33. Susuk - The Evil Within by Amir Hafizi

BOOK REVIEW: Susuk – The Evil Within by Amir Hafizi

Being in Malaysia, we women as Asians look towards the West for beauty inspiration. We adore their flawless looks, drop-dead gorgeous body and the way men just gravitate towards them. Many modern procedures have mushroomed to provide Asian women with the elusive ‘beauty’ such as plastic surgery, botox, fillers and the list is endless. However, are you familiar with the ancient dark art of susuk (the Muslim black magic of inserting spelled needles below the skin’s surface to look youthful till death and also for unparalleled attraction)? This novel written by our very own Malaysian writer Amir Hafizi is bound to raise a few hairs on the back of your neck while providing an insight into this well-kept beauty secret.

Beauty has a price. Suraya is a young trainee nurse who is starting to feel disaffected by her life. A chance introduction to the world of glamour piques her ambition to be a star. She does not succeed at first, but then she is told of the forbidden practice of susuk. She is torn between making a decision of being the way she is or crossing the line to the other side.

Suzana is a diva with an air of mystery. She has long used the extreme susuk keramat. Every time she violates a taboo, a human life is required. In this book, we follow the eventful lives of these two women until we get to the true secret of this dreaded charm.

Susuk is the forbidden practice of inserting and embedding foreign objects under a person’s skin to increase their allure. The wearer will have to respect a few taboos, failing which the consequences will be dire. More dangerous is a variant called susuk keramat.

Being brought up in a small town which still practiced forbidden black magic like this, I have personally encountered close acquaintances wearing this art. Some effects of disrespecting the taboos are bleeding for no reason from the face, aging way beyond your age in a matter of seconds (for example, looking 60 when you are only 30 in a span of five minutes after disrespecting the taboo) and other macabre and ill after-effects. Beauty is within you and will radiate outwards if you choose to. So, I don’t encourage doing any of these ‘beauty procedures’ and those intending to do this susuk, you guys will resort to healthier means of gaining beauty rather than through the back door after reading this insightful book.

32. Kitchen Mysteries by Herve This

BOOK REVIEW: Kitchen Mysteries by Hervé This

Being from a Culinary Arts background, I simply adore the way food is prepared and served. Coupled with my intrigue in Science, I found myself wondering just why a luscious salted butter caramel crystallizes when you stir it but if left untouched becomes the familiar heaven that goes in a pecan pie or how meringues puff up in the oven when they are just egg whites and sugar beaten into a foam. This study of food science is called molecular gastronomy and is a subject that is picking up pace in both overseas and our very own homeground Malaysia.

An international celebrity and founder of molecular gastronomy, or the scientific investigation of culinary practice, Hervé This is known for his groundbreaking research into the chemistry and physics behind everyday cooking.

In Kitchen Mysteries, the author offers a helping of his world-renowned insight into the science of cooking, answering such fundamental questions as what causes vegetables to change colour when cooked and how to keep a soufflé from falling.

He illuminates abstract concepts with practical advice and concrete examples – for instance, how sautéing in butter chemically alters the molecule of mushrooms – so that cooks of every stripe can thoroughly comprehend the scientific principles of food.

Flipping through these pages was like entering a fantasy world which I’ve only looked at from the outside in. Now with the inside out knowledge of food and its many wonders I have come to realize that more alcohol to flambé my crepe suzette might not be the best idea. Scientifically prosaic and insightful, I highly recommend this book to readers who just want to know what puts the punch in their food from stove to the table.

31. The Rising by Brian Keene

BOOK REVIEW: The Rising by Brian Keene

At first glance, the book cover shines a graphic display of rotting wood panelling with even more rotting arms jutting through the holes. Yup, you guessed it, ZOMBIES! I just can’t get enough of their shuffling, groaning and moaning, and I know all you readers out there do too. Reminiscent of the all-time favourite The Walking Dead, this book delivers blood, disembowelment and more shuffling on a plate! How delicious!

Nothing stays dead for long. The dead are returning to life, intelligent, determined and very hungry. Escape seems impossible for Jim Thurmond, One of the few left alive in this nightmare world. But Jim’s young son is also alive and in grave danger hundreds of miles away. Despite astronomical odds, Jim vows to find him – or die trying.

Joined by an elderly preacher, a guilt-ridden scientist and an ex-prostitute, Jim sets out on a cross-country rescue mission. Together they must battle both the living and the living dead and the even greater evil that awaits them at the end of their journey.

For zombie purists, the storyline may come forward as being a little conflicting as these zombies possess the power to articulate speech. Zombies are only known for their moaning and groaning but in this book, the zombies are portrayed as capable of speech just as they were when they are alive. Besides that, they have the power to manipulate their prey psycholigically (well, humans of course, duhhhh) before moving in for the kill. Heart thumpingly addictive, this novel definitely has my thumbs up in the air.

30. Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

BOOK REVIEW: Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Most of us are sometimes duped into believing myths, especially those surrounding food, and what’s worse we believe in these people! For those just learning to cook, these myths end up becoming a deterrent from them ever touching a knife let along go near a fire. Ever had a niggling question like do spicy foods cool you down or do apricot pits contain cyanide?

In this entertaining and informative reference guide, two award-winning cookbook authors take on more than 100 popular kitchen myths and dish up answers to all your burning questions about food science and lore.

No longer must you wait for your butter to reach room temperature before you bake or panic because you forgot to soak your dried beans for dinner.

