Girlfriends Forever

by Susan Branch

From everyone's favorite girlfriend, the author of "The Heart of the Home, " comes a celebration of friendship, happiness, and healthy, low-fat recipes--illustrated with all-new, enchanting watercolor images.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Art, Memoir, Friendship

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

I'm the author of the Heart of the Home series of hand-written and watercolored books, and most recently, a three-part illustrated memoir that begins with The Fairy Tale Girl (as the appetizer), goes to Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams (for main course), and then (for dessert) it's A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside. (You can take the girl out of the cookbook, but you can never take the cookbook out of the girl.) Hope you love them. I've been waiting a long time to tell this story.

Follow Susan's Blog http://www.susanbranch.com/
Follow Susan on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friend...
Follow Susan on Twitter https://twitter.com/dearsusanbranch
Susan's BOOKTOUR May-July 2016 http://www.susanbranch.com/coming-soo...

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I've read it so many times that it has become a bit loose in the binding.

Susan Branch is a homebody in the best sense of the word. She gives out great recipes, hand paints the pages of every book and also handwrites each book. She is the sort of woman you want as your next door neighbor.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so much more than a cookbook!!! Inspires creativity and contentment. This book is well suited for reading in parts.

[Georganne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of fun, love & good old practicality ❤

[Nancy (Nani) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was given this book as a gift a couple of years ago. It is full of inspiration, movie and book suggestions, web sites, quotes and many delicious sounding recipes. Have made lots of notes in my journal of things to check out when time permits. Made Susan's turkey meatloaf the other evening. It was delicious! Looking forward to the left overs tonight on an unusually busy night. As always, Susan Branch does not disappoint with her wisdom, inspiration and charming artwork that all of her books include. Her books are some of my most treasured processions. I have finished reading the book, but look forward to returning to it again and again. So many books to read, movies to watch, recipes to try and never enough time in the day.

[Cindi P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So pleasant! The conversational style in pen pal format - handwritten - sooothed my weary soul,The cozy, soft art brought beauty and inspiration to my day, from images to lovely borders. The charming stories of girlfriends, interesting recipes, exercises, and great snippets of advice in quotes and shared learning and experience made me a better person. A delightful read. Perfect for summer reading, especially before bed to fall asleep with fun thoughts. And perfect when you are missing your friends from college who are spread around the country now. Both those things were true for me. I'll keep this book and read it again when the mood strikes.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a hard book to categorize; it's lovely to look at but often there was so much going on on one page, that I wasn't sure where to look! Still, it has a cozy feeling to it, like you're looking through your best friend's scrapbook

[Tamara Crandall · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites from Susan. She and her girlfriends celebrate friendship,love and laughter! Along with ever wonderful recipes and book and music suggestions. A great gift for girls and girlfriends.

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Branch's illustrated memoirs were filled with stories about her girlfriends over the years, so it's not a surprise that she wrote a book in praise of female friendships. In her own inimitable style mix of illustrations, quotations, recipes and stories, she sings of friendship happiness. I really liked this book, and enjoyed the positive and fun perspective that she brought to her subject. Some of the quotations were repeated from her memoirs, so I was disappointed that not everything was original, but overall, I felt filled with sunshine while reading it.
Susan is an optimistic person who loves life, and appreciates the little moments that make it all worthwhile. She wants her readers to feel the same way; her book is in praise of the magic of living. Her many recipes felt fresh and clean and healthy, and even though I am not a cook, I read them through. May even try some of them sometime.
This is light summer reading, and refreshing in the way of a cool summer breeze on a warm day.

[Sharon Van Hooser Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girlfriends Forever - Susan Branch

Loved this little book so much, so many memories of my own girlfriends growing up. Susan is very fortunate to have had many best girlfriends that remain in her life today after so many years. I relate to Susan so much having grown up in the same time frame as she and also lived in the San Fernando Valley in California.

A delightful and fun book anyone would enjoy this book.

