What The Lost Art of Mixing is about:
Lillian and her restaurant have a way of drawing people together. There’s Al, the accountant who finds meaning in numbers and ritual; Chloe, a budding chef who hasn’t learned to trust after heartbreak; Finnegan, quiet and steady as a tree, who can disappear into the background despite his massive height; Louise, Al’s wife, whose anger simmers just below the boiling point; and Isabelle, whose memories are slowly slipping from her grasp. And there’s Lillian herself, whose life has taken a turn she didn’t expect. . . .
Ever since I read the last page of The School of Essential Ingredients, I longed for another book that allowed the readers a richer look into the characters lives. Well, my wish was granted with Erica's follow-up book, The Lost Art of Mixing. I enjoyed getting to know Lillian a bit better this time around, and I loved Isabelle. Even though she was losing some of her memories to Alzheimer's, she still had her wisdom that she gently imparted on those around her. I thought the author did a lovely job of bringing her readers back to what mattered most in the first book; love, friendship, and not worrying about following a recipe, but rather following and staying true to your heart.
Recommend? Absolutely! For those that have not read The School of Essential Ingredients, I say you MUST MUST read this one first and then move right into The Lost Art of Mixing. And for those that have already read Essential Ingredients, if you have time I would read it again, just a little reminder as to why you loved it so much the first time and to sharpen up your memory of the wonderful characters that Erica brought to life!
THE LOST ART OF MIXING on Amazon.com:
Erica's website: http://www.ericabauermeister.
Erica's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Review Book #34
© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Sounds good, and a bit sad too
ReplyDeleteGee this sounds great; I really enjoyed The School of Essential Ingredients.
ReplyDeleteI liked The School of Essential Ingredients so I'm very happy you recommend this book. It's on my list and now I'll probably go back and read TSOEI again (it has the distinction of being the first book I read on my Kindle way back in 20009!).
ReplyDeleteI have been waiting for your review on this one!! I think I will be adding this and this author to my list! :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this! I adored The School of Essential Ingredients.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the School of Essential Ingredients right now and LOVING it! I have The Lost Art of Mixing too and will review it on the 14th.
ReplyDeleteTerrific review, Staci. This one sounds like a winner!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend.
Glad to hear you loved it! I'll definitely read The School of Essential Ingredients first.
ReplyDeleteHow did you know I planned to read them back-to-back!
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun series. thanks for the tip. I hope you have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteSo, do I understand correctly that these are books with ongoing characters; that we meet them in the first book, and continue on with them in the second? I will look into the first one. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this one! And I wouldn't mind re-reading the first!
ReplyDeleteThe School of Essential Ingredients is on my tbr list. Both books sound great!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you enjoyed it. Will have to dig out my copy of the first book.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! I'm 30% into the story and it is so rich in characterization. She depicts them as real people.
ReplyDeleteI just loved the audio version of The School of Essential Ingredients, and may just take you advice and listen again before reading this one!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know to read the first book first - I'd hate to get things out of order when it is important!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour.
Can't wait to get to it now! Hmmm, maybe I should skim through the first book.
ReplyDeleteI guess I wasn't aware that this book brought back the characters from "School." I like that the characters had stayed with Baumeister - and I'm happy to hear that she was able to bring enough new to their stories to continue to make them interesting.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you loved The Lost Art Of Mixing, I'm definitely going to get my hands on a copy of The School of Essential Ingredients :)
ReplyDeleteOoooooh, I can't to read this! I had gotten the audiobook on sale quite a while ago so I'm going to listen to it over the next few days in preparation for reading this one. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and its as good as the first one.
ReplyDeleteI am about 20 pages away from completing this one and I am loving it. So much so, that I am dragging these last pages out.
ReplyDeleteLike you I hoped the author would bring back these characters. I loved The School of Essential Ingredients and still recommend it! I'm definitely looking forward to reading The Lost Art of Mixing. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI have the first one on my shelf that I obviously need to read first. Good to know I'll love them both.
ReplyDeleteI've had the ARC of this on my nightstand for several weeks now, but finally got notice from my library that the audio of The School of Essential Ingredients is available for me to download. I wanted to "re-read" that book first before reading this follow-up and thought the audio was the best way to achieve that. As soon as I finish The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I'll start listening to TSoEI. Maybe. Maybe I'll put Lacks on hold and start listening to Bauermeister's book instead. I may not have the patience to wait another month or so to read The Lost Art of Mixing!! So glad to hear it's a winner!
ReplyDeleteLillian and Isabelle's stories were my favorite parts of The Lost Art of Mixing...I liked it but not as much as School of Essential Ingredients :) Enjoyed your review :)
ReplyDelete