Get Thee to a Bakery

by Rick Bailey

Get Thee to a Bakery is a collection of short, tart essays that explore both humorous and harrowing aspects of growing older and making sense of social, technological, and environmental change. Topics range from earworms and industrial eggs to peaches and personal data, from bug die-offs to algae blooms and global warming, and from beards and yoga to the irrepressible American smile.

Many of these essays make discursive moves into science and literature, framing issues and conflicts that resonate in contemporary American life. With a conversational style, distinctive voice, and great comic timing, Bailey entertains and surprises.
 

Genres: Nonfiction

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2021

About the author

I grew up in a small town in the Midwest. I married an Italian immigrant. So there is frequently a multi-cultural theme in my writing (eating vanilla ice cream as a kid, eating gelato as an adult).

My new book is called Drop and Add, a novel, published by KDP. It's the story of an adjunct English instructor taking his first job at rural technical college. He's adjunct. The money is bad. The students are under-prepared. The prospects of getting a full-time position are remote.

Reviews

[Prashanth Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book ! It's like tasting a fresh cake! Or wine! Slice of life and food.
A family man writes about himself,his thoughts and what's not.
Highly recommended.
This is piece of art.

[Susan Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining collection of essays.

Firstly I have to say that I loved this book. The author’s style of writing is easy to read and humorous. Written in chapters, this series of essays is part memoir and part travelogue. They are taken from Rick Bailey’s observations on his environment, and the social and technological changes which have occurred during his lifetime. Whilst I know humour is deeply personal, this book is steeped in it, and it covers a wide variety of subjects. I challenge anyone not to have a chuckle at the author’s antics, and observations.

The essays cover a myriad of subjects. For example, in the Chapter 1 Get Thee to a Bakery, the author is completing a regular task which requires him to climb a stepladder when his wife says “I wish you wouldn’t do that.” A harmless comment, but it prompts memories of tales he has heard of the perils of this a seemingly simple task. The author consoles himself with the knowledge that, should he survive, he will go and get some pumpkin pie which itself triggers other reflections.

Chapter 4 Con te partirò, is one of my favourites, because I suffer terribly from it. ‘Earworms,’ otherwise known as those tunes which become lodged in your head when someone says, “What was that song which such and such sang in/at?” Or those insidious ones which arrive on Monday morning, and you find yourself still humming them on Friday. Rick reflects on being stuck with the famous Andrea Bocelli song replaying in his ear while taking the reader on a short tour of San Francisco. I wonder if I should take a leaf from the author’s book and get the anti-earworm app.

Life has undergone so many changes through the years, new-fangled gadgets, and culinary inventions like the push- button pancake, which I read about in Chapter 32 / Rock Me, which Rick encounters on a visit to Sedona. What is the world coming to? These little frustrations, or problems, and many more experienced by the author, will make you giggle, or cringe, depending on if you agree with his viewpoint on the particular subject, or not…

Being a dual-cultured family, with children and grandchildren who also travel, readers are treated to wonderful fly-on-the-wall peeps into other cultures. Rick and his wife, spend a lot of time with her Italian family, and this really gives us a flavour of European living, which I can attest to having just returned from having spent 14 years living in France. Life really is ‘different’ living in Europe, as it is in other places they visit like Shanghai. We, the lucky reader can sample it all from the comfort of our armchair.

Rick Bailey, the author of this thoroughly entertaining collection of essays, grew up in Michigan. He has written text books for McGraw-Hill, taught writing for 38 years, and is a persistent blogger. His blog became the basis for first book ‘American English, Italian Chocolate,’ which is a collection of essays, and his second book, is called ‘The Enjoy Agenda at Home and Abroad.’ Since his retirement, he and his wife divide their time between Michigan and the Republic of San Marino.

Whether you love to people watch, enjoy virtual travelling, enjoy a spot or humour, or are simply looking for a great read, this is the book for you! Highly recommended.

I was given a copy of this book pre-release by the author.

[Boyko Ovcharov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely Worth Reading!

This is a relatively short book full of intelligent humor, existential musings, enjoyable reasoning, and analysis of everyday life. Exactly - cherishing the little things like traveling, exploring new places, sampling different types of food or cuisine, sharing funny stories etc.
Therefore, communication, socializing and friendship play an important role as well.

