205. The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib

BOOK REVIEW: The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib (Courtesy of Pansing)

Eating is on my top list of To-Do's any day, anytime, anywhere! Food has an iridescent meaning to me, both as a chef and on a more personal level. My family bonded over mealtimes, junk foods help me to get over that time of the month (girls, put your hands up!) and can change your mood while satiating your body's need for nutrition. But can you imagine individuals who practically DESPISE eating? Yikes! Do they even exist? Sadly, they do.

Eating disorders are a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. There are 6 types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, pica, rumination disorder and avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder. However, this book deals with the two major and more familiar eating disorders which are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, shortly known as anorexia and bulimia.

People with anorexia generally view themselves as overweight, even if they're dangerously underweight. They tend to constantly monitor their weight, avoid eating certain types of foods and severely restrict their calories. Individuals living with it may experience osteopenia (thinning of the bones), infertility and even multiple organ failure.

People with bulimia often binge eat until they are painfully full. The individuals then attempt to purge to compensate for the calories consumed and relieve gut discomfort. Common purging behaviors include forced vomiting, fasting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas, and excessive exercise. Side effects of bulimia include worn tooth enamel, acid reflux, inflamed throat and severe dehydration.

Written in a dreamy poetic style that is at once captivating, this book is about Anna, who suffers from anorexia, in spite of it and beyond it. It tells the lives of young women from different backgrounds who live in 17 Swann Street, a house which doubles up as a rehabilitation centre for women with eating disorders. Anna watches women like her struggle to get back on track for their children, their spouses, families but most importantly themselves. 

Woven poignantly, the story relates the seriousness of eating disorders that when not looked into can often lead to death due to malnutrition. Although we may not all suffer from the same psychological afflictions, we all have inner demons to confront. It is this ultimate truth, dished up squarely on a plate, that makes this debut novel from Yara Zgheib one that will resonate with everyone.

A heartwarming story of one woman's struggle to get her life back, it makes me realize that my life, in comparison to hers, is a bed of roses. At least being full bodied leaves me feeling proud instead of getting myself malnourished. A 10/10 read, I highly recommend this book to readers who want to familiarize themselves to eating disorders in a relaxed way and cherish the food that we nourish ourselves with.

204. Tuesday by Amal Nadiah Ghazali

BOOK REVIEW: Tuesday by Amal Nadiah Ghazali (courtesy of MPH)

Ahhh...Paris...la ville de l'amour...It's every girl's dream to step Paris, the city of love (or maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic..haha). Movies shot in Paris showcase the essence of romance and beauty that this wonderful French city has to offer. Even the images of its food and drink are enough to set foodies on fire. I'm such a Paris fanatic, that I have postcards of the scenery and even a keychain with the Eiffel Tower! Such is the beauty of this city's people, places and love.

Amal Nadiah Ghazali's book, Tuesday, is going to let you armchair travel to Paris. Her storyline is literally illustrative of Paris in winter, snow falling all around, the biting cold of the wind. Every line in this book feels so magical and soulful that you feel you are really in Paris with the protagonist.

The author's protagonist embarks on a sabbatical in one of the world's most beautiful cities: obviously it's the one I'm raving about, Paris! As she explores the streets of the wintry French capital while recollecting recent events, experiences and travel anecdotes, she reflects and muses over life, people, relationships, choices and what could have been, all in a span of one day.

This book narrates the opposite side of love. Love commonly associated with endless moments and joy in each other's company also has its dark side. The loss of breaking up with a loved one, the missing of the other person can equally hurt and turn the tables on matters of the heart. This is poignantly spun throughout the book.

A beautiful story wonderfully written by our very own Malaysian writer, I highly recommend this book to Paris lovers and also those who are in love as it also reminds us that if you truly love someone, you don't forget about it so easily even with the loss. We have to appreciate them as long as they are with us. Highly recommended, I can't praise Ms Amal enough on her book on love and Paris.

