Wreck the Halls: Cake Wrecks Gets "Festive" [Hardcover]

Jen Yates (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 18, 2011

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 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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jen Yates lives in Orlando, Florida, with her husband, John, and their two cats. She enjoys eating dessert first, quoting Ghostbusters, and reminding everyone that she used to be a Jungle Cruise skipper. When not writing for her blog Cake Wrecks, Jen can be found flaunting her flaming geekiness on her other blog, Epbot.

www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; First Edition edition (October 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449407757
• ISBN-13: 978-1449407759
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 9.2 x 6.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #362,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jen Yates has been a clown, a cash office accountant, a Jungle Cruise skipper, a business owner, a children's book inventory expeditor, and a house painter. She currently lives in Florida with her husband, John, and their cats Lily and Tonks. When not writing for her blog Cake Wrecks, Jen enjoys dessert first, quoting Ghostbusters, and talking about herself in the third person. She can also be found flaunting her flaming geekiness on her other blog, Epbot.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent fun October 19, 2011

By Andy Shuping

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's wreck-tastic October 18, 2011

By A. Goebel

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you're a fan of the website, you'll love this book! I wasn't able to read it all in one sitting because (1.) I was laughing so hard I could no longer breathe or see, and (2.) my boyfriend told me I couldn't sit in the same room as him while reading because I was laughing so loudly/making him look at every wreck. Great work, Jen!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Is It A Turkey Cake Or A Focused, Nonterminal, Repeating Phantasm? You Be The Judge. January 24, 2012

By Robert I. Hedges HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

The pundit of fondant, the blogger of the bakery, Jen Yates has done it again. This wonderful follow-up to her classic "Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong" focuses on holiday bakery disasters ("Happy Hole Days" indeed) to wonderful effect. The book is broken down by holidays (though some cakes are bizarrely genre-spanning) with the chapters dedicated to Thanksgiving and Christmas being my personal favorites.

As always there is plenty of witty commentary to go along with these unholy pastries, comedy which reaches its peak in the beloved chapter "Santa Scare Tactics," featuring Santas varying from the merely disfigured, to constipated Santa (she's totally right; see page 151,) and finally into the realm of the truly demented and terrifying. (Don't believe me? See page 144!)

"Cake Wrecks" mocks these disfigured but tasty treats, yet owes its very existence to them: Yates never forgets that, and is never mean-spirited in her humor. While it's true these cakes are wholly disastrous, dessert has never been funnier.