It sounds quite up-to-date, multicultural and adventurous in a casual way. Moreover, it critically assesses modern technological advances, including food technology, while outlining the respective benefits and shortcomings in an amusing, down-to-earth manner.
Of course, the author also draws our attention to the environmental issues of our time, thus raising awareness without making the narrative dry and boring.

The style of writing sounds convincing, relatable, personal, natural, involving/featuring closest friends and family. It is actually fascinating how the author manages to extract some great philosophical ideas by using most ordinary, even mundane, things in our social world, plus some zoology and farming/agriculture.

Overall, it has a fresh outlook on our tough post-pandemic reality around the globe.

Highly recommended!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of the day, I don’t want to read something harrowing or emotional, no predicted dystopian future or political warnings. I don’t want a cliff-hanger or a page-turner. I want something that is like a chat with an old friend. For the last many months, I have finished my reading night with this book of essays. I never knew what each chapter would bring, a foodie adventure or trip abroad, or references to places near to my Metro Detroit home.

I recognized the concerns of those who are sliding down the hump from middle age, the sighs and groans, the concerns about ladders. “Backward. Half the music on my iPod is forty years old. The major seniors in front of me remind me of what lies ahead. In this game, progress is remembering your former self, forestalling what’s next,” he thinks on the elliptical at the gym frequented by seniors.

Food is a major theme, the delights of eating in foreign countries, especially his wife’s native San Marino, American diets include “so much ready-to-eat garbage. I had not thought junk could sustain so many,” he quips, Dante via T. S. Eliot, on an essay on meatloaf. Don’t smirk! Apparently, the dish has a long history. And we all know Mom’s meatloaf is the best.

He writes about saving the neighbor’s leaning trees. The stricken fawn in the middle of Telegraph Road. Picking up a wheelchair bound hitchhiker. Sightseeing and auras and fit bits. How once the car windshield was spattered by bugs which have seemed to have disappeared. I never thought of that, but it’s true.

Bailey sometimes delves into his teacher voice in a paragraph or two. He circles around his theme, but returns with a subtle insight. His wife appears, often reading a book, and more often sharing a delicious meal.

Rick Bailey’s essays are entertaining, thoughtful, and subtle.

I received a free book from the author. My review is fair and unbiased.

[Liane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Bailey sounds like an ideal travel companion. He’s endlessly curious, astute, and hilarious. All these traits are on dazzling display in his new book, "Get Thee to a Bakery," a delightful blend of memoir, travelogue and creative nonfiction. This is the perfect book for armchair travelers, which, thanks to the pandemic, most of us currently are.

Whether he’s hunting down his wife’s favorite bombolone in Italy, white water rafting in the American West or visiting the kids in Shanghai, he’s musing about such things as the long-term impact of digital technology, his wife’s holistic dentist, the ubiquity of meatloaf across cultures, or the derivation of the word “skeevy.” Bailey finds the humor in the minute, mundane details of quotidian life. His disquisition on ear worms alone is worth the price of the book. In these incisive, perfectly paced essays, he weaves personal and factual details together seamlessly, charming the reader with fresh and startling imagery: “My most vivid memory [of Florida] is standing on a bridge in a wildlife park, looking down at a hippo, up to its knees in a creek, gazing up at us, its mouth yawning open like the trunk of a Buick with teeth.”

Bailey, who married into an all-Italian all-the-time family, writes extensively about his passion for his wife’s homeland. After a few months of elbowing her at the dinner table and whispering, 'What did he say? What’s so funny?' he decides he needed to learn. In the essay “Speak to Me,” he writes,
“I heard it said once, if you want to learn a foreign language, you have to get a lover. There is some truth to this. In short order, you might pick up a few stock phrases from said lover, gumdrops such as “You are my everything,” “At last we have found each other,” “We live but once.” It’s a start. You listen, you experiment, you flub a lot. You make a little progress. Over time the phrases pile up and spill over, as new, more specific ones are added: “Pick up your socks, please.” “The car is making a funny noise.” “Are you going to eat that potato?”

Bailey often observes the aging process – or as he puts it, that stage of life where you’re “just beginning to incline…oldward.” In “This Body Offers to Carry Us,” he describes the extensive groaning he and his wife are doing, tosses in thoughts about his age-related hearing loss, and observes, “The wheels aren’t coming off, but they have begun to wobble.”

But there’s nothing wobbly to see here. This is a writer at the top of his game. His impeccable comic timing keeps the reader delightfully off kilter, as he zigzags on seemingly random tangents. Just as the reader finds herself thinking, “Ok, but where is this going?” he ties it together and brings it in for a perfect landing.