203. Culinary Pleasures: Cookbooks and the Transformation of British Food by Nicola Humble

BOOK REVIEW: Culinary Pleasures - Cookbooks and the Transformation of British Food by Nicola Humble

What does a chef do during her free time? Read more books that revolve around the world of culinary history of course, duhhhh! I came across this gem of a book during my many book hunts in the Big Bad Wolf book fairs. It's NOT a regrettable read, that's for sure.

With many an evocative scene of food and dining, your mouth waters without notice when you read this book. Encompassing the many cookbooks that have popped up which supplied British food its character, this book leads you on a culinary journey through famous cookbooks from yesteryears till the present.

The author serves up a fascinating history of Britain's culinary evolution through the cookery books which have inspired us over the course of a century, beginning with Mrs Beeton and leading to the rise of the celebrity TV chef. You'll also find relevant recipes throughout, including wartime dishes (ever intended to do a thematic party, then these recipes may be just your cup of tea).

Brilliantly woven by Nicola Humble, this intoxicating read, thoroughly researched and referenced, is interspersed with great humor and insight. It also serves as an excellent account of the revival of Britain's native culinary traditions which have, since the war, shrugged off their sense of inferiority to fancy foreign food.

If you are yet to get a foodie a present for New Year, this unique book is highly recommended. Totally readable with a light engaging style, this will give a fascinating look at British food history along the reading journey.

202. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

BOOK REVIEW: A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult (courtesy of Times Reads)

Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks. This medical procedure has been around for decades and decades. Primitive methods have been recorded in papyrus scripts and etched on walls. But is abortion the right or the wrong decision? Is it lawfully supposed to be legal or cordoned off with laws?

One of my favorite authors of all time, Jodi Picoult returns with a powerful and provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis. This piece of fiction with settings from real life will set you on a heart-touching and mind-reeling journey through the world of abortion and its many situations.

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center, a women's reproductive health services clinic (otherwise known as an abortion factory to pro-life activists). Its staff offer care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then a desperate and distraught gunman, Hugh Goddard, bursts in and opens fire, taking hostages.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. To his horror, he learns that his 15-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her adolescent life with a cast of unforgettable characters trapped alongside her in the clinic, including the disturbed gunman himself.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, the story traces what brought each of the very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent?

This wonderful book will inspire debate, conversation and hopefully understanding. With a box of tissues by my side, I actually had to restrain myself from sobbing at a few touching parts. The internal debate of an expecting mother when she wants to abort due to unavoidable circumstances, that's real heart pain. 

To me, this book has given a much-needed voice to women out there who want to make a choice that others look at as simply horrible. Not encouraging abortions, but giving a clear picture of what it actually means, this is one of the few meaningful reads I have read in this year. I give it my 100% thumbs up and recommend it to all those who want a read that touches both mind and soul.

201. Rani Taxis Away (Short Story No.15 from Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

BOOK REVIEW: Rani Taxis Away (Short Story No.15 from Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

Alas, my reviews for Marriage and Mutton Curry is about to come to an end as this is the last short story for this compilation. Relating to the struggles of a modern-age Jaffna Tamil girl, the short story is woven with such precision and beauty by master storyteller Dato' Dr. M. Shanmughalingam.

Daughters brought up in conventional Jaffna Tamil families are conservative and leave the decisions to be made by the men of the house. Marriages, friendships and even clothing sense are best determined by the male counterparts. However, the headstrong Rani in this story is unlike the conventional orthodox girl.

Rani has become a teacher in the convent that she previously was a student in. She slowly reminisces her school days, nicknaming the teachers and being a mischievous schoolgirl just like any other. Her father has arranged for a taxi driver, Chandran, to ferry her to and fro from school.

Rani strikes an unlikely friendship with Chandran who is also unlike the conventional Indians. He intends to start a taxi business from the bottom. Rani is attracted to his sense of freewill and ambitiousness. She also relates her first day at school when she teacher her students and her encounters with previous teachers of hers. 