This handy book explains how knowing the truth behind these urban legends can help you be a better chef in your own home and offers 25 delicious recipes so you can practice.

Whether you’re a serious foodie, an avid dieter, a trivia lover or are just searching for a secret to the perfect cup of coffee, Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them is essential countertop reading and a whole lot of fun.

29. Waking Brigid by Francis Clark

BOOK REVIEW: Waking Brigid by Francis Clark

With the releases of movies like The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, we have become familiar with the theme of demons terrorizing the lives of those it possesses and torturing those around them. The respite from all this suffering comes in the form of angelic forces in Christianity that expel these demons to where they belong. On the lines of this, the novel Waking Brigid is a morbid literary masterpiece that portrays this exact same theme with twists and turns that only a writer can put to paper.

10 years after the civil war, a demon is stalking the graceful city of Savannah, Georgia, spreading death and terror in its wake. Raised by a cult of evil men and women whose devotion to evil has brought them both wealth and power, the bloodthirsty fiend kills with impunity in exchange for diabolical human sacrifices.

In response to this unholy threat, the Catholic Church summons a team of seasoned exorcists and white magicians to combat the demon and his wicked acolytes. But as the powers of darkness prove more formidable than anticipated, Savannah’s salvation may lie in the hands of an inexperienced Irish nun.

As a child, Sister Brigid was tutored in the pagan ways of her ancestors, but, since taking Holy Orders, she has turned her back on the old gods and her own very special gifts. Now, with evil spreading like a miasma through the humid streets of the city, Brigid must choose between her faith and the ancient power waking within her.

As I was reading this book, it occurred to me that it was a fast-paced, nail-biting fantasy tale of the perennial battle between good and evil. Definitely not a disappointment, this literary masterpiece is bound to glue readers to their seats for a demonic rollercoaster ride.

28. Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner's Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright Bizarre by Christa Weil

BOOK REVIEW: Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner’s Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright Bizarre by Christa Weil

Malaysians are reknown the world over for their love of food and dining. At any time of the day we eat, eat and eat! With a vast array of foods from around the world on our plate here in Malaysia, we have a well-developed palate. But just how far can our palates go? A plate of fried water bugs perhaps, or maybe a cheese notorious for its maggots as it is its sulphuric taste? Thinking twice? You might just have a nibble of these dishes once you delve into this book.

An alphabetical survey of the world’s most extraordinary edibles, Fierce Food describes what these foods are, where they’re consumed, and how they’re captured or foraged. For example, Casu Marzu, a rotting Italian cheese with “guests” (you guessed it, maggots!).

Readers also learn how the foods are traditionally served and eaten, and, best of all, what they taste like, because if you can’t actually bring yourself to down Filipino embryonic duck eggs, reading about it is the next best thing.

Fierce Food is a fascinating exploration of global cultures that definitively proves the old adage, “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”. Now if you will excuse me, I just loved the fried cicadas. They’re absolutely fabulous!

27. Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews

BOOK REVIEW: Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews

Novels which harbour inexplicable twists are ones which capture the reader’s rapt attention, guaranteeing an eye-opening reprieve from novels with the common climaxes and endings. Sensitive topics such as incest are hard to portray without so much as raising an eyebrow here and there. However, Flowers in the Attic has managed to achieve just that.

The Dollangangers were a perfect family, golden and carefree – until a heartbreaking tragedy shattered their happiness. Now, for the sake of an inheritance that will ensure their future, the children must be hidden away out of sight, as if they never existed.

At the top of the stairs there are 4 secrets hidden. Blond, beautiful, innocent and struggling to stay alive. Kept on the top floor of their grandmother’s vast mansion, Cathy, Chris, and twins Cory and Carrie’s loving mother assures them it will just be for a little while.

But as brutal days swell into agonizing months, they realize their survival is at the mercy of their cruel and superstitious grandmother...and this cramped and helpless world may be the only one they ever know.

V.C. Andrew brought to life the pitiable story of kids holed up in a loony bin and how as the older siblings come to terms with their bodies, they turn to each other to satisfy needs normally satiated by those not of the same blood ties. Deeply moving and tear jerking, this book is for those who have a strong heart to digest the realities of cruelty on children as well as the strong family bonds that could disintegrate once exposed to the elements. 

26. The Gruesome, Disgusting and Absolutely Vile Gross-O-Pedia by Rachel Federman

BOOK REVIEW: The Gruesome, Disgusting, and Absolutely Vile Gross-O-Pedia by Rachel Federman

Don’t you just love the thought of grossing out someone like your mum, your little brother or sister or just about anyone you know? However, being gross doesn’t mean you have to be brainless or a good-for-nothing. Gross them out with some really yucky facts instead! This book serves the main purpose of dishing out all facts gross, gruesome, yucky and the whole eulogy of disgusting words you can use to describe something, well, gross.

Loaded with over 500 facts and accompanied by laugh-out-loud illustrations, this book is the ultimate encyclopaedia of grossness, crammed full of facts we all secretly want to know. Plus it’s 100% true and 150% nasty!

Organized into categories such as Outlandish Animal Land, Barbaric Bodies, the Horrors of Modern Science, Icky History, and Farts and Culture, this collection of icky facts is vile enough to make even the nose-pickers, toejam-eaters and belly-lint collectors among us cringe!

As a whole, it is a startling collection of repulsive trivia you will definitely want to know. Swear you will never eat a bug? Chances are you already have. The US government allows 30 insect parts for every 100 grams of peanut butter. On average, most of us swallow about a pound of insect parts every year! I’m sure after reading this fact, some of you may have stopped digging your ears and sucking the very same fingers to reach out for this book!

