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Jan 17, 2011

Jessica rated it:

It has easily been fifteen years (when I worked at Morrow's Nut House in Cape May, NJ for the summer) since I have had the candy known as fruit slices. Today I had a quarter pound (and they were delish!). Hilary - I can only blame you.

This fabulously fun book combines sweet with bittersweet in an all out original twist on the memoir. Composed of 57 anecdotes, some only a half of a page in length, this quick read details a life lived through candy consumption, but this is not another bl More...

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Mar 28, 2009

george rated it:

This was cute. Liftin's memoir of her life is centered around all things candy. Candy Corn, Jellybeans, Snickers, Junior Mints, Bottlecaps, Skittles, Circus Peanuts, Taffy, Twizzlers, Necco Wafers, and Starburst--all of these and more have played a prominent role in her life. She flashes back to her life beginning with Bubble Burgers on through to Meltaways. Each candy reminds her of a specific time or event in her life. As she grows up and eventually falls in love, candy is slowly replaced by m More...

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Jul 20, 2010

Nicole rated it:

Not surprisingly, this is a life told through the lens of candy. As a compulsive candy eater (I can't buy it for myself because I can't restrain myself from eating it all at once), it was a lovely little diversion. Lots of attention paid to the details, the precise sensations associated with each type of candy, the psychological aspects of candy eating and compulsion, etc. There's a bit of lip service paid to the fact that candy is not good for you, but really, every resource listed in the back More...

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Nov 01, 2010

Maria (Ri) rated it:

So I like candy and have fond memories of eating candy as a child, but Hilary's obsession goes way beyond what I would ever even dream possible! It was truly fascinating to even conceive that someone could eat so much candy and be so thoughtful about it! I love Hilary's writing. I had put off reading this book for a long time, but started it right away when I realized the author was one of the co-authors of Dear Exile, which I thought was fantastic. I'm a little slow sometimes to catch on! More...

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Aug 07, 2011

Margaret added it

I could relate to Hilary's sugar addiction more than I would like to admit here, LOL! A quick & tasty read, I think it should really be read with your preferred candy in hand. I thought some of the pictoral depictions were quite clever and amusing. Like her, as an adult my tastes have somewhat become more refined and I have become more controlled (although I have never been quite at her level thankfully) in my eating however I will never lose my sweet tooth entirely I'm sure. I did enjoy readin More...

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Oct 02, 2009

Lynda rated it:

This was a light and fluffy read with lots of nostalgia. Everyone can remember their favorite childhood candy and the author just about covers them all.

Aside from the novelty of a biography centered around candy, I can’t say this was a particularly interesting read. The author’s life was dull and although she writes well, there’s not much that can make up for a boring story.

Reading this book gave me a stomachache. Unless you have a serious (and I do mean serious) love of More...

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Oct 27, 2011

VeganMedusa rated it:

I wasn't convinced that this book would work, especially as I've never heard of a lot of the sweets, let alone tasted them. Okay, I've had sugar, cocoa, ice cream, Flake, an assortment (I remember the 20 cent mix fondly), candy canes, Tic Tacs, fudge, Snickers, candy floss (cotton candy), and I think Starburst. And Jelly Belly is a recent comer here - they're the only gelatin-free jelly beans I can get for my son.

Anyway, I read this book in one sitting (except for a short walk to the More...

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Oct 09, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I have to admit to being a sucker for a quirky memoir. A previous favorite of mine is Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the author of Little Pea. Where she wrote her life story as a series of encyclopedia entries (in alphabetical order, of course), Hilary Liftin has looked at her life according to all the different types (and vast quantities) of candy she has eaten in her memoir Candy and Me.

Liftin begins her book by describing how she would sneak cups of powd More...

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Mar 15, 2010

Carin rated it:

I have an enormous sweet tooth. I used to bake cakes for my dentist in my Easy-Bake Oven. And I love Ms. Liftin's writing. I had read and loved Dear Exile a few years earlier. When I heard this book was coming out, it was like Halloween (my favorite holiday)! Even though I read the book nearly ten years ago, I vividly remember Ms. Liftin talking about when she first ate real fruit - she was in her teens - and she was disappointed that they didn't taste like "grape" and "orange" More...

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Mar 14, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

I thought I was alone in establishing the rule that I could eat as much candy as wanted after the age of seventy-five. Imagine my surprise when the author dreamed up a candy-oriented-assisted-living residence. Jelly Belly bingo! Custom candy bouquets! Nightly ice cream socials! Awesome.

A (very) quick, fun read. Am hoping that the list of candy resources included with the book will help in my hunt for the so far elusive French Eggs (the highlight of my brother's and my Easter ba

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Jul 25, 2011

Janette rated it:

This lady was super obsessed with candy as a child! I thought I was bad, but not in comparison to her, and I only like chocolate candy anyway. It was an interesting read, but a little repetitive in the middle. I was glad the author finally evolved in her candy obsession by the end of the book. Any of the candy snippets could be used as a great read aloud in class and followed up with having students write about their own candy memories or obsessions.

