Alice Currah is a food blogger and photographer at Savory Sweet Life. She's also a columnist and web series host for PBS Parents and was named by Forbes.com as one of "Eight of the Very Best Food Bloggers." She loves to share food, photos and stories from her family kitchen, and is the author/photographer of Savory Sweet Life: 100 Simply Delicious Recipes for Every Family Occasion, just published by Morrow. Currah loves a perfectly poured latte and lives in Seattle with her husband and three children.
On your nightstand now:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I love reading what my daughters are reading; it helps me feel connected to them through their interests. After we saw the movie, I borrowed my daughter's copy. It's been fun to hear their thoughts on the book.
Favorite book when you were a child:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary. These were the first two books I remember reading all by myself in the third grade, and I loved them both. My daughters have read both books, and it was fun to review each chapter with them. I experienced the wonder of both books again, this time vicariously through my children.
Your top five authors:
C.S. Lewis, Anne Lamott, Beth Moore, Maya Angelou and Roald Dahl.
Book you've faked reading:
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Shortly after this book was released in the summer of 2003, I joined a carpool with three other women I'd never met before to a weekend retreat. One of the passengers in the car was Penny Carothers, the "Penny" from Miller's book. As this information was being shared in casual conversation, I pretended that I'd read the book and knew what she was talking about since the book was very popular at the time among my friends.
Book you're an evangelist for:
The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman. As a parent of three young kids, this book helped me to understand that my children are unique and require different ways for me to express love in order for them to feel loved. All parents should own a copy.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw. What can I say? I love beautiful food photography and baking, especially cakes.
Book that changed your life:
The Bible.
Favorite line from a book:
"Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." --Francis Chan, Crazy Love
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
The Shack by William P. Young. The beginning of this book was so terribly heartbreaking and gut-wrenching that I didn't know if I could continue reading it. As I followed Mac's supernatural journey to let go of his pain, I realized the power of redemption was a gift of grace in even the worse of circumstances. It's a powerful reminder that beauty can rise from ashes. I'm waiting until this summer to read it again.
Most influential cookbook:
The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This was the first and only cookbook my husband every purchased for me. He wanted to encourage me in my passion for baking delicious, beautiful, and creative cakes. With the help and guidance of this book, I opened a wedding cake business. I own two copies.