25. Ghost Trackers by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson

BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Trackers by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson

Fans of Stephen King and Russell Lee will know just how bone-tingling fear can instantly turn into rabid curiosity when it comes to stories of the supernatural. The permeable barrier between our world and theirs makes it all the more interesting to study these somewhat similar ‘living organisms’ who once walked the earth.

In this spine-tingling new series, the stars of TV’s Ghost Hunters introduce readers to a team of paranormal investigators who reunite to defeat a sinister force they unleashed long ago.

For 15 years, Amber, Drew and Trevor have barely been able to recall – let alone explain – what happened the terrifying night they decided to explore the old, abandoned Lowry House.

According to local legend, the house was cursed by a dark past and inhabited by evil. It burst into flames on the night of their visit, leaving the friends traumatized and nearly dead with only vague memories of the frightening events they had witnessed inside.

Now, on the eve of their high school reunion, they have gathered to reopen their investigation and figure out, once and for all, what took place that fateful night...before the supernatural entity they escaped threatens to overtake them again.

Mixing Stephen King’s incredible storytelling and weaving in elements of a true ghost hunt, the authors have brought to life a seemingly normal ghost hunt you might have watched on TV in literary ways you could only have imagined. Spine-chilling, this book will leave readers with eyes at the back of your heads. 

24. Cosmo's Sexiest Beauty Secrets by the editors of Cosmopolitan

BOOK REVIEW: Cosmo’s Sexiest Beauty Secrets by the editors of Cosmopolitan

As an empowered lady or woman, we always want to look our best and shine out from the rest. How you might ask? Why beauty of course! At times we want to look gorgeous sans the effort or maybe be the bomb at a party but don’t know how. Cosmo’s Sexiest Beauty Secrets may just be the kind of book you need.

If you really want to be the kind of chick people describe as drop-dead sexy (and really, who doesn’t?), look no further than this enticing read. The editors of Cosmopolitan – the beauty bible for nearly 80 million young women around the world – have packed these pages with everything you need to know to cultivate a completely mesmerizing look.

You’ll learn how to get:

• ·         A flawless, glowy complexion.
• ·         Come-hither eyes.
• ·         Plush, kissable lips.
• ·         Silky hair with tons of body.
• ·         Soft-to-the-touch skin.

Plus...decadent at-home spa ideas for pampering yourself, tips on harnessing the provocative power of fragrance and crucial advice for overcoming common beauty blunders. No Cosmo book would be complete without hearing from the guys. You’ll discover what looks drive them wild...in a good way, and all the beauty tricks you’ll need to become a total seductress. Sound good?

If you are looking for a book on beauty and all things related, make this book your pick-me-up. Time for me to go ladies, the sight of all these tongues wagging looking at my recent beauty revelation is making me blush to my roots!

23. The Food of Love by Anthony Capella

BOOK REVIEW: The Food of Love by Anthony Capella

Being a girly girl myself, I am highly strung on reading romance novels, both of the rom-com types as well as the serious down-to-earth romance (all the ladies out there, you know what I mean). Reading a novel that gets your heart a-flutter and butterflies swarming your belly is few and far between. The Food of Love is one of those novels that will set your heart alight and passions running high for those lovey-dovey ones out there.

Laura Patterson is studying art history in Rome. She’s decided that from now on she’ll only go out with a man who can cook.

Tommaso Massi, handsome and silver-tongued, tells Laura that he’s a chef at one of Italy’s best restaurants. In fact, he’s just a humble waiter.

His best friend, Bruno, who really is a chef – a brilliant one – is called upon to help.But when he also falls for Laura the sparks begin to fly.

This novel relates the importance of honesty in a relationship and how true love finally wins in the end. It is a lesson in life for girls not to get duped by what is on the outside but to understand and treasure matters of the heart. For those who love passion (and a lot of it), this book is the one for you as decadent, sinful ingredients (I’m talking strawberries, chocolate and ice cream, got the idea? Ehemm) are used to ignite passion throughout.

While traipsing through Italian life, its people and its food, the author strings a memorable novel that you will want to read again and again.

22. The Turkey - An American Story by Andrew F. Smith

BOOK REVIEW: The Turkey – An American Story by Andrew F. Smith

‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...’ Everyone loves that time of the year where festive cheer abounds and family dinner tables are laden with dishes cooked specially for the season. Yes folks, I’m talking about Christmas. Never would a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner be complete without the revered roast turkey with all the stuffings and a piquant cranberry sauce. Have you ever wondered where this much hunted bird originated from or maybe what are the dishes cooked with this fluffy creature? Flip through these pages and you may just get your doubts answered.

Fondly regarded as the centrepiece of festive family reunions, the turkey is a cultural symbol as well as a multi-billion-dollar industry. As a bird, dinner, commodity and national icon, the turkey has become as American as the bald eagle, with which it competed for supremacy on the nation’s insignia.

Food historian Andrew F. Smith’s sweeping and multifaceted history of Meleagris gallopavo separates fact from fiction, serving as both a solid historical reference and a fascinating general read. With characteristic wit and insatiable curiosity, the author presents the turkey in 10 courses, beginning with the bird itself (actually, several species of it) in the wild. This book subsequently includes discussions of practically every aspect of the icon, including its arrival in early America, how it came to be called “turkey”, its domestication and mating habits, the expansion of the bird’s territory into Europe, conditions in modern turkey processing plants, and the surprising boom-or-bust cycles in turkey husbandry.

