Books

Chocolate
The Fat Free Collection [BOX SET]
Wine and Cheese Box [BOX SET]
Perfect Picnic Book
Take Four: Fabulous, Easy Recipes with Only Four Ingredients
Fat Free (Eating for Health S.)
Healthy Heart Cookbook (Eating for Health S.)
Low-salt Cooking (Eating for Health S.)
Autumn Cooking: Using the Season's Finest Ingredients
Casseroles: Tasty Recipes for Hearty Main Meal Stews
Winter Cooking: Using the Season's Finest Ingredients
The Cakes and Bakes Cookbook
Chocolate Bible
Spirited Cooking
50 Natural Ways to Relieve a Hangover
Cook's Practical Handbook: Bread Machine (Cook Practical Handbook)
Eating for Health: Improve Your Well-being, Boost Fertility, and Help Ensure a Healthy Pregnancy
A Cook's Year
Italian Ingredients Cookbook
Middle East (World Cookbook)
The Magic of the Mediterranean
Noodle
Rock/Water Plants (Practical Gardening Handbook)
The Asian Cook
Fresh and Raw

Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner

Average customer rating:

The Definitive Chocolate Guide
A professional must-have book
By the pros, for the pros
Should Be Titled "The Chocolate Bible"
Comprehensive techniques and recipes.

Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner
Peter P. Greweling , and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA)
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Chocolate | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Desserts | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Making Artisan Chocolates
Truffles: 50 Deliciously Decadent Homemade Chocolate Treats
Fine Chocolates: Great Experience
Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate
Chocolate Decorations

ASIN: 0764588443

Book Description

Chocolate and candy making today is undergoing a renaissance in public awareness and status. This comprehensive book combines artisan confectionery techniques with accessible explanations of the theory and science as well as formulas for use in production. Fundamental information for the confectioner includes ingredient function and use, chocolate processing, and artisan production techniques. The book contains 140 formulas and variations for beautiful confections, including dairy-based centers, crystalline and noncrystalline sugar confectionery, jellies, and nut center and aerated confections.

Customer Reviews:

The Definitive Chocolate Guide.......2007-05-15

This book is fantastic for everything you need to know about the art of confectionry making. Be prepared for theory and lots of it though. But if you really are serious about confectionary and chocolate, this is the one book for you; stop looking. It also looks gorgeous on a shelf or coffee table.

A professional must-have book.......2007-05-13

As a professional Pastry Chef, I have to be proficient at all aspects of pastry, baking and confections. Unfortunately, I'm really only best at the aspect I love, plated desserts. I try to ignore the other demands from my employers, or foist them off on pastry cooks and bakers who like to do the things I don't. Those cooks and bakers includes one of Peter Greweling's former students, who helped test some of the recipes while she was a student at the CIA.

Chocolate tempering has always been one of my areas of weakness. This book is very clear, very thorough, well-illustrated and very well organized. Even as a coffee table book, it would succeed, because the photos are beautiful. As cooking school text book it is very thorough without being intimating. It is clear Peter Greweling knows his subject completely. I have so far used a few of the recipes, and many others have spawned new creations. I recommend it highly to anyone in the business who is not already an expert in chocolate and confections, as well as anyone who isn't a professional but wants to learn to temper like one.

By the pros, for the pros.......2007-05-11

Leave it to CIA to come up with the only book that contains all the information that the artisan confectioner could hope to find in a book.

Should Be Titled "The Chocolate Bible".......2007-05-08

This is a fantastic book and an outstanding resource. The book is written in such a simple and inviting manner that it is just as accessible to the novice chocolatier as it is to the expert. If you have a passion for chocolate and are interested in creating your own magnificent confections, this is the resource for you!

Comprehensive techniques and recipes. .......2007-03-31

Contents of book: cream ganaches (liquor, orange, amaretti, chai, pear, passion vanilla, habanos, hazelnut latte, etc...) , butter ganache (gingerbread, orange, raspberry, lemon, etc...), hard candies (caramels, taffies, soft caramels, toffees, etc...), sugar candies (cherry cordials, different fudges, etc...) , jellied candies (candied fruits, jellies...), and nougats.

Incredible comprehensive book. Greweling takes a scientific approch to chocolate making, so you get all the science behind the everything. In that way, it is similar to a textbook.