Give us more Susan - Please!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Susan's books, it's beautifully designed and illustrated, because that's what she does! :) Great recipes and fun little essays on friendship, house decorating, style, stress, fitness....a fun, lovely read.

[L.A. Deming · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new-to-me discover of another of Susan Branch’s love letters of food and love to the world - Thanks again, Ms. Branch!!

My Lovely Ladies don’t know it yet, but this is what every gal pal is getting for her birthday in 2021 - Cheers!!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Susan Branch book but still enjoyable.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny little book with some decent recipes. The text is a little annoying and childish, kind of too cutesy for me.some good quotes and affirming messages.

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book full of art, recipes, and great thoughts.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh to have an ounce of her talent

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, light read. Not much to it, the recipes didn't look like anything great, but a fun read.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like a kindred spirit with Susan Branch! I love the artwork and even the font this is written in.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book!

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book celebrating friendship.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No doubt I'll be reading this book again. There's such strong visual appeal for me. Susan Branch is quite near my age. It's fun with my current connections to northern California to read the memoir of someone who grew up in the southern part of the state. Then there's my background. Quite a lot of my growing up was living as my mother did when she was a child. I have a deep emotional connection to a time when the cultural including the material circumstances of most people's lives was far simpler than they way I live now. At this stage of life, I crave simplicity and beauty more than I ever have. I'm not saying people's lives were simple in years gone by. Like most families, our ancestors lived through terrible times including two world wars in the previous century as well as the Great Depression. There were horrible diseases like polio that hadn't been eliminated. I am saying that the lives of my grandparents were simpler in the sense of not having so many possessions, so much information inundating them and perhaps a clearer sense of who they were. The sum of all this is that I love Susan Branch's books, because they comfort me.

The second time around, I really connected with the recipes. In a way, they remind me of the 1970's when the return to healthy and beautiful food really took off. I wish I were a gardener! Maybe I should stop wishing and start doing.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. As on her popular blog, Susan Branch uses her talented watercolor drawings and whimsical font to illustrate this lovely celebration of women, friendship, and and all things GIRLY!! With lots of great recipes, and tips for everything from travel, home decor, and fashion to website links, organization, and loooove; this book will be your new best girlfriend when you don't have yours around!! One of MY best girlfriends introduced me to this lovely book and author, and she even made a Susan Branch bookmark for me to use! Isn't that grand?

http://www.susanbranch.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friend...
https://twitter.com/dearsusanbranch

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Susan Branch's book first and foremost for her cute watercolors and the journal font and format.
The following first third of this book is about girlfriends, the other two thirds is about a comfortable home, healthy self, recipes, girl food(what is that?). It reminds me of the books about Swedish Fika and Danish Hygge. Creation of cozy home and self.
No more, No more for me.

[Lynnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I checked it out of the library so many time I decided I had to buy it. I have given as gifts as well. It is talks about girl friendships and has some recipes. The stories are better than the food in my experience.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typically wonderful Susan Branch. I'm working toward owning all of her books. The quotes that she includes in this book are especially nice. I'll probably leave it out for awhile and thumb through it when I need a comforting distraction.

[Aleta Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and The Summer Book are my absolute very favorite Susan Branch books, but then again, she has a few I haven't made it to yet! This book will make you fall in love with her style of writing as well as the great food she produces and shares with us, her girlfriends.

[Judy A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book. The perfect gift for a girlfriend. Susan nails the relationship between besties. The illustrations are wonderful and the recipes are excellent. Probably my favorite Susan Branch book.

[Dane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely darling. Full of beautiful art, terrific recipes, and fun stories, it goes beyond her early cookbooks and leans into general domesticity, healthy, low calorie recipes, and even beauty. This one's a keeper.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darling book with fun quotes and stories. Love girl's night out!

[LaRena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book celebrating girlfriends!

[Arline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming. This book makes a wonderful gift for friends.