The bird’s ascension to holiday mainstay – and the techniques of stuffing – are also discussed. As one of the easiest foods to cook, the turkey’s culinary possibilities have been widely explored if little noted. The second half of this book is a collection of more than a 100 historical and modern turkey recipes from across America and Europe.

With details on making everything from sandwiches to salmagundi, The Turkey provides a look back at the varied appetites of our ancestors and gives seasoned cooks an opportunity to reintroduce a familiar food in previously forgotten ways. Gobble, gobble!

21. Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

BOOK REVIEW: Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

As a fan of fantasy-packed novels, I couldn’t resist my rather roving hands from grabbing this book from a pile of books during one of the Big Bad Wolf sales. The cover in all its twinkling-star glory just screamed at me to pick it up. Goshhhh, do I have to say, this book delivered exactly the magical genre that I deserved.

After the mysterious death of Harvard University English professor and hopeless romantic, Gilbert Reedy, Lizzy Tucker’s once normal life as a pastry chef in Salem, Massachusetts is turned upside down.

Following in Reedy’s footsteps, Lizzy and her very attractive – but very unobtainable – partner, Diesel, take up his 20-year quest to find the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust.

But soon Lizzy and Diesel discover they are not alone in their search for the stone. Diesel’s cousin, Gerwulf Grimoir, also wants to wield its power to fulfil his own wicked plans, and will stop at nothing until he finds it.

Treasures will be sought and the power of lust is undeniable in this ancient quest that is full of twisted riddles and high-stakes hide-and-seek. An adult version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, readers will be thrown into a world of unlikely attraction, lust, magic and a sprinkling of love to bind it all. Abracadabra! 

20. The Chocolate Companion - A Connoisseur's Guide by Chantal Coady

BOOK REVIEW: The Chocolate Companion – A Connoisseur’s Guide by Chantal Coady

Don’t you just love the sensation as a piece of 90% dark chocolate or perhaps a decadently silky whole milk white chocolate or even maybe a sweet yet sinfully rich Swiss milk chocolate melts on your tongue? As it melts, you close your eyes and feel a burst of ecstacy and then a sense of pleasure as the melted goodness flows fluidly down your throat.

Long regarded as the food of the gods by Aztecs and Mayans, cocoa has been regarded highly among humans, both as a source of nutrition and also a form of currency in the early days. It soon transformed into a luxury that the young and old alike indulge in till today. From the cocoa pod till the end product, this book is meant for all chocolate lovers out there who want to know the A-to-Z of chocolate.

Among connoisseurs, the intricacies of making chocolates are as serious as those of making fine wines. Step beyond the world of chocolate-covered brazils to explore such exotic flavours as cardamom, lavender and Earl Grey. Discover the light, silky textures of established makers such as Robert Linxe, and witness the rise of inventive new chocolatiers such as l’ artisan du Chocolat, Paul A. Young and Hovby No.9. Learn the secrets behind the art of couverture and its effect on the taste and texture of fine chocolate, so that you can truly appreciate fresh chocolate truffles and other tantalizing delicacies.

Each chocolate is analyzed in detail, with valuable tasting notes and details of seasonal specialities and availability. From classic pralines and truffles to origin plantation chocolate, this is a showcase of the world’s best chocolates. This tome is also an indispensable chocolate compendium, covering the complete chocolate-making process – from the fermentation and sun-drying of beans to specialist conching and tempering.

Whether you are a chocaholic searching for a new chocolate sensation, or are looking for original gift ideas, this book is the only guide to showcase the very finest chocolates in the world. This unique guide is one fascinating and mouth-watering companion. Ehmmmm....oh my goooddd...this Gianduja is so heavenly....(eyes closing with a sexy smile)....

19. Breakfast in Bed by Eleanor Moran

BOOK REVIEW: Breakfast in Bed by Eleanor Moran

All the pretty ladies, all the pretty ladies, put your hands up! This tome is specially for you, the romantic at heart, the one who loves the LBD (Little Black Dress) series and for those who love rom-com genre books. Breakfast in Bed is one of those chick lit books that you wouldn’t be able to put down till you know the outcome of two individual’s highly unlikely love story.

At 31, Amber is being bombarded with wedding invitations just as she’s collecting her divorce papers (how ironic can this be) – and her bossy best friend has gone a step further and made her chief bridesmaid. Amber realizes that it’s high time she regained control of her rather unruly life and career.

Amber’s joy at landing herself a coveted role in Oscar Retford’s kitchen soon fades as she discovers Oscar is as famous for his furious temper and addiction to firing people as he is for the legendary meals he creates. Also going through a divorce, he finds a sort of solace in Amber.

But as passions start to run high, and her past catches up with her, it looks like Amber’s cooked up a recipe for disaster. Finally, Amber realizes that she isn’t cut out to work or be in a serious relationship with Oscar so she encourages Milly (a good friend of hers) to have a relationship with Oscar, which in the end works out well.

This story relates how when you take one newly single woman and add a passionate and fiery celebrity cook then turn up the heat, you get chaos with tons of laughs along the way. Breakfast in Bed made me put all my work on a to-do list and sit in a corner with a cup of iced lemon tea on a sunny day. Thumbs up for this chick-lit!

18. Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer

BOOK REVIEW: Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer

I’m one mad Science junkie who loves all things scientifically gross and macabre. When Animal Planet aired its first season of Monsters Inside Me (a documentary on bodily parasites) I was hooked (pun intended). Soon after that, I begin my search for a book that would tell me more about these microscopic albeit killer organisms that were fascinating as they were horrifying.

In this reissued paperback edition with a new epilogue, the author, Carl Zimmer reveals the power, danger and beauty of parasites.

For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and the darkest shadows of science. In Parasite Rex, the author takes readers on a fantastic voyage into the secret universe of these extraordinary life-forms – which are not only among the most highly evolved on Earth, but make up the majority of life’s diversity.

Travelling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the parasite-riddled warzone of southern Sudan, Zimmer introduces an array of amazing creatures that invade their hosts, prey on them from within, and control their behaviour. He also vividly describes parasites that can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead.

This comprehensive, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us all about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe – the laws of Parasite Rex.

17. Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson

BOOK REVIEW: Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson

Those foodies out there who love to read their favourite subject (well, food of course!) in the form of a novel as well as for those who would like a little pizzazz on food crashing with a little romance will find this book very much up your alley. The author has written a novel which portrays modern Italy as one comic bad dream so get ready to be in stitches as well as drool over the food descriptions and recipes thrown in for good effect.

Gerald Samper lives on a hilltop in Tuscany. An effete and snobbish Englishman working as a ghostwriter for celebrities, he would prefer to be remembered as a gourmet. His recipes include ‘Mussels in Chocolate’, ‘Garlic and Fernet Branca ice cream’ and a dish containing purèed prunes, rhubarb, and smoked cat (off the bone).

Reluctantly, Gerald shares his hillside with Marta. As far as he can see, she is a vulgar woman from a crime-ridden former Soviet republic. She is also a composer in the neo-folk style who is writing a score for a glamorous Italian film director – though Gerald can’t believe it.

The mutual misunderstandings of these two exiles, each in search of a crowning success in the sunlight of Tuscany, get ever more dangerous. To the music of black helicopters and bad opera, and oiled by large quantities of the bitter aperitif Fernet Branca – all that either of them ever seems to have around the house – the lives of these two unlikely neighbours gradually and disastrously intertwine.

Well-written, this enthralling read brings you into the lives of two unlikely characters who both share the same love of food and how opposites attract. Funny and at times tear-jerking, this is one book that you shouldn’t miss out on. 

16. Coast to Coast Ghosts by Leslie Rule

BOOK REVIEW: Coast to Coast Ghosts by Leslie Rule

As a kid germinating from a well-sown book bed, I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. However, one genre that piqued my curiosity and interest was the supernatural. I have an (sadly) incomplete collection of True Singapore Ghost Stories, volume after volume of Stephen King’s macabre horror literature and the list goes on and on.

Who can resist a good ghost story...the kind that gives you goose bumps, makes your hair stand on end and leaves you terrified of the dark? Raise your translucent hands (did I just smell a whiff of jasmine with the sighting of fingers of a woman in mid-air?).

Coast to Coast Ghosts is filled with black-and-white photographs and real-life spine-tinglers that take you on a nationwide journey to places where the dead refuse to rest, from Seattle to San Diego and from New Orleans to Key West.

By interviewing credible witnesses, historians and renowned parapsychologists, as well as researching forgotten library archives, the author has validated sighting after sighting.

This is a book that you won’t soon forget...no matter how hard you might try. The pictures captured on cameras of a spectral being or the written dialogues of an invisible being that were portrayed in abundance in the book is something not to be pondered upon. If you are looking for something to read under the blanket on a cold Saturday midnight with all the lights off (except for your booklight), shiver on as you read (someone’s watching you.....)

15. Home Improvement Undead Edition by Various Authors

BOOK REVIEW: Home Improvement Undead Edition by various authors

When you read the term home improvement, the first thing your mind conjures up is of the image of a hunky interior designer suggesting wallpaper patterns or maybe a third-degree-burns hot chick who happens to be an architect cum horticulturist who just might give you tips on creating a magical garden fit for a fairy princess. Has it ever occurred to you that goblins could build a house with a snap of their fingers or a dragon hidden underground while you were tilling the earth for your new garden?  No? Jump right into this book.

The editors of the New York Times bestselling Death’s Excellent Vacation bring home a captivating collection – including a Sookie Stackhouse story.

There’s nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet (believe me, after reading this book you won’t think of this phrase as a saying anymore) or otherworldly portals in the attic. Now, for any homeowner who’s ever wondered, “What’s that creaking sound?” and for fans of how-to television who’d like a little unreality mixed in with their reality shows, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner present the paranormal perils of do-it-yourself.

Sookie Stackhouse resides in these pages, in “If I Had a Hammer”, and New York Times bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, and Melissa Marr, plus 9 other outstanding writers, have constructed more frightening and funny fixer-upper tales to give a fresh take on why there really is no place like home.

This roller coaster read is packed to the brim with delightful, entertaining and sometimes chilling stories of the DIY movement. With black humour interspersed within the short stories, readers will be glued to their seats till they get to the last page of this book. Now where did I keep the wall paint mixed with werewolf blood?

14. The Cheese Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst

BOOK REVIEW: The Cheese Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst

I’m a true blue Malaysian and as most of you know that Malaysians are all-round food lovers. If it’s even imaginarily possible, we try eating 24/7. With novel food concepts popping up such as fusion food, food trucks, visually appealing fine dining with the usage of molecular gastronomy, as well as other foodie dreams, our Malaysian palate has developed to accept a wider array of tastes.