In terms of techniques, this book is a rigorous as you will find. For instance, the technique of molding chocolates is described in 18 steps and 9 pictures. Chocolate molding and dipping defects are described over 3 pages. Preventing 'broken' ganches are described over 5 pages. It talks about freezing. And so on.

In terms of recipes, extremely comprehensive. 28 cream ganache recipes, 11 butter ganache. And that's only up to p173 out of 375. Because of the emphasis on technique and science, this book teaches you to teach yourself. That's the real beauty of the book.

On top of it all, the photography is beautiful.

In terms of difficulty level, I think it's for all levels. A true beginner can skip through the science and just just try out a few recipes. An advanced chocolatier can still find useful information in the tips and recipes. In terms of ingredients, some of the ingredients in some recipes are tough to find for beginners (invert sugar, invertase, co2 cartridges), but a beginner can still pick through and find a recipe to make.

Must have for the serious chocolatier. Compared to other books, Jean-Pierre Wybauw's book is similar in its 'science and technical' nature, covering similar but not always exactly the same stuff. These two books are complementary, and both excellent. It is also complementary to Shott's book, which is less scientific and slightly less on technique, but has very nice recipes and a little cheaper.

Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience

Average customer rating:

Give Your Best, Then A Little Bit More
Lots of solid customer experience know-how
Great examples of companies that innovative with customer experiences
Good clear read. A revitalizing look at customer experience.
Better than eating chocolate!

Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience
Jonathan M. Tisch , and Karl Weber
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Customer Service | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
The Power of We: Succeeding Through Partnerships
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary
Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't

ASIN: 0470043555

Book Description

Praise for Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough

"Jonathan recognizes that in today's Internet-fed, savvy-consumer world, it is the people-to-people connections, regardless of price point, that differentiate a customer's experience. Gimmicks come and go, but without sincere and caring people delivering the overall experience, from start to finish, well, it's true--chocolates on the pillow are not enough. A great read!"
—David Neeleman, founder and CEO, JetBlue Airways Corporation

"If you don't work for your customer, you're not doing your job. Who better to turn to for lessons in great customer experiences than Jonathan Tisch? He has long been one of the most respected leaders in travel and hospitality, and when it comes to treating all customers like guests, to put it simply, he gets it. And then some."
—Millard S. Drexler, Chairman and CEO, J. Crew Group

"What brings customers back to my restaurants? Why do viewers watch my TV show? It's more than Bam! It's delivering a kicked-up customer experience. Tisch is the guy who knows how to do this best. His book gives the inside scoop on how to excite your customers and bring 'em back for more."
—Emeril Lagasse

"Attention to detail, passion, and dedication are a few of the things that made me successful as an athlete. Jonathan knows that by doing the same in business, you maximize the customer's experience and outscore the competition."
—Tiki Barber

Customer Reviews:

Give Your Best, Then A Little Bit More.......2007-06-05

Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Are Not Enough" is a must read for anyone who is the business of serving people - whether in the private, the non-profit, or the public sectors. (I have extrapolated the application of Tisch's ideas to organizations that are not commercial enterprises). Tisch translates his years of experience and observation as a hotelier to address both the why and the how of "meeting a challenge that never ends." It is the challenge of creating deeper, richer, more satisfying connections to your organization in today's complex, rapidly changing world. While you can get closure on a number of key management tasks, you can never declare "mission accomplished" when connecting with customers,employees, or donors. Like other relationships in life, a relationship with any stakeholder is a long-lasting, evolving, living entity.

Themes and practices in "Chocolates" are drawn from some of the world's smartest and most successful organizations including In-N-Out Burger, McDonalds, Dell, Sephora, Commerce Bank (NJ), Virgin Healthcare, Revolution On-line (Steve Case), Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Target, E-Z Pass, 311 phone exchange, Harley Davidson, and EBay. Any reader is bound to find one, two, or three exciting ideas that can be applied immediately in his/her own organization. Tisch adds "Big Aha's" at the end of each chapter summarizing the key thoughts/actions making the book a useful reference.

Tisch provides the hotelier's secret (people remember the experience not the attributes), and answers to the question "What happened to my customers?"(in world beset by discord, inequality, hyper-partisan politics, and the threat of terror). He helps us to re-imagine the customer experience and focuses our attention on creating customers who are happy to buy.