Highly recommend.

Thank you, University of Nebraska Press, for providing me with an advance reading copy.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve often heard that a good writer can write about anything and make it interesting for a reader.
Anything?
If this is true (which Rick Bailey has fully convinced me of), Get Thee to a Bakery, a collection of essays published by the University of Nebraska Press (2021), is a masterclass in how to make art out of the quotidian. Bailey tackles truly mundane subjects like haircuts, routine dentist visits, egg yolks, Kindles, cold pizza, flooded basements, leaf-stuffed rain gutters, dog turds in the yard, sun hats, and the infuriating folks who continue to add two spaces after a period. He writes about all of this and makes a reader laugh and care. Really care. Bailey transforms the mundane into careful case studies of the under-examined to point to larger themes like aging, marriage, food, travel, climate crisis, and the quirks of language.

My full review here: https://fourthgenre.byu.edu/bailey-re...

[Deb Werrlein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short reflections on food, place, and language reveals an approach to life driven by joy and wit. Set in the author’s home state of Michigan and in travels to Arizona, China, and Italy, the book takes on a Seinfeldian feel as Bailey uses the humorous minutia of given moments to punctuate larger questions related to aging in a changing world.

In food-focused chapters, Bailey asks how we should take our eggs, our meat loaf, our squirrel. But in pondering which topping best suits a slab of meat loaf (barbecue or mushroom?) or how tough the hide of a squirrel might be, he eases the reader into thinking about the environmental and health challenges of industrialized food. His gentle humor about whether we should wash our eggs or shoot our next meal portrays and appeases our cultural anxiety. While worrying about our food, his stories suggest, we shouldn’t forget to enjoy it.

Bailey nudges the reader toward other questions about the environment in ruminations about air conditioning, toothpaste, and dog poop, ultimately asking: Do bugs have rights? On a different note, he questions the role of data and technology in our lives, humorously wondering, “What if they figure out how to datify cheese consumption?”

Through these chapters runs the question of survival—of our individual selves and our planet. Most notably, Bailey pokes fun at the way we take travel pictures of each other in front of prominent landmarks and compares these images to a fossilized dinosaur footprint in the Arizona desert. The difference between a million-years-old print and a digital one evokes a vast expanse of space and time that dwarfs our photographic effort to mark our moment—to say “I was here!”—in a world that will inevitably outlive us.

Finally, any language lover will revel in the way words are served up and savored in this book, from Bailey’s attention to the Italian he’s learning to his willingness to pause over the varied meanings of a juicy word like skeevy. But nowhere is the beauty of language more evident than in the dialogue between Bailey and his wife. Through these conversations emerges the story of a couple together for over forty years. She confronts serious challenges related to aging, climate, and technology in a bookish and serious way while he insists on the distractions of lighter details. So, while she worries he might die by toppling off a ladder, he hopes to land in a vat of nutmeg-infused pumpkin pie. Likewise, when she admonishes that time is short and shouldn’t be wasted, his first course of action is to get a plantar wart scraped off his toe. The intertwined dialogue that results from these disparate attitudes demonstrates a balance between two people who know and accept each other so completely they no longer need to finish each other’s sentences. Which, in my mind, is more than any of us can hope for.

Bailey’s brief chapters are the perfect answer to our fast-paced media landscape, making quick but rich reading that will not disappoint.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my reasons for rating this book five stars is the simple fact that it seemed unique - I don't think I've ever read anything like it before. My main reason for choosing this book was that I hoped I might find it amusing.

It was amusing. I felt as though the author was sharing little anecdotes with me, almost in the way that a new friend or acquaintance might. Whatever the topic of discussion, I felt it was discussed with much enthusiasm, and in a way that encouraged the reader to relate. As a result, there were moments when I found myself chuckling while reading. For example, references to the "phantom buzz". I think in this day and age, most if not all of us, can relate to that.

It seemed to me that the author wrote in a way that made ordinary things seem amusing or interesting, and I felt this was also the kind of book that might make you feel as though you learned something while you were reading. I would recommend this book to any person of any age, for those days when they want something that will make them chuckle or cheer them up.