If we can consume Durian, described as stinky and nauseous by some, why not cheese from blue-veined to creamy to oozy varieties? I love my cheeses and this book came in at the point of my life where I started experimenting in the vast world of cheeses.

Once expensive delicacies, cheeses have become more popular than ever and are now easily available from around the world – France, Italy, Spain. But how to choose from the wide variety? Authors of the bestselling The New Food Lover’s Companion, Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst provide the essential information the cheese lover needs in one definitive, user-friendly volume.

In addition to more than 500 cheese entries, this book describes:

1.       How a cheese is made.

2.       How to buy, store and serve various cheeses.

3.       What cheeses pair well with different wines, ales and beers.

4.       Tips on cooking with cheese.

For those like me who are the Jerry types from Tom and Jerry, you will be looking forward to cheese-y (pun intended) quotes that proceed each alphabetical entry in the book. Flip through this book while having a meltingly warm garlic and herb cheese fondue with French baguette. Believe me, cheese will have taken on a whole new dimension.

13. Bugs, Snakes, Spiders, Crocodiles by Barbara Taylor, Dr Jen Green, John Farndon and Mark O'Shea

BOOK REVIEW: Bugs, Snakes, Spiders, Crocodiles by Barbara Taylor, Dr Jen Green, John Farndon and Mark O’Shea

Being a Green Ranger (a volunteer to educate the younger generation on the environment and how to protect it), I show a keen interest to any organism that crawls, slithers, flies or just any other insects or reptiles. Although I have a over-the-board level of arachnophobia (fear of spiders), I still have a strong fascination to these alien-like albeit graceful creatures. This comprehensive book on reptiles and insects piqued my curiosity and I just had to flip through it.

More than 1500 fabulous wildlife photographs and illustrations provide a stunning close-up view of survival in the wild.

Exciting and accessible information provides an insight into every aspect of reptile and insect life and behaviour.

Besides that, this fascinating guide includes ‘Did You Know’ features that reveal amazing-but-true facts. For example, female aphids can give birth to up to 50 young in a week.

To me, this is an ideal book for both home and school study, and a superb family encyclopaedia. I’m just going to scoot over to the dining table as an eight-legged creature has stealthily crept up on me and googling me with its glassy eyes. Ewwwww! 

12. Evening Is The Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan

BOOK REVIEW: Evening Is The Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan

Being an avid reader, I highly support novels written by local Malaysian authors because if it isn’t us who support Malaysian writers then who else? Preeta Samarasan was born and raised in Malaysia but moved to the United States in high school. Besides winning the 2006 Asian American Writers’ Workshop short story award, she has also won a Hopwood Novel Award for this moving novel.

Set in Malaysia, this spellbounding first novel introduces us to the prosperous Rajasekharan family as it slowly peels away its closely guarded secrets.

When the family’s rubber-planting servant girl is dismissed for unnamed crimes, it is only the latest in a series of precipitous losses that have shaken six-year-old Aasha’s life. In the space of several weeks her grandmother died under mysterious circumstances and her older sister, Uma, left for Columbia University, gone forever.

Circling through years of family history to arrive at the moment of Uma’s departure – stranding her worshipful younger sister in a family, and a country, slowly going to pieces – this book illuminates in heartbreaking detail one Indian immigrant family’s layers of secrets and lies, while exposing the complex underbelly of Malaysia itself.

Sweeping in scope, exuberantly lyrical, and masterfully constructed, the author’s debut is a mesmerising and vital achievement.

In my opinion, this tome is rich, quirky and colourful, and captures not just the sense of a family struggling to deal with its past, but the crazy uncertainty of a country coming to terms with itself. Evening Is The Whole Day moved me to tears as I read about themes of uncertainty in love, family and life with all its ups and downs. For those who love to read meaningful novels which carry important life messages, this is just the book for you.

11. Insatiable - Competitive Eating and the Big Fat American Dream by Jason Fagone

BOOK REVIEW: Insatiable – Competitive Eating and the Big Fat American Dream by Jason Fagone

Some of us would have read eye-catching articles on Americans chowing down up to 100 hotdogs in a minute in magazines or newspapers at some part of our life. We would have just absorbed this news like a sponge and then wringed it out as something irrelevant after a time. However, did you know that this form of competitive eating is regarded so reverently in America that there is even a retirement period as well as cases of suicide from being unable to break the record for number of burgers eaten in a sitting? This all-encompassing book on competitive eating portrays the harsh reality of this activity, very much regarded as a form of sporting event, in America.

Meet the Four Horsemen of the Oesophagus: Bill ‘El Wingador’ Simmons, David ‘Coondog’ O’Karma, Eric ‘Badlands’ Booker, Timothy ‘Eater X’ Janus – just a few of the stars of one of America’s fastest growing sports: competitive eating. In a country in which 1/3 of the population is clinically obese, competitive eating has made the leap from county fairs and paper napkins to stadium arenas. Over the past 2 years, more than 1.4 million households have tuned in to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Contest on ESPN.

Beginning with a trip to Japan in search of the elusive (and surprisingly slimline) champion Takeru Kobayashi, and ending up at the sport’s annual grand finale in Coney Island, the author spends a year with the stars of the scene, watching as they eat their way into (or out of) oblivion, and finding out just what compels a ‘gurgitator’ to force down 552 oysters in 10 minutes.

