Be Ready When the Luck Happens

Be Ready When the Luck Happens ~ Ina Garten

From the author’s website: ”From a difficult childhood to meeting and marrying the love of her life, Jeffrey, while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, DC to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

I’m not much of a memoir person, I struggle with non-fiction of any kind. Perhaps I should rethink that stance, because this book was a charming delight, and I really enjoyed reading about Ina’s life, her successes and challenges, and learning more about her love for France (swoon) and her husband Jefferey (sweet). She talks about her frustrations, her marriage and why it works and when it doesn’t. I think her biggest strength is believing in herself and advocating for her vision.

Back when we got The Food Network, and when they showed cooking shows (rather than cooking competitions), I used to really enjoy watching her show, Barefoot Contessa. Last year I discovered that I can watch episodes on HBO/MAX, so I sometimes sit down and watch an episode or two. Maya got me this book for Christmas (or my birthday). The writing was pretty good, there were a few times when what I considered a minor storyline got a lot of ink, while a bigger one was over in a flash. That’s my only complaint. Recommended.

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