288. Handbook of Chocolate by Tobias Pehle & Yara Hackstein

BOOK REVIEW: Handbook of Chocolate by Tobias Pehle & Yara Hackstein

Chocolate is a woman's best friend. We drown in them when we are in distress and indulge in them when we are on cloud nine. But have you ever given a thought to how this decadent treat originated or what's it made from? This compact and precise book will let you know all you need about chocolate.

This book will elaborate on cocoa, the raw material much needed in the production of chocolate and cocoa-based products. Different kinds of beans are put forward, like the Forastero and Criollo varieties along with its different flavour nuances. 

Couverture, cooking chocolate and chocolate gradings are explained in a chapter on specialist terms. It was pretty surprising to find out how milk chocolate is a far cry from 70% dark chocolate in terms of contents and flavour.

The further chapters will directly tag your inner chocolate hunter to head to your nearest store for a bite of this divine goodness. You will get to know more about drinking chocolate, eating chocolate, chocolate candies, chocolate in the kitchen (think cheeses and meats with chocolate fondue, even chocolate noodles stir fried with prawns!) and even the proper method of enjoying chocolate. 

You will understand better the correct method of storing chocolate, what drinks best accompany these confections and best of all, how to pick out the best from the commercial varieties.

I was truly sucked into this awesome book which I purchased pre-loved from Facebook. If you are a chocolate aficionado or some of your friends and family are, this book is an absolute pick-me-up.

287. Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

BOOK REVIEW: Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

If you are looking for a Japanese version of E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey with a heaping spoonful of Stephen King's horror (also Japanese-inspired), you are reading the correct novel that has enthralled millions of readers around the globe. 

Being a translated novel, it has none of the mock-ups in sentence structure that curses most any works of translation.

When a portrait painter is abandoned by his wife, he secludes himself in the mountain home of a world-famous artist. One day, the young painter hears a noise from the attic, and upon investigation, he discovers a previously unseen painting.

By unearthing this hidden work of art, he unintentionally open a circle of mysterious circumstances; and to close it, he must undertake a perilous journey into a netherworld that only the author could conjure.

This book is a tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art from one of our greatest writers. This book has a love-hate relationship among fellow readers, both for its almost obscene love scenes as well as the abundant use of metaphors and figures of speech.

If you want to have a sharp breath of air in your reading spectrum, this book will be a welcome addition in your bookshelves.

 

286. Riverrun: A Novel by Danton Remoto

BOOK REVIEW: Riverrun - A Novel by Danton Remoto (courtesy of Times Reads)

In Asia, being an individual under the LGBT community is thoroughly frowned upon with heavy penalties imposed on those for "deviant behavior". However, nobody is born an LGBT and nobody charts this path in life on purpose. Hardships, heartbreaks and other negative influences could influence the choice made. Danton Remoto has woven a novel that reads like a biography, creating a scene that is both tear-jerking yet beautiful at the same time.

This is a novel that talks about the rite of passage in the life of a young gay man who grew up in a colorful and chaotic dictatorship. Shaped in the form of a memoir, it glides from childhood to young adulthood, from provincial barrio to cosmopolitan London.

Its chapters are written like flash fiction, talk stories and vignettes; interlaced with recipes, a feature article, poems and vivid songs. This book marks the global debut of 'one of Asia's best writers'.

Issues of political dictatorship in the Philippines, situation of the hardcore poor, the real scene in Manila versus the slums as well as Filipino food is described in detail throughout this short yet concise novel. Some recipes are even provided to try at home like Laing (taro leaves simmered in coconut milk).

Metaphors sprinkled throughout the book lend a sense of nostalgia to the novel, entrancing readers to share the character's feelings and surroundings. I loved this book written by the Professor of Creative Writing and Head of School, English, at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. This book makes for an addition to your TBR list. Wonderful, charming and utterly nostalgic, Riverrun will tug at your heartstrings.