One day on her way back, she requests Chandran to stop her at a kueh stall to get traditional cakes and sweets. That's where she bumps into Mrs Kandiah, the rumormonger in their community. Putting one and one together, she thinks that Rani is eloping with a mere taxi driver. With that, she drags Rani back home to complain to her mother regarding this.

Will Rani ever get her independence? Or will she be stuck with the orthodox ways of a typical Jaffna Tamil society? This last story in this compilation will definitely make a woman rethink her rights though brought up in an orthodox family. So grab a copy of this book before it's all sold out!

200. Free and Freed (Short Story No.14 in Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

BOOK REVIEW: Free and Freed (Short Story No.14 in Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

Oh! Doctor/engineer/accountant mappilai (groom)! Praise be to god! These are the things normally uttered by the elders of an Indian family not excluding the Jaffna Tamil society. Highly looked upon till today, most of the Indian families purposely weedle their sons into furthering their studies to become one of those mentioned above, whether they like it or not.

So what do you think happens when the daughter of someone in a Jaffna Tamil community is seen gallivanting with a guy who doesn't seem to look right in the eyes of the elders in the community, but who is actually a doctor, is confronted? In this hilarious short story written by the laughter-inducing Dato' Dr. M. Shanmughalingam, the tables are turned on the elders, putting them in a tough situation.

Mrs Kandiah (due to her sharp sword of her tongue, she is nicknamed Kaiser Kandiah) and Mrs Chelliah (Chatterbox Chelliah, way too much talking and gossiping) are talking to each other one day. Gossip is travelling among the folk that Muthiah's daughter is hanging out with a man who is out of the community. It is uncommon for well brought up daughters to elope with men from outside the community who don't have proper education and no finances.

Mrs Kandiah gets worked up into a frenzy and intends to teach the young man a lesson. She goes to the stage of telling she would show him a slipper to signify that he is nothing more than the filthy slipper and that she has trodden more miles in life than him. So Mrs Kandiah and Mrs Chelliah hatch a plan to confront the boy and Muthiah's daughter in the cinema.

Do you think the confrontation led to the silverscreen-worthy breakups as seen in the Tamil films? Or perhaps an unexpected switching of sides take place? I don't want to be the spoiler to this story, dear readers. The ending of this story had me in stitches and I know it will leave you in such a situation as well.

For more hilarious, tear-wrenching and altogether interesting short stories, Marriage and Mutton Curry is definitely a book that deserves applause for its literary work. It's already on the shelves of most good bookstores so getting your hands on one is going to be easy peasy lemon squeezy!

199. The Indra Quartet (Short Story No.13 in Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

BOOK REVIEW: The Indra Quartet (Short Story No.13 in Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

Hello readers! Did you all read my previous review on Flowers for KK? If you guys did, then you will be able to relate to its continuation which is the Indra Quartet. Written by the prose-worthy Dato' Dr. M. Shanmughalingam, this story paints a picture of two sisters fighting over their children.

Kumari is the daughter of Acca, the first wife of KK while Raja is the son of Thangechi, KK's second wife. Acca's bitterness towards Thangechi robbing her of the role of sole wife to KK makes her tell Thangechi to give up her son Raja to Acca, making Raja Acca's son. 

When Raja is sent off to college in Singapore, Kumari is sent along with him to keep an eye on him. For this many years after KK's death, Acca tries to keep the secret about Raja being Thangechi's son away from him and her daughter. Everyday, as both of them grow, it becomes a hassle to Acca.

Acca treats Thangechi like the house maid to prevent her from nearing both the children. However, Thangechi tries her level best to make Kumari understand that she is the only legal child to Acca and that Raja is her son. For instance, Thangechi brings Kumari through the government quarters when they go the mill. This makes Kumari aware of gossip about a family of two sisters fighting over the children (little does Kumari know that the family is actually her very own).

One day, Raja comes home in a huff. He gets sent away from college due to his incapability in studies. However, the shock that awaits him at home is even bigger than his being unable to cope in college. What shocks him to his roots? Do find out and you may be equally in shock too.

So what are you all waiting for? Marriage and Mutton Curry is on the shelves already. Get it while it's still on the shelf.