I probably accepted this book for review because of the title. Back in 2014 when this book was published, I was just starting to read memoirs. This book kind of got pushed to the bottom of the pile. But in 2020, I listened to Flinn's The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and really enjoyed it. So I've been trying to get this book to the top of the pile since.

If you have read The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, this book isn't anything like it. Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good is about Flinn's family. There are mentions of her grandparents, her uncles and her siblings, but the focus is really on her parents. They are famous or even that extraordinary, but they did live an interesting life during an interesting time.

There are still mentions of food. Her parents ran an Italian restaurant at one point and cooking played an important role in Flinn's life as she grew up.

I enjoyed the historical tidbits about food - like when pizza became popular in the U.S. and chili in Michigan. I enjoyed her story about being a 9-year-old fixing herself steak and green beans based on recipes from a Julia Child cookbook.

I could relate to many things in Flinn's life - living on a farm, moving to a new place, the need to belong.

If you enjoy memoirs about ordinary people living pretty ordinary lives then this is a good memoir to pick up.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Saturday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/07/catching-up-on-tbr-pile.html