Wickedly funny and devastatingly insightful, this book uses this weirdest of sports as a lens through which to examine the dark side of the American Dream – the never-ending quest for wealth, celebrity, possessions and food. And along the way the author uncovers the wonderfully human stories at the heart of this seemingly unnourished corner of American culture. Bigger, better, richer, fatter, Insatiable unlocks a world we all need to face up to.

So, what are you all waiting for? Dig in voraciously into this appetizing read. Now, if you will pardon me my 1901 hotdog is gleaming in front of me with all the fixings of extra gherkin and mayonnaise.

10. Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

BOOK REVIEW: Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

Aaaaaahhhhh!!!! Oops! Did I scream too loud? My humble apologies. I was watching a full season of The Walking Dead on Youtube. My interest has been piqued by the supernatural especially the shuffling, groaning kind (getting the hang of it?). You have guessed it right, I’m talking about zombies and all the gory elements associated with the walking dead, from their love of fresh human flesh to the reeking stench of their putrefying bodies. With all luck, I stumbled upon this book which gives a fresh perspective on all things undead.

This story is set in 1867. Something truly monstrous is breaking loose in West Texas. Jett Gallatin expects trouble in Alsop, Texas, but not zombies. She’s looking for her lost twin brother when she enters a dusty saloon that suddenly is attacked by an army of the undead.

Together with her new friends – one a brilliant inventor, one a clever and good-looking young scout – it’s everything she can do to keep the zombies from killing or taking every living soul in their path.

Bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill have created a bone-chilling romp that slices together the raw beauty of the American West with the awesome fear of zombies. 

Eeeeekkkk!!!! I have just go to quit this obsession of frightening proportions before I change into one of them.

9. You Are What You Eat by Carina Norris

BOOK REVIEW: You Are What You Eat by Carina Norris

As a young lady, optimum health and beauty is on the top of my list. With many holistic practitioners advocating the ‘medicine is food and food is medicine’ concept, I stumbled on this book at the precise moment in my young life. This book is packed to the brim with facts and information on the types of food that enables health, growth and development at every stage of life for both men and women.

Eating well can change your life – it can make you look and feel better, boost your energy levels and increase your life expectancy. But our nutritional needs and health concerns change throughout our life.

This book contains nutritional advice for everyone with tailored information and tips for every stage, from childhood to old age. This book concentrates on 3 major life stages: ages 5-25, 25-50 and 50+, and explains how our needs change with age and the health issues that we face at each stage of life, including: weight gain, immunity and resisting disease, digestion problems, stress as well as hormones (PMS, menopause, mood).

There are also plenty of tips on how to eat to beat many illnesses including heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimers and arthritis. Whatever your age, you’ll find all the advice and information you need to live a healthier, happier and longer life.

As I’m writing this book review, I’m sipping a luxuriously antioxidant-rich berry smoothie in a health cafe a stone’s throw away from my house.

8. The Great British Tuck Shop by Steve Berry and Phil Norman

BOOK REVIEW: The Great British Tuck Shop by Steve Berry and Phil Norman

When I was a wee little kid in primary school and even when I was a lanky teen in secondary school, nothing could instantly put a smile on my face other than purchasing or receiving sweets, chocolates and all sorts of junk food from close family and friends. 

There is just this all-consuming satisfaction when a chunk of chocolate slowly melts on your tongue or the sound of crisps breaking on contact with your teeth. Being exposed to worldwide travels since young, I have tried varieties of junk food, some of which are still unavailable in Malaysia.

For those who relate to my sweet tooth or just for the love of junk food, this book is for you. The Great British Tuck Shop is a colourful, witty, and irreverent encyclopaedia of the sweets, crisps, chocolate, ice lollies and fizzy pop from your youth. From Mojos to Rainbow Drops, Space Raiders to Trios, Corona to Kia-Ora and everything in between.

Fully illustrated with hundreds of wrappers, original ads and photographs this book will lead you down memory lane until you reach the corner shop, load up on junk food and rot your teeth on the contents.

The authors have been given access to the archives, factories and warehouses of some of the leading sweet and snack manufacturers in the world and have delivered a book that is packed full of fascinating historical research and lots and lots of sweets!

If you are just lounging on the couch conjuring up images of a possible sweet and snack hunt, this book would be a good place to start with its comprehensive sweet and snack lists. Oh bother, I have just passed by Candylicious in One Utama Shopping Mall as I am writing this review. See you all in the next review. I just need to get my hands on some Mixed Fruit Twizzlers.

7. Chicken Soup for the Father and Daughter Soul

BOOK REVIEW: Chicken Soup for the Father and Daughter Soul

The saying “Daughters will forever be their daddy’s little princess” holds a meaningful place in my heart. As the one and only child and daughter in a family of three (mum, dad and me), I have always been the apple of my father’s eyes. Till this very day, whenever I take a nap with mum and dad by my side, I fall asleep while gripping my dad’s fingers. The love between a father and daughter is intertwined and can never be split apart, no matter the circumstances.

From the first time a daughter grasps dad’s hands and says her first words, to the day she moves out on her own, the bond between a father and daughter is ever evolving: dad goes from childhood hero (he still is to me), feared inspector of boyfriends, to the sage friend of adulthood. Daughters mature from perfect little angels into rebellious teens to accomplished women who are dad’s pride and joy.

This joyful and sometimes tear-jerking book celebrates this wonderful relationship with stories about childhood, the trying years of adolescence, the poignancy of leaving home and even the years when daughters often become caregivers. Every story in this special volume is sure to evoke the fondest of memories and rekindle the bond between dads and their little girls.