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Dec 01, 2009

Carrie rated it:

We read the "Assortment" and "Snickers" chapters from this for our first memoir exercise, brought in candy and everything. It went awesomely. "Valencia"--my case study who claims she can't write off the top of her head and is a horrible writer--was the first to volunteer what she wrote about candy and it was fantastic! The kids clapped for her and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Me=happy/exhausted.

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Oct 02, 2011

Jenelias rated it:

I read this on the beach of Zihuatanejo and it was perfect. Each chapter is a different story about a particular type of candy. Gabe also read it and we love to talk about mints and the scale the author uses to determine which mint product is most candy-like and which is most breath-freshening. Really funny. Wonderful light book. Super fast read If you love candy, you will love this book.

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Feb 01, 2012

Brandy rated it:

A life story punctuated by candy, or a candy story punctuated by life events--is there any difference between them? Liftin records every texture, every sensation, every experience in great detail, sharing her love for (or addiction to) any form of sugary sweet. From eating cups of powdered sugar with a spoon at seven years old to a marriage proposal in a package of Bottlecaps, candy has always been a part of Liftin's life--and she's willing to share it with you.

Very brief personal es More...

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Jan 13, 2011

Liz rated it:

i liked this book. yes, it was different, and very easy reading; but fun and i loved the positive note at the end of the book. who would have guessed candy would ever be so important, not i! and i loved how she was able to compare and rate according to the candy she loves. too clever!

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Dec 21, 2007

Tracey rated it:

I buzzed through this book online for free, courtesy of Microsoft. If I'm going to read an e-book, I'd prefer something formatted for my Visor, as it's much more portable, but I'm never one to turn down free - esp since I'd wanted to read this book.

Much like its main topic - it was light, fluffy and sweet, with a chewy center. Hilary discusses her obsessive relationship with all things sucrose-laced, and how, as love becomes more important in her life, candy becomes less important. More...

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Oct 11, 2011

Bree rated it:

This was an interesting book, her life's memories all wrapped up in her memories about candy - every event in her life is somehow tied to a certain type of candy. Although, unlike most memoirs, this one doesn't HAVE a lot of memories, you don't really learn her whole life story, because most of the book is writing details and merits of the different candies she focused on in her life.

I thought I was a sugar addict, but after reading this I realize that I'm not quite so bad...sure, I More...

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Oct 22, 2011

Joanne rated it:

What more could you ask from a memoir than one based around candy? As a fellow candyaholic myself I could really relate to many of the things mentioned in this book. Actually she made me feel good about myself since I'm not as consumed with candy nearly as much as she is. Whew! What a relief!

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Dec 27, 2010

Julie rated it:

This is the silly story of a young woman who craved candy all her life. Then she got married and stopped craving candy so much. Get that, ladies? Anything you like is just a substitute for a man! Well, it was entertaining anyway.

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Jun 12, 2009

Esther rated it:

this book is about a girl in which there is candy everywhere any every time she sees a peice of candy it reminds he back to a memory I rate this book a three star because it was a very good book but at sometimes hard to follow

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May 11, 2009

Meg rated it:

This book disgusted me!!! How can someone actually eat that much in one day? I was cringing and nauseous for most of the book. Yes, it was interesting. Yes, it was fun...but it was a light read and nothing in comparison to the other book she read---- Dear Exile.

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Mar 23, 2010

Bree rated it:

Read it once on my own, and again for a book club. An enjoyable trip down memory lane via the taste buds, especially for a sweets addict like me.

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Aug 09, 2011

Evie added it

If you believe that men are like candy ( and they are....), then this is a must read. Consider it a sweet summer indulgence.

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Apr 18, 2009

Carissa rated it:

A quick easy read. It's sad to see how much I could relate to her love for sweets. I just never had the fun of giving in like she did.

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Sep 24, 2010

Suzanne rated it:

A short fluffy book. I finished it in a few hours. Enjoyable and a life told through stages of candy consumption.

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Dec 06, 2009

Rmmsc rated it:

Fun read! Yet i did come away looking at candy differently. I think of this book when look at candy now.

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Nov 05, 2009

Deidra rated it:

I like me some candy, but this just seemed overwhelming and all consuming. I couldn't relate to someone whose whole life revolved around candy and mass consumption of it.

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Jan 13, 2012

Elizabeth rated it:

I love candy, and this is one of the best books I've ever read.

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Aug 28, 2010

Melissa rated it:

I don't know why I even read this. Lobotomy moment.

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Mar 18, 2010

Teresa marked it as to-read

rec from Caroline Bookbinder.

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