[Pinky N.A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me want to write my own essay — life essay. I never thought essay could be this interesting. I like the humour and the implied sarcasm. Definitely one of my top favourite non-fictions. Not only that these essays are entertaining but also have lots of deep meaning. Now I wonder, are these how my late grandpa saw the world? And are these what my father is thinking about? Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I don't understand, sometimes it's surprising, sometimes I ... just enjoyed it. You can read this book by your own pace, however you like.

[Het · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of episodes from different events of the life intricately woven with current experiences, the book takes you through different life events.
First and foremost I must say the attention to detail is great but at the same time not to over to make it too much lengthy. The accounts give you a taste of new places and cultural variations with a little bit of humour.
Overall it was a nice and sweet read.

[Shivam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get Thee to a Bakery is a emotionally stimulating and thought provoking collection of essays written in the likes of a travelouge or a descriptive diary, at every level demonstrating the tonal and visual acuity of the authors ear and eye. His relations, especially with his wife is the ideal spouse we all yearn to have. I am much plagued by insularity and ignorance of other cultures, yet the authors easy way of penmanship did not encumber my reading in any way, something which I admire in any author.
Synonymous with the name, the book is not devoid of the element of humour. The hilarious account of his 'dentist wars' with his wife in chapter 2 elicited more than a few chuckles. Other notably funny mentions include 'Good Eggs', a chapter riddled with ribles on the deceptive marketing schemes of eggs and other quotidian items of daily use, something we don't generally think of.
Among other things, I could especially relate to the author in our shared proprietary of the Kindle. My go-to device for any form of reading, it was very fun reading on his use of it.
Living,in my experience has always been intricately linked with food. Eating has always been the clearest exposition of our cultural and moral views, figurings of its psychic state. I close this book now, with an entirely different vocabulary of it. The book has pushed my boundaries of what food can be and how it can be used as a vessel to form a beautiful connect between people. And if you'll now excuse me, I have to go try some cold pizza.

[Al Kratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really enjoyable read to sit with. I’m writing a longer review on my web site. It captures interest through a thoughtful and conversational style that carries momentum and doesn’t aim for the big truths but is happy exploring life’s smaller moments and collectively still has a lot to say about relationships, aging, technology, travel and the social aspects of cooking and eating.

[Kristin Tenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Bailey's latest collection of essays, GET THEE TO A BAKERY, is a pure delight. From cleaning out the gutters on a sunny autumn morning to contemplating the value of personal space while sitting at a bar in Shanghai, Bailey deftly, and often humorously, explores the simple, yet extraordinary, events that make up this crazy, shared experience we call life.

There's an expansiveness to Bailey's curiosity--a subtle blend of observation and research--that not only entertains, but also informs the reader. His reflections, especially those regarding aging and the ever-changing technological and environmental climates, are both accessible and resonant. Also, as the American husband of an Italian immigrant, Bailey texturizes his essays with a distinctive cultural flair which brings food and language and the beauty of a long-lasting marriage alive on the page.

Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Rick Bailey indeed lives life to its fullest and as readers we're so fortunate to be invited to come along for the ride.

If you enjoy GET THE TO THE BAKERY, you may also be interested in reading Bailey's two previous essay collections, THE ENJOY AGENDA: AT HOME AND ABROAD (Nebraska, 2019) and AMERICAN ENGLISH, ITALIAN CHOCOLATE: SMALL SUBJECTS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE (Nebraska, 2017).

[Sam Hedenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of Rick Bailey’s new collection Get Thee to a Bakery is wildly appropriate.
Throughout the 42 essays, Bailey channels the skill of an artisan baker, taking ingredients of observation, curiosity, intellectual ephemera, and daily mundanities and combining them in a delightful and complex slice-of-life pie.
The collection is a quick read, not due to the page count but thanks to the pace of the essays, which never loiter in one subject area for too long.
On their faces, the essays’ topics should be downright boring — gutters, dishes, coffee — but when treated with the keen snap of Bailey’s prose, they come alive. Bailey weaves trivia and humorous anecdotes with precision throughout, leaning on a lifetime of literary knowledge and travel wisdom. He’s the most interesting man in the room, the guest at the dinner party who can talk to anyone about anything.
Bailey also would’ve been the type of teacher I enjoyed because he’s prone to derailment, willing to digress for a few pages about the etymology of the word skeevy or Gengis Khan’s diet. But just as you worry he might’ve lost the thread, he’s back with a witty kicker that ties things up nicely.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get Thee to a Bakery is a delightful collection of essays that, on the surface, seem simple in nature. They discuss the ordinary, everyday events that occur in a person's (in this case Baiiley's) life, such as cleaning out gutters, dental appointments, washing dishes, conversations with your spouse. And yet, each essay delves into a subject in a way that only the curious can, brimming with trivia, humor, and social and political commentary. So many essays landed on the top of my list, but when I made it to the end of the collection, I recalled these lines from "On Wine Tasting and the Limits of Winespeak," which at one point talks about the subjectivity in grading papers and what might constitute a grade of 87 versus one of 92. Bailey writes, "Words help. They can explain the 87 and 92. They also can get in the way. Did you like it? yes. Do you want more? Yes. Most of the time, that's enough."

Do I want more? Yes, Rick Bailey, I do.

Bravo!

[Gina Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

In these essays, we catch the author in mid-life and sense how time and perspective have slowed and opened for him. These stories feel like ride alongs, to the dentist, to Kroger’s, to China, to Italy, where you never know what new wisdoms you’ll pickup along the way. Personal and hilarious enough, though, to feel like a deep creep, to visions of dead deer, urges to kill squirrels, and surveil neighbors. In his rage at the guy in the Firebird and his love of Meat Loaf in all its iterations, we feel his confessions as ours. In the curious case of the dusty animal heads, we’re reassured someone is considering these things even if we are not. And although the title of this collection conveys an imperative, the pages are more a treasure box of musings, humorous and deeply human. Get thee to a book store and buy it.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an arc by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Ah this was a delight. Overall a charming and fun essay collection with topics ranging from the little things in life—such as washing dishes—to the bigger things like growing older. I loved how the history and origin of food and words were explored. Diving into the little things, I suppose.
As the book goes on, a bond between writer and reader is built, which is shown in the essays by referencing previous stories. Like little inside jokes almost.
A great essay collection for people who pay attention to the small things in life, maybe even a little too much.

[Asma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get Thee To a Bakery is a collection of essays, beautifully written, humorous, and colordul about life, food and getting old with one's spouse.
The daily aspects and bickerings the author gets himself in with his wife and the challenges he faces.
I loved reading a out his adventures in life and with food.
It's a light, easy read even if it took me a long time to finish (due to other reasons)

The 3⭐️ rating = I like it.

Thank you BookTasters and the author for providing a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, University of Nebraska Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this collection of essays about marriage and relationships, aging, food, travel and musings on social and technological change. The author is curious about the world around him, and open to discovering and exploring new things - and it shows in this gently humorous, thoughtful and beautifully written book, which is a delight to read.

[Ayezu Tamarapreye Okoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK:GET THEE TO A BAKERY- ESSAYS BY RICK BAILEY

BOOK REVIEWER:-OKOKO AYEZU TAMARAPREYE

This is a cooking humour book on seeing,listening and tasting .It uses symbolism in discussing a wide variety of subjects from love to relationships;taking risking, aiming high and the tricks of climbing a ladder with possibility of falling off;health benefits of certain species;tooth care and dentistry; phone apps and its distractions;music and its charm;apprentice amateur tasting of wine and the experienced tasting with control of language and power of words avoiding drunkenness; difference in taste buds of the young and aged;wine preference and price difference; tasting wine and learning to like by tasting;dish washing with hand and dish washer and cleanness; meals that are better eaten on next day;linking food appearance and human appeal;eggs and yolk density or colour and its causes;learning language from children, women and women books and men in books and bars;book reviews,reading work and kindle app;bank withdrawal and security door check traffic; listening to those who are elderly and have been through what we are going through;hotel services,music and corporate begging; indiscriminate dropping of trash;care for the tooth and not using the tooth on hard objects ,knowing its purpose;rescuing animals and endangered specie;making choices in a market of farmers from a variety of sellers;trees and standing up,fixing bent over trees with coffin hoist so they remain and trees that have lost their will to be trees;managing climate change,water flooded homes and depletion of the ozone layer;the relief of a plumber,AC,fan,fridges and window AC unit at different stages of technology; man against nature in the form of bugs,insects and reptiles and combacting same with insecticide and repellants to protect self;keeping fit by healthy eating;knowing when to quit the cell phone distraction; good and poor hotel services;pictures and memory records;the awkwardness of hotel servicing and repairs in the presence of guests;linking rivers,mountains and deserts to food sights and tastes; why we are inclined to visit a different place than repeat visiting same locations just like getting weary of having a recurring dream;delayed flights;certain languages sounding better with syncopation application;non verbal communication in cases where people don't speak same language; amongst others. It raises several questions amongst which are whether being a vigilante was being self righteous and taking the law into ones hands;whether wielding a gun against invading animals to scare them from ones property exercising bones constitutional right to bear a gun was exercising ones constitutional right or taking the law into ones hands;whether dish washing by dish washer is cleaner than that done by hand washer; Need for laws to protect nature and whether insects and human invading insects should have rights amongst others

LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE ESSAY
🙏🏾Love is care for self and care for another.