To me, this book meant a lot as it celebrates every little girl’s childhood hero and the special dad and daughter bond. Some of the stories contributed by various parties were so touching and even related to my own father-daughter moments. 

Before I end my book review, I would just like to make a shout-out to my awe-inspiring dad Kannan Renganathan. I love you dad and thank you for all the time, care and endless love you have showered on me. All the memories we have shared and will continue sharing till our last breath are and will be treasured by me always.

6. Brain Food by Lorraine Perretta

BOOK REVIEW: Brain Food by Lorraine Perretta

"Spare a pidgin of a thought for someone", "You oaf", "Knock, knock is there anything up there", etc. Had enough of hearing less-than-appealing comments on your mental strength? Ever thought of finding a unique pill to pop that would transform you into Jimmy Neutron overnight? This idea may not be feasible as it's almost imaginary but how about having your grilled salmon while supplementing those livewires with essential oils thatwill make you start thinking like Isaac Newton.

This book relates exactly this healthy wholesome concept of foods that contribute to continuous brain development. Eating the right foods can dramatically improve the performance of your brain and help you to think quicker, have a clearer memory and maintain a brighter outlook.

Chock-full of mouth-watering pictures of food and fresh produce, this useful book identifies the key IQ-boosting foods. With 50 nutritious recipes to boost memory power, reduce stress and beat depression, discover how to fuel your brain and eat your way to exam success!

Adults, especially those pursuing their tertiary education, would find this book useful to retain important facts, both in life and studies. So, where did I keep my book? Oh dear, I should have taken my fill of berry smoothies like my mum told me to for boosting memory.......

5. 505 Flabbergasting Facts About Germs by Carole Marsh

BOOK REVIEW: 505 Flabbergasting Facts About Germs by Carole Marsh

Ewwww! Grosssss! You just picked a booger from your noseeee!!! That's what is reverently said by kids in primary school. However, it's not that gruesome as picking your nose might actually rid you of an impending fever.

Don't think that weird germ stuff just happens to "them" somewhere "over there"! If you are breathing in earth's bounty of air, partake of food, sleep, kiss, have intimate relations, visit the lavatory and many more daily calls of life then here are 505 things you might find flabbergasting about germs.

Did you hear about the woman who had a 9-foot worm peek its head out of her bottom? No? Then this book is a sure-fire way of keeping you in the know about all things germy.

I shall take my leave now as this is a germ (pun intended) of a book I just have to lay my grubby hands on....

4. Midnight Moon by Lori Handerland

Voodoo, secret clans, a curse you wish you never had....Books like these have enthralled readers through the years with novel authors jostling to grab a place in the reader's heart. However, some hidden gems like this book surface at odd moments, giving a breath of fresh air to the lines that pop out at the reader as she goes through the story as if her whole life depended on it.

Cassandra thought she had the perfect life until she suffered a devastating tragedy. Now she has a new identity as Priestess Cassandra, owner of a New Orleans voodoo shop, and a new purpose.

A research trip for a paranormal secret society leads Cassandra to Haiti, where rumours fly of a sinister voodoo master, Jacques Mezareau, who can resurrect the dead.

Fortune hunter Devon Murphy agrees to guide Cassandra there safely, but his sensual appeal promises danger of a different kind.

As Cassandra and Devon make their way to the eerie jungle village, their attraction explodes into intoxicating desire, and Cassandra begins to question her resolve never to let another man into her life. Her attempts to resist Devon become more and more impossible.

But when she succeeds in learning Jacque's macabre ritual, her new powers may have come with a terrifying price. Now, haunted by violent dreams that grow more vivid as the midnight moon approaches, Cassandra must uncover the shocking truth about an ancient curse before it leads her to destroy herself and everyone she loves.

For bookworms out there who would like an adult version of Twilight, Harry Potter and books of this genre, I highly recommend this book as heart-stopping elements are thrown in at the most unexpected times in this tome of love, magic and all things supernatural. Grab a cuppa and sit at a corner with this book. I assure you that your coffee will be untouched or in need of reheating before you complete this book. Happy reading!

3. A Brief History of Poisons by Peter Macinnis

BOOK REVIEW: A Brief History of Poisons by Peter Macinnis

As we trudge through modernity and globalization in the 20th century, something more sinister is seeping through our waterways, air, food and other elements that sustain the very lifeblood that pumps through our body. Wondering what this silent 'mafia' is? Well, it is poison and all its glory.

Poisons permeate our world. They are in the environment, the workplace, your own abode. Poisons have been used to cure disease as well as incapacitate and kill. In this amusing and fact-filled book, science writer Peter Macinnis considers poisons in all their aspects. He recounts stories of the celebrated poisoners in history and literature, from Nero to Thomas Wainewright, and from the death of Socrates to Hamlet and Peter Pan.

From cyanide to strychnine, from Botox to ricin and Satin gas - have you ever wondered about their sources? How do you detect something that can kill you in a matter of seconds? Macinnis methodically analyzes the science of these killing agents and their uses in medicine, war, cosmetics and terrorism.

For anyone who has ever wondered and been afraid to ask (for fear of being fed a lethal concoction of sorts), here is a rich miscellany for your secret questions about toxins. This enriching read uses history, science and compelling poison facts to make lively reading of all things lethal.

As I look at a bottle of soap labeled 'POISONOUS! DO NOT DRINK!', I will leave all dear readers to a killer (pun intended) read.....