When five women from the Hope Springs Community Church in North Carolina form a committee to create a church cookbook, they embark on a project much more meaningful than they could have ever imagined. As novice pastor Charlotte Stewart, no-nonsense Margaret Peele, maverick Louise Fisher, steadfast Jessie Jenkins, and busybody Beatrice Newgarden meet to share recipes, they begin to open their lives and hearts as well.

Offered in "Make me read this book!"

Real Friendship Cake


Cook's note: This recipe takes extra preparation and work.

You will need a bunch of love, the kind that is long-suffering and bears all things, the kind that does not keep score of mistakes or slips of the tongue. Blend this with a serving of patience and add the following ingredients:

A strong helping of backbone support is necessary, for friendship is molded upon an understanding that leaning is appropriate.
Fold in the promise to guard secrets and the willingness to tell one's own.
Combine humor, the sweet taste of easy laughter, and a fiery brand of loyalty to keep the relationship firm.
A golden touch of the ability to sit in silence will add to the overall consistency, and a pinch of exuberant jubilation at the sound of someone else's good news will add flavor.
Stir in a commitment of time and attention, and add a bit of surprise to taste.
Once the ingredients have been mixed together, treat this dish with care. And remember, this is the one cake that you can have and eat it too.

This is not normally a book I would pick up to read, but I'm glad a took a chance with it.
What a wonderful story! I'm looking forward to reading another novel by this author.

I will be hand-delivering this to a new friend, busybooklover, on January 3!

This looks like a heartwarming story.. I have been given some friendship cake starter... and made it. I was fun to participate in the process. I will share this book with my sister in law when I am done. We want to go up to see the Quilt Show in Sister's Oregon and also to see the Pennysylvania Dutch/Amish communities & go quilt browsing perhaps in Lancaster County someday. This book title reminds me of that kind of trip.