APPLICATION OF LESSONS LEARNT

On learning to like by tasting that is true of meals but when one attach symbolism to those words, I'm skeptical with the use of the word "taste" as it may lead to having so many hit/eat and run drivers and several in bandages if not dead.

[Chris Maddix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky. Stream of consciousness. A cross between JD Salinger and John Updike, with a little Kurt Vonnegut mixed in. These were some of my thoughts as I waded into and out of Get Thee to a Bakery. The book is a series of short stories which aren't really stories. Musings? Peccadillos? Whimsies? I don't know. This book is definitely an acquired taste, and I acquired it, gladly and enthusiastically, paying full price and savoring the doggie box.

Let me briefly acquaint you with some of the topics covered herein:

- Should the author climb the ladder and reward himself later with pumpkin pie, or simply eat the pie?
- Music that sticks with you is an "earworm."
- Should you shoot and eat squirrels that invade your bird feeder?
- What is meatloaf, really, and why not eat cold pizza?
- He buys plain Crest in 5-year increments, she gets organic toothpaste from her dentist
- What is it about the phrases "Learn to Like it" and "Shazam" (the musical, not Gomer Pyle version)
- Beards are definitely tough ("badass", per the author)
- Are bugs really dying off?
- Is a 92 rated wine better than an 87? Really? 5 points better? How much is that?
- Do they vacuum mooseheads which are hung on walls? Is there a job in that?

Here are a few select quotes along the way:

"I'm smarter than squirrels, but not by much."
"I wish you wouldn't do that." (author's wife's response to many actions)
"If you want to learn a foreign language, you have to get a lover."
"I want to be fit, but I also want to enjoy cheese."

The final, and very fitting, quote - "Any plans for the immediate future? Oh, not much. Just a lot of smiling. Sometimes, that's all we've got."

Like an old Batman costume, 3-piece tweed suit or Basil Rathbone-Sherlock Holmes hat, you need to try this book on for size. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

[Ashley Ow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way the author captures memories in his writing. From the little things others tell him that triggers his thoughts, to his feelings and reflections. The author explores a range of various things, from Shazam in Chapter 3, ‘A Minor Memory’ (personal favourite), to Yoga in Chapter 39. ‘Yoga, Space, and Bragadin’s Skin’.

Marrying an Italian immigrant provides an even more unique take to his stories, where he shares exchanges he had with his wife, along with insights of the Italian culture, compared to the average American’s. The author includes humorous comments and thoughts from both himself and the conversations with his wife throughout the book that makes it a delightful read.

Throughout the book he highlights the little things that made him feel like he’s getting old. From hearing, to an injured retina. It really does provide some insights, while seeing things from his lens. I love the chapter about him trying to read aura which is later discovered to be the injured retina. There’s humour, yet child-like innocence in that story as he tries to read the aura of various people, from his wife to his eye surgeon.

He also included some stories from his pre-retirement times while he was teaching. Sharing some of his exchange like that student who couldn’t get this last name right (Mr Barley and later Bay-lee) to marking papers and later after retirement, catching up with his old teaching colleagues. In the latter story, he talks about quitting cigarettes, drinking, and eventually discusses phone addiction.

The knowledge and cultural information you learn throughout the book as you go is a huge bonus to me alongside the humorous take on events in his life.

[Janja]

Rick Bailey is a magician of grabbing reader's attention. He loses no time but throws hooks already in opening sentences »I'm smarter than squirrels.« Sure, I raise my eyebrows when I'm hit by the second sentence »But not by much.« The continuation does not let me down. In Rick's war with squirrels I definitely take his side. Similarly I get emotionally involved in his fights with dog walkers, dentists, car buyers – to name but a few.

On the other hand I get to know and like the calm Rick - a loving, caring and gentle husband, willing to courageously suffer the toothache not to hurt his wife's feelings.