A most valuable part of the book for all will be the sections on the "The Art of Welcome." This is something most companies (and in particular, non-profits) do not give attention to, whether with customers, new employees, or suppliers. Tisch warns us to pay attention to the decompression zone, where people enter, and THEIR threshold resistance. We must learn to understand what makes people feel welcome, comfortable and relaxed. If we do, they want to buy (the customer), or make a significant contribution (the new employee, supplier, or donor).

"Chocolates" highlights why the art of the welcome is crucial to all organizations. And Tisch chides us to give our best, and then, a little bit more.

Lots of solid customer experience know-how.......2007-05-09

The book has two main sections - a problem/solution statement and a (much longer) section on "Reimagining the Customer Experience". Each chapter has a "Big Ahas" section at the end to summarize the critical points Jonathan is trying to make and the book is generally well-written and an easy read. It is a little hotel- or hospitality-industry centric but not more than you would expect given his background.

The first section lays out why the authors think that customers are more fickle and harder to please than in the past. Arguing that there is no way to turn back the clock, they talk about "getting back to basics" and creating stronger, longer-lasting ties to customers. He quotes the CEO of Proctor and Gamble "People remember experiences. They don't remember [product] attributes." The book talks about engineering the total customer experience as the solution, starting by focusing on the totality of the customers experience across every touchpoint. Among his solution ideas are looking for ways to give your customers both simplicity and flexibility, thinking about all the touchpoints your customers have, linking with customers directly even if you are not selling directly and that customers are a moving target.

The second part has a series of chapters, most of which had some great points. These range from discussion of the power of personalization and customization in making customers feel in control and happy to buy, to the challenges of providing security. He is a big proponent of transparency, arguing that what one customers knows all will soon know and that you can get real benefits out of being more transparent. He argues that even big organizations can think small in terms of welcoming customers that you should build your future with existing customers.

All in all a good and worthwhile read. You might want to consider The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More also.

Great examples of companies that innovative with customer experiences.......2007-04-07

I got off to a slow start reading this book, stopping and restarting several times, but eventually once about 25% through the book it drew me in with its superb examples. It's made me rethink a couple things about my business as well!
This book may be frustrating for people in any kind of customer service at companies where they cannot improve the customer experience because of "rules" and mindset, but may encourage them to leave and go somewhere they'll be appreciated more.
For anyone in a position of any authority at an organization with lots of customers, especially less than very happy customers, this book is a great and insightful read.

Good clear read. A revitalizing look at customer experience........2007-03-18

Tisch is passionate about how to transform "customer service" which tends to be a series of isolated deliverables (answering the phone quickly, chocolates on the pillow...) into a much more rounded, holistic concept called Customer Experience. He is also a lively, entertaining raconteur who knows a great story and how to pepper it with apt case studies and examples. So this makes a great read.

What I especially like here is the major focus on the hospitality industry - not because I work in this sector, (I'm a market researcher who investigates customer relationships for a broad range of clients,) but because hospitality is the perfect metaphor for anyone: whether they're in banking or building supplies. When they read this; even the accountants will "get it" when it comes to that connection between the customers' experience and the bottom-line realities that come when you win to-die-for loyalty and a raving fan-base of passionate customers. This is a good value read that charges you up. Tisch does a good job here.

Better than eating chocolate!.......2007-03-06

I read this book cover-to-cover in one sitting and found a lot of helpful information and fun examples. I have a small business and it's so easy to get too caught up in selling and marketing. What really brings customers back to embrace your brand is the whole experience. The book has examples of all kinds of companies and how they find creative ways of making their customer feel special--that's what good business is all about. I learned a lot from this book. Most importantly: when the customer has a great experience, your business will take off and it's a win-win situation for everybody. If the customer just feels sold to, they'll probably go to the other guy.

Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies

Average customer rating:

Like water for chocolate
magical mystical ride...
Like Water for Chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate Review
Still a wonderful read

Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies
Laura Esquivel
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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The House of the Spirits
Como agua para chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Pedro Paramo

ASIN: 038542017X
Release Date: 1995-10-01

Book Description

Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in tum-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

Download Description

Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life inturn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with itswinning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit. The classic lovestory takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy.

While still in her mother's womb, her daughter-to-be weeps so violentlyshe causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices andfixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes away of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef. She shares specialpoints of her favorite preparations with listeners throughout the story.

"A tall tale, fairy tale, soap-opera romance, Mexican cookbook, andhome-remedy handbook all rolled into one."
   SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"A wondrous romantic tale. Esