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303rd out of 469 books
—
976 voters
Candy and Me: A Girl's Tale of Life, Love, and Sugar
As a seven-year-old child, Hilary Liftin poured herself a glass (or two) of powdered sugar. Those forbidden cups soon escalated to pound bags of candy corn and multiple packets of dry cocoa mix, launching the epic love affair between Hilary and all things sweet. In "Candy and Me: A Love Story," Liftin chronicles her life through candy memories and milestones. As a high sc...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
June 3rd 2003
by Free Press
(first published 2003)
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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 kitchen to...more
Anyway, I read this book in one sitting (except for a short walk to the kitchen to...more
I love candy and I love this book. Hilary Liftin writes unabashedly about her rabid sweet tooth and her love for all things sugar coated. She effectively uses her changing tastes for and relationship with various candies as a lens through which to examine her life. Liftin is so honest and so entertainingly self-effacing that you can't help but like her. This book will make you nostalgic for candy you haven't had since you were a child and grateful for the sweetness that already exists in your li...more
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
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
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! ;) An...more
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 re...more
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 candy, I wouldn’t recomm...more
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 candy, I wouldn’t recomm...more
My Amazon review: 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 an...more
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 an...more
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 powdered sugar w...more
Liftin begins her book by describing how she would sneak cups of powdered sugar w...more
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" flavored candy. A...more
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 baskets).
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 baskets).
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.
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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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.
Fascinating. Such an interesting memoir full of nostalgia. Evoked tons of good memories like walks to the drug store with Jenny May, drives in my Grandpa McNicholas's Chevy with Phil to get penny candy at my uncle's small town gas station and the echo of footsteps on the hardwoods in the old fashioned candy store at Pitt in my college days. Delicious!
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 essays centere...more
Very brief personal essays centere...more
Hilary is obsessed with candy (and just about everything that is satisfies her sweet tooth). I absolutely enjoyed this "love story". I had my own ideas for the end, but I must say it was still a good conclusion nonetheless. This is a fun book for both readers and candy-lovers alike.
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!
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. Mostly humor...more
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. Mostly humor...more
(2.5-ish) Liftin weaves her love of candy through the years of her life, matching them up with relationships, heartbreak and milestones. It's a sweet read but one I'm not sure why I kept around my house for so long. Worth a perusal if you have a sweet tooth...which I really don't.
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 enjoy candy...more
I thought I was a sugar addict, but after reading this I realize that I'm not quite so bad...sure, I enjoy candy...more
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
A short fluffy book. I finished it in a few hours. Enjoyable and a life told through stages of candy consumption.
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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