The essays can also be read as a diary of a mature relationship, based on adoration of everything Italian, starting with Rick's wife. Interestingly though, their conversations lack Italian temperament and loquacity as partners are gradually turning to devoted one-worders. In all aspects they are a role model of harmonious diversity.

If you cannot afford to travel, Rick takes you all over the world and through different historic periods. We can smell delicious dishes, get nostalgic over meatloaf, almost enjoy vegetable cocktail, pick up Italian words, feel the Death Valley heat, stroll around flooded Venice and many more.

I'd recommend the book to:
- food aficionados,
- partners or lovers (especially of different cultural and language background),
- teachers (particularly language teachers),
- lady books fans,
- digital nomads and natives,
- people who would like to discover joy in ordinary things,
- those who can hear the door laugh. (If you can't yet, you surely will after you have read the book.)

[Amr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, entertaining, and full on humor, this is the best way to describe ‘Get Thee to a Bakery’.

This is the type of book you want to keep a copy with you to reread whenever you get the chance, the author’s easy way of writing and great sense of entertaining will get to you instantly as you start indulging one story after another.

This is not a spoiler but as the name suggests the book consists of short stories each between 5-6 pages, the dialogues between the writer and sometimes the wife are the best part and you find yourself relating to those conversations, it’s like reading a 90’s sitcom and you will probably find yourself binge-reading one story after another.

I would highly recommend you not only reading but keeping a copy with you whenever you are traveling it’s one of those books that will leave you feeling entertained and uplifted.

[Daffola · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's just something special about " Get thee to a bakery" . It's very different , simple yet it moves you to different locations so easily. It's like " Around the World in Eighty Days" which means that there are more settings involved . each chapter is short and is very well devided by the big bold title which makes it easy to follow , it doesn't get tedious , the genius humour of this book is also unmatched the little Italian terms used are very informative. and I even learned about the term used to describe music getting stuck in your head !

It's the simple things such as ordinary life of a couple, talks about cuisine and wine etc...that make this collection golden .
The comparison between old generation's way of finding music and new generation's way of using shazam was very good as well .



Definitely a must read .

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Rick Bailey's stories. He takes an everyday topic and makes it so interesting and intriguing.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a book of short stories about everyday life. Just sitting in bed with his wife and she is doing her thing and Rick doing his and their funny conversations that happen on a daily basis with all couples.

It was a glimpse into his life but there was no trauma or twist and turns. It was just natural life situations. I totally enjoyed it.

I would recommend this book to my friends. And even though I am Canadian, I think I smile all time too. I visited Germany and probably was smiling the whole time.
Thanks booktasters and Rick Bailey for sending me a copy to read.

[Solafa Khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is interesting how reading someone's else memories makes us think of our own. He manages to display all the sweet interesting moments in a lovely friendly tone, which is exactly why I started writing my diaries after reading this book. It is amazing how many things we forget after few days or weeks. Events, thoughts and even interactions with others that when we come back to it and read it after a while we feel glad that we did not ignore it and we wrote it down. This book is a great companion if you are like me and you have been traveling a lot.

[Priscilla King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newspaper-column-length witty essays, a little more literate than most newspapers favor, but you can always look up any references you didn't understand. These are stories of the way tenured university professors live--modest, with lots of access to books and frequent trips to Europe, mostly Italy. Along with the chortles you'll get free Italian vocabulary words, recipe and serving suggestions, and suggestions for books and web sites to look up. This is my idea of a fine bedroom, bathroom, or cafe coffee table book.

[Emz G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious. Its basically a conversation or a non conversation with no listening from your spouse. The topics discussed are relatable and I was able to relate with a lot of what the author was writing about. The stories were so well written that they visually float off the pages of the book. The author writes about everyday activities that happen to him and his spouse. The way he and his spouse interact is also very hilariously brought out and I am sure many couples will relate to this aspect of comfortable relationships with cemented unchanging and resigned to acceptance of the other partner's foibles.

It is a lot of fun to read and visualise. A recommended read.

[Elina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable, thoughtful and funny read! I loved the way that each essay was covering different yet seemingly connected topics and themes, and the simultaneous commentary and humorous banter that was present in each one. I loved Bailey’s musings on travel and all the complications and wonders that come along with it, the trials and tribulations of getting older, and many more. Truly a wonderful read!