Books & Bakes
Combining two things I love into a read-a-thon benefiting Cake4Kids
Even before I started elementary school, I was obsessed with reading. Picture books gave way to Big Little Books, which gave way to intensely reading every comic strip in the newspapers at Granny’s house. I loved the tiny library in my elementary school, I loved the annual book fair where my parents would never let me buy all the books I wanted (all of them), I loved reading the back of cereal boxes — anything with words was my passion.
I quickly started reading well above my age and grade level, a fortunate by-product of growing up in a home with lots of books. By sixth grade, I had already delved into Kurt Vonnegut and Stephen King. In middle school I was a lending library for my friends, providing them all the horror and sci-fi books their parents didn’t want them reading.
It’s no surprise, then, that I grew up to be a writer — that was my dream goal. And reading has been with me at every stage of my life, making me a better writer and a better person. My book collection dwarfs what I grew up with, due to my inability to enter a bookstore without buying five or six books just because they look interesting. I’m often actively reading three to four books at a time — a history here, a horror novel there, a piece of classic literature I’ve finally gotten around to — yet my “to be read” pile (actually, piles) continues to grow because so many new things sound so interesting.
While reading was with me from the start, my cooking obsession came later. In the early ‘90s, during my first days in D.C. learning to live on my own, my mother gave me a copy of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I began dabbling with basic recipes, sometimes successfully, sometimes very much not. But over the years, with a lot of reading and a lot practice, I got good at it. I even taught myself to cook traditional Vietnamese food to impress my in-laws.
But the first thing I loved to cook was super basic: baking bread. As an angsty young man, it was entertaining to make something that required punching. Over the years I got better with practice and now I can say with some pride that I haven’t bought a loaf of sandwich bread in more than decade — I bake my own every week or so.
During the pandemic, like so many others, I focused on baking. But not on sourdough. I wanted to bake cakes. I’d been baking cakes for years but one thing I’d never tried: actual cake decoration. So with videos and books and much trial and error, I taught myself how to use piping tips, how to make frostings and icings, how to shape chocolate into ornamentation, and so many other skills.
Ultimately, I was baking too much for a two-person home to consume and my neighbors had begged me to stop giving them cake and donuts so often. Fair enough. But then I came across Cake4Kids as I was searching new techniques online.
Cake4Kids is a non-profit that provides underserved and at-risk youth with custom birthday and celebration cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. In chapters across the country, home bakers create beautiful cakes to give young people who may feel forgotten in the system something special just for them. I signed up immediately and quickly found myself baking a soccer-themed cake, followed by Fortnite. Bakers don’t meet the kids directly but we hear back from the organizations who coordinate these gifts. Each one I’ve baked has given me an immense feeling of joy.
This spring, Cake4Kids provided its 100,000th cake. It’s a big effort to run a non-profit that provides for kids — training, coordination, education, fundraising, it all adds up. So, while I’ve been supporting the kids through baking, I want to support the organization through reading.
How does that work?
One of my favorite activities as a kid was the read-a-thon, a school-organized fundraiser where we asked friends and family to pledge a certain amount per book we would read over the course of a couple weeks. Voracious little bookworm that I was, I raised far more money doing this than I ever did selling candy bars or candles.
What I’m doing this summer is an individual, grown-up read-a-thon. I’m asking friends, family, subscribers, and clients to pledge a dollar amount for each book I read from July 1 through Labor Day. That’s ten weeks of me working through my to-be-read pile (or using it as an excuse to buy more books). At two books a week, someone who pledges $1 per book would donate $20 to Cake4Kids.
Every Friday, I’ll publish a round-up here at The Back Half of mini-reviews and recommendations of what I’ve read. They’ll be mostly positive because one of the perks of being a grown-up is not having to read bad books. I’ll be reading across a range of topics and genres: my beloved sci-fi and horror, as well as some fantasy, history, and literary fiction (plus, I hope, a couple surprises).
And the more I read, the more support Cake4Kids receives.
I’ll also let you know what books I have on deck so you can read along and share your thoughts here.
It’s a simple plan, combining two things I love — reading and baking — to support an organization whose mission I’m committed to.
An important part of Books & Bakes is the support I’m receiving from the Bediz Group at RLAH, which I joined this spring. One of my goals in making that switch to a new real estate brokerage was finding new ways to give back to the community and I’m delighted that David Bediz and the whole team have helped me make this a reality so quickly.
The Rules of the Read-a-Thon
If I’m asking you to pledge $1 or $5 or $10 per book that I read, then I need to have some guidelines so you know how your support is going to work. Here are the five simple rules for how I’ll approach Books & Bakes.
1. No “short” or “easy” books.
I will be avoiding short books that could be called novellas or are under 200 pages. I’m not going to run up the score by reading things I can easily finish in an afternoon. I love graphic novels but they’ll have to wait until the fall.
2. No behemoth novels.
This is not my time to dive into Joyce’s Ulysses or take yet another run at War and Peace. A “read-a-thon” implies reading a lot of books, not just a lot of one book.
3. Non-Fiction is included.
I’ll sprinkle in some non-fiction, partly for spice and partly because they can be super interesting.
4. Let’s read together!
Every Friday, I’ll publish a Books and Bakes review of the books I’ve read at The Back Half. As a Books & Bakes supporter, you’ll receive a free six-month, paid-tier subscription to The Back Half. I’ll also include a book every week that I’m currently reading so you can read along.
5. You can cap out if my volume is too high.
Whether you’re pledging $1, $5, or $10 (or more) per book, you can set a cap on your total pledge. So, if I hit a four-book-a-week pace — unlikely, but we’ll see — you won’t find yourself stuck with a final tally that strikes fear in your heart. This should be fun, not stressful! That said, any amount you can pledge will be doing great work for Cake4Kids.
How to Support Books & Bakes
This part is super simple: Visit seanbuggrealtor.com/books-and-bakes — just fill out the pledge form and you’re ready to go! Remember, it’s your choice how much you want to pledge and if you want to set a maximum amount. Anything you can contribute will make a difference for at-risk and underserved youth.
Each supporter will receive a free six-month, paid-tier subscription to The Back Half, complete with all the benefits that come with that. That means you’ll get access to the full archive, an e-book edition of my book Boy Does World, and no paywalls on any posts.
Also, I hope you’ll join me in some chats here at The Back Half about the books I’ll be reading — the more people reading, the better!
