The Book

For me this year started with my book. Writing is fun...but a book is really something different. For me this is like a slice of my life wrapped in a beautiful cover page.

                                                    This is not a cookbook.
                                                    This is not a story book either.
                                                    This is a story telling cookbook....
                                                     ......Appreciating The Gift of Life....


Yes, I book-ified (no there is no such word) my blog.Thanks to your encouragement that I could.
Everyday stories ...everyday food...so normal....so mundane.....yet so special!!!

I hope that many years later when A-Junior flips through the pages of The Gift of Life in his kitchen while cooking with his children, it will bring a smile to his lips.
;-)

Readers’ Favorite Review
Review Rating:	5 stars!
Reviewed By Nandita Keshavan for Readers’ Favorite The Gift of Life: Family, Friends, Food & Fun by Dayeeta Roy is an excellent book which combines cooking with family stories. Not only is this book down to earth, entertaining and funny, but you get the impression at the end that you have gotten a lot more insight into the way of life of a modern day Bengali family living in Europe. Food is one of the easiest things in a culture to pass on because food speaks for itself, breaks down barriers between people, and makes a home a real home.  Not only is Dayeeta an industrious and creative cook, but she also maintains the importance of enjoying cooking, being spontaneous and innovative, and not getting bogged down by the details of recipes such as measurements. This is largely due to personal choice, and I also prefer this type of spontaneous cooking. Together with recipes, there are many conversations with her son that are downright funny, and readers will find Roy's style of writing is entertaining, dramatic, and easy to read. The book is arranged into sections which separate vegetarian dishes from non vegetarian dishes. The recipes are humorously named and there is a story preceding each. The book includes photos throughout and the recipes themselves are well written and cover a variety of possibilities. The stories often include mother trying to outwit son and vice versa. They are classic anecdotes which are funny, and Roy writes about everyday happenings as though they were funny and dramatic adventures. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in Bengali food and family humour.

Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars  5 reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A cookbook you can take for bedtime reading 17 Jan. 2015

By Joydeep - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Paperback

Multiple slices of life for a Non-resident Indian, served up in a platter with garnishes of humour and dressings of sensitivity - it is a very good first book.Reading it was easy, as it is conversational and it did not have the drudgery of a regular big family saga. Anyone who has been regularly reading the author's blogs would be familiar with some of the pieces. However it was fresh for me and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I could read through it very fast. The recipes sound and look delicious, and the little stories introducing those are also delightful. They offer a familiar yet fresh look at life, give a sense of flowing time as it is obvious that these were written over a period of time in various life stages. The command over language and expression obviously comes naturally to the author as does storytelling. The passion for cooking various dishes and chronicling them with photos would have required effort.

Since this is a cook-story book with a slice of life, one interesting addition to the format would have been a cartoon for some of the stories. That would have livened up the narrative even further. For a full colour book with this price tag, that would have been a welcome addition.

A must read for every Indian or Indophile to see familiar dishes take interesting twists - resulting in not-too-familiar concoctions, delicious nevertheless.

5.0 out of 5 stars She expresses herself in such an easy, simple manner that I felt I was just ... 15 Mar. 2015

By Saurabh Sen Gupta - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

It is true it is not a story book
nor a cook book.
In fact I don't think it is a book at all !
If it is, it is no ordinary book !
It is a collection of pearls of wisdom and humor we have all around us ... every day ... and yet we miss it all !
The author has a unique talent for picking these pearls and stringing them together into a gripping narrative in every page.
She expresses herself in such an easy, simple manner that I felt I was just going through my own life.
Read it cover to cover in a single flight from Chicago to New York
Took me longer to write the review :-)
Looking forward to many many more from the author.
Kudos.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the book 17 Jan. 2015

By Satwati Chatterjee - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

Loved the book. From the title, cover, stories, recipes everything. Loved the punches at the end of the stories. Loved the writing style...the humor, thoughtfulness. Loved the concept of "a story behind a recipe". A good read.

5.0 out of 5 stars I simply love this book 5 Feb. 2015

By Meera - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition

Very well written ...This book is full of life....One can relate so well with each and every story behind all those mouthwatering recipes..
I simply love this book...it will be my guideline...

5.0 out of 5 stars The gift 24 Jan. 2015

By friend of the Magi - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

What oh what a wonderful maiden venture. A friends gift of time to the world. A smile a tear and many a Pavlovian reaction. Enjoy. Till the next maiden over...

5.0 out of 5 stars A "comfortable" read....... 14 Feb. 2015

By Amazon Customer

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

What a lovely book, filled with personal stories and personal recipes - all very appropriately linked together. There is clearly room for a sequel or three as "A-Junior" grows into manhood and (hopefully) adds to his mother's tales and mouth watering menus.

Storytelling at its best!

Dayeeta Roy is not only a good cook but also a master narrator of stories that capture her world in a kaleidoscope of colour! Unlike most other cookbook, the recipes included in the book do not make major logistical demands of the cook...on the contrary, the ingredients required are the everyday ones, which are used by the author rather imaginatively to produce real gourmet stuff!

Most of the items draw their inspiration from traditional Bengali cuisine that have been handed down through generations....my personal favourite being the "Bhapa Ilish". However, like a true NRI mom, she has also paid adequate attention to few salivating continental dishes.

All of this is interspersed with fascinating storytelling, often whacky and humourous to keep the reader glued to the book. In the end, a must read for all moms, who love to experiment with food and wish to ensure that they pass with flying colours!

" The best gift that we can give to ourselves is the ...

By Quality First on 30 Mar. 2015

Format: Paperback

Voltair wrote, "God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well."

The best gift that we can give to ourselves is the ability to see the gift in everyday moments, in the time we spend with our family and friends, in being alive.

And what else can make a Bengali feel more alive than food?

A superb read. Hope to see more books like this soon from Dayeeta.

(Note to publisher - This book deserved better printing and production quality)