was a 4.5⭐️ read that got better and better over the course of the story. It‘s not a light read, like the cover might suggest, and it was very different than I expected. It‘s a magical realism story about a girl in an unhappy family who has the ability to taste the emotions of whoever prepared her food. It‘s also about learning about the hidden parts of ourselves and our families.
so-soThe particular sadness of lemon cake was, well, bland is the best I can come up with to describe it. The story is told through the voice of Rose, who on her 9th birthday is cursed with the ability to taste what people feel through the food they prepare. The premise was great but this one didn't deliver for me. I guess I was looking for more whimsy but instead found myself tuning in and out and disengaged. The story was overall very depressing
so-soThe title is appropriate - this was a sad book. I was hoping it would be more whimsical but I still liked the original concepts.
The #monthlykeywordreadingchallenge2018 got this off of my tbr after 6 years! A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title 🍋
⭐️⭐️⭐️
so-so22 | #HeatOfJuly
#HowDoYouWantIt to taste, because it depends on how I feel when making it.
@Cinfhen @BarbaraBB
I don‘t know if any of this make any sense to anyone 😄😅 but this is what I do and I liked it and it worked perfectly with me until I had those financial issues and I couldn‘t buy any book 💔
Also another thing with me is that I can not stand eBook I just can‘t read if the book isn‘t between my hands 😕
Hopefully those issues well end soon but until then I borrowed 2 books from my friend 😌
Hello guys 👋🏻
Its been a while..
for the last couple weeks I‘ve had some financial problems 😅
And I couldn‘t buy any new books so the last book that I had read wad Together..
The thing that I do is that every once in awhile I go and buy bunch of books and I don‘t buy anymore books until I finish the ones I have. This worked with me as a motivator to finish early and have another visit to the store #1
#riotgrams Day 7! Ice Cream/Sweet Treats. I'm more of a baker myself, and books featuring food as a primary component are my favorite unusual genre of all time. I've never had the heart to tell this cover designer that you don't put chocolate icing on lemon cake. @bookriot
🍰 LOVED the tagged book!
🦐 Love me some shrimp scampi, preferrably from Bubba Gump's!
🌿Cilantro and lima beans 😝
🎅 Christmas but it's all about dessert with me
🐀 A local French restaurant called Cassis that makes the BEST duck!
Thanks, @JoScho!! 😄🤗
#manicmonday
Here you go @maich
I was making cupcakes today. These are triple lemon! Lemon cupcakes with lemon curd filling and lemon frosting. 🍋😍 #MarchInBooks
bailedI just couldn't get into it this time. I may give it another go in a couple of months but with so many books on my TBR , I just didn't have the patience for a mediocre boring read... first bailed book this year tho, so that's good.
