Wreck the Halls: Cake Wrecks Gets "Festive"

by Jen Yates

A holiday-themed follow-up to the New York Times best-seller Cake Wrecks, Wreck the Halls features over 150 all new four-color, what-were-they-thinking cake wrecks from author and award-winning blogger Jen Yates. Cakewrecks.com receives over 4.6 million page views per month and is ranked one of the top humor blogs on the web.

Award-winning blogger Jen Yates has focused on confectionery calamities at her popular Web site www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com since May 2008, while her debut book, Cake When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong , quickly climbed the charts to become a New York Times best-seller within weeks of its release. Now, Yates is back with Wreck the Halls , a fresh mix of fan favorites and plenty of never-before-seen holiday wreckage.

From thankless Thanksgiving turkeys and confusing Christmas conundrums, to less-than-happy Hanukkah horrors and New Year's meltdowns, Wreck the Halls has an icing-smeared disaster for every occasion. With additional chapters on Black Friday, family communication, and navigating the murky waters of politically correct cake greetings ("Winter!"), Wreck the Halls combines Yates's signature blend of wit and sarcasm with the most hilarious frosting fails this side of winter solstice. Find sweet relief from the holiday madness (not to mention plenty of laughs) with Wreck the Halls .

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Food, Christmas, Adult, Holiday, Comedy

232 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay, so remember when you were planning on spending your friday night being a total loser and writing a paper while everyone else was out having pre-halloween shenanigans? and then you got home and decided to take a moment to "decompress" from work before getting into schoolwork and you ended up reading this entire book, a wonderful gift, and laughing -HOWLING- into the empty apartment, frightening the cat (okay, not totally empty) and gasping for breath, amazed at how much hilarity poorly-made and thematically misguided cakes could cause? because these were not giggles. i was guffawing. shrieking. i have switched from second to first-person seamlessly. SEAMLESSLY. but seriously - pentagrams on hanukkah cakes? stars of david on cakes that say "merry christmas?" cakes that have the starship enterprise and storm troopers on them? (it is totally a holiday, shut up) reindeer with swastika horns? and it's not just the cakes themselves - i love her commentary - she can come to my house any day. i loved the crap out of cake wrecks when it came out, and this follow-up book is just as good. i am a little embarrassed at how funny i find this shit. and now i will go write a paper, i swear.

but what's a goodreads.com review without pictures?

[Dani Shuping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cake Wrecks is one of my favorite blogs to check throughout the day. Jen (and John's) commentary keep me howling and make the day brighter. And this book? Even better! It's a portable version of Cake Wrecks! It includes almost all new material of holiday wreckage (and some special appearances of fan favorites) and Jen's witty/snarky commentary that will brighten up even the darkest day. Be amazed at the cakes "professionals" get away with creating and selling. See cakes in a whole new way after Jen reveals what those cupcake and cake wreckages really are. I guarantee that your trips to the bakery will never be the same after looking at this book.

If you've never read the blog (why the heck not???) you can still pick up the book and enjoy it just as much as fans of the blog. A must have for those times when you're feeling down and the sky's are gray.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are in need of a laugh, just hie yourself to your nearest bookstore or library and obtain a copy of Wreck the Halls. You will be amazed at what passes for “cake art.” Some of these bakers could have make serious use of an icing eraser – if such a thing existed – but others really needed some help in the construction and perspective aspect. The pictures would be enough to want to own this book, but the author’s witty captions – dare I say it – are the icing on the cake.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one made me laugh out loud four or five times. I especially liked the attempts to repurpose specialty cake and cookie pans. We have a football that looks like an Easter egg, a snowman that looks like an Easter egg, a Christmas stocking that looks like a whale, and several Santa faces that are clearly upside-down Valentine hearts (Buttface Santa?). Season's Greedings! Happy Holadays! Movel Vov!

(What kind of person orders a sheet cake with the message "Stay Thin"? Even worse, what about a beautifully decorated cake that says "Happy Last Birthday Patrice"?)

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family laughed so hard while we looked at this book. The author found professional cakes that were misspelled, weird, ugly, and creepy. Our favorite one was the "Super Bowel- Go, go, go!"

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never knew people could be this stupid. A laugh out loud book of how cakes can go wrong.
Evil Santa's, misspellings and poop cakes.
Marry Christimas..... Hahahaha

[Evanston Public Library]

Have you been assigned to bring dessert for your holiday gathering? Need some novel ideas for festive cakes and cookies? Jen Yates's collection of unbelievably misbegotten, mouth-dropping examples of poor taste, and over-the-top decorating disasters should not be your source of inspiration (or, if it is, let me know, and I'll send my regrets for that party). However, if you want a good laugh at the ridiculous, gross, mildly offensive (without meaning to be, I suppose), creepy, and inscrutable ideas that folks confronted with a blank cake come up with, this is the book for you. I don't know what's best--the full-color, garishly presented photos or the snarky commentary by the author. Both are guffaw-producing.

And for all of you out there who have dear friends who bake, I cannot think of a sweeter way to say "Happy Hole Days," assuming, that is, they can take a joke.

But wait, there's more! If you can't get enough of this kind of thing, check out Yates's other book Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong, and visit her website cakewrecks.com. And finally...happy holiday baking!

(Barbara L., Readers Services)

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a few laughs, if you are in the right mood. Kinda gross and just plain wrong in places. I feel bad for some of the cake makers...you can see what they were trying to do. Others...I'm guessing their give-a-darn was broken that day. And then there are the ones that make you think humans are just plain stupid. Sigh...

[Sarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me laughing so hard the first time I read it that I think I might have started to hyperventilate. I can't believe these things were actually out there, for sale. Was there no manager around? Really?

Good for some laughs. :)


Book Description
Publication Date: October 18, 2011

Award-winning blogger Jen Yates has focused on confectionery calamities at her popular Web site www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com since May 2008, while her debut book, Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong, quickly climbed the charts to become a New York Times best-seller within weeks of its release. Now, Yates is back with Wreck the Halls, a fresh mix of fan favorites and plenty of never-before-seen holiday wreckage.

From thankless Thanksgiving turkeys and confusing Christmas conundrums, to less-than-happy Hanukkah horrors and New Year's meltdowns, Wreck the Halls has an icing-smeared disaster for every occasion. With additional chapters on Black Friday, family communication, and navigating the murky waters of politically correct cake greetings ("Winter!"), Wreck the Halls combines Yates's signature blend of wit and sarcasm with the most hilarious frosting fails this side of winter solstice. Find sweet relief from the holiday madness (not to mention plenty of laughs) with Wreck the Halls.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cake Wrecks is by far my favorite blog ... I love to read it for a daily laugh. Not only are the photos of the wrecky cakes hysterical, but I love the snarky humor that Jen Yates adds as commentary to the photos. It's gut-wrenchingly funny.

This is Jen's second book, and although I thought the first/original book was a tad funnier, this one was still totally worth the money and provided many good chuckles. I read this in about an hour -- an hour in which I laughed until tears were streaming down my cheeks and my stomach hurt from laughing. It's so hard to pick one favorite, but the Scooby-Doo/werewolf cake made me cry the most tears of laughter :)

You don't have to be a fan/reader of the Cakewrecks.com blog to enjoy this book, as Jen gives a little bit of the backstory in the intro pages, but I'd say you'd probably 'get' more of the jokes if you have read the blog. Also, if you aren't a reader of her blog -- you should begin right away, it's hilarious!

[Jenn Forte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read Jen Yates' first book a few times, and my daughter also had read her first book several times, and each time we found ourselves giggling helplessly at Jen's humor and scene-setting and storytelling in the book. The first book was full of comedy gold, of which the author took full advantage.

Such an act is always hard to follow, and this second entry doesn't quite meet the hilarity of her first book. She writes really well and hits some great points humor-wise, but her source material seemed as if it was a lot harder to work with.

Still, the author put in an excellent effort and there were spots where I definitely laughed aloud. There simply weren't as many as her first book. Still, I'll keep the book and keep it handy for when I'd like to open up a book and get a laugh!

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed this book while I was at the library waiting for my Mom to finish a class - and wound up needing to find the lavatory so I could wipe my eyes and blow my nose from laughing so much.

Wreck the Halls contains photos of decorated cakes gone wrong. From 'turdaphants' (blobs of brown frosting with eyes) to cake writings like, "MerryChist Mas", this photo book explores the horrors of the holidays, including Christmas, Chanukah and Thanksgiving. The cakes photographed all have something terribly, terribly wrong with them, and Ms. Yates takes great glee (and great geeky-nerdness) in pointing them all out to us.

A hysterical look at what can happen when someone gets hold of too much icing, Wreck the Halls is fun for nearly anyone.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever notice that though there are more than a few folks forecasting the demise of books and the concomitant rising triumph of the internet as a repository and distributor of knowledge* that whenever blogs or sites get buzzingly popular the first thing that happens is a book of their stuff is published? Besides the fact that a book is a concrete product that can generate profit, I think that a tangible object still has value, and a large portion of that value is intellectual weight, legitimacy.

That said, the internet "meme" of taking pictures and adding funny captions can annoy, insult, disgust, and try one's patience, but damn if some of these cakes are hi-larious!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister gave me this book just for a good laugh before Christmas--and I will pass it along so others can experience the horrified amusement I felt. Yes folks--don't try this at home; these holiday-themed cake wrecks are all the work of (cough cough) "professionals" at supermarket bakeries across our great land. It's astonishing how many ways brown frosting can resemble poo. Or how many Santas can resemble maniacal clowns. Wow. And oh--I guarantee you'll soon feel much better about your own little Pinterest fails.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been hanging out in my Kindle app for months. How appropriate to finally read it a few days before Christmas! There are an assortment of cakes from birthdays to Thanksgiving to Christmas to Mardi Gras. Let me tell you...there are so many bad cakes out there, and some scary Santa ones that will haunt your dreams. This book is a quick but very entertaining read! Also, for even more disastrous baking hilarity, I highly recommend Nailed It! on Netflix. You will not be disappointed!

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so obsessed with these books and the blog. I can't believe that these things are out for sale! I absolutely love the written commentary by Jen Yates. She is the queen of sarcasm. I appreciate her shout-outs to pop culture. Anyone who can connect a cake wreck to a Ghostbusters quote is a genius in my book. If you also enjoy this kind of voyeuristic entertainment, "like" Cake Wrecks on Facebook for a daily dose.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen Yates has done it again! She has taken some crappy photographs of some ugly, questionable, or a-grammatical cakes, and has created a masterpiece of humor and comedic commentary! The sequel to her fantastic first Cake Wrecks book, this second volume compiles even more hilarious cake catastrophes to delight readers of all ages, religions, and tastes. A definite must read, for anyone with a funny bone even the least bit ticklish!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. Cakes decorated by supposedly professional cake decorators.
Cakes that say "Happy Gooble Gooble Day." Cakes that say "Star Trek" decorated with Star Wars figures. Psychotic looking Santas and turkeys that look like crap (literally). A few more cakes that make the average person go "Huh?": "Happy Last Birthday Patrice." "Merry Christmax." Cakes that say "Super Bowel" with an icing football. Cupcakes topped with turds (supposed to be footballs). And, sadly, many, many more.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not high literature. This is a book of disastrous holiday cakes made by professionals with moderately funny commentary by Jen Yates. I needed something funny and light to read after the emotional wringer that was The Handmaid's Tale. This fit the bill nicely. Does contain some language and suggestive images made of frosting. (This is as I recall, writing this review more than a month after reading the book.)

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't as interesting as the first one was, to me. I guess the novelty has worn off. In fact, I found myself saying, "I need to go ahead and finish that so I can take it back to the library," and then not wanting to pick it up. So - not great at all. Barely a chuckle.

But that's just me. If you love cake wrecks, you'll probably enjoy it.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave this to Matt for Christmas. It's a laugh-out-loud-every-other-page kind of thing. We all enjoyed it. A few pages have pg-13 humor, but all in all, looking forward to flipping through it again next December. Recommended for all the brothers-in-law. And Melissa. And Jo. (Do we laugh at the same things?)

[Astrid Yrigollen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read and just enjoy the pictures. I think if you are a baker you might enjoy it more.I love to bake and decorate cakes and pastries for friends and family but have had my own mishaps, so if you can laugh at yourself you will enjoy this book even more. Pictures of "Professionally" made cakes at stores and bakeries that range from creepy
( unintentionally) to just bizarre.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but I've read better posts on the blog.

[ReadingWench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a look at this book when you are having a bad day. It will instantly make you laugh and feel smarter!

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book about cakes gone wrong. I loved this book!

[Limeminearia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super Bowel! Go Go Go!

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't think anything could top the Santa slug in the first book, but the poor, peeled Care Bear is worth the purchase price alone!

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was even funnier than the first.

[Quiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and as fun as crackwrecks.com. It put a smile on my face and made me lol more than a few times.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book that makes me laugh like an idiot AND references my favorite Disney movie in a covert style gets two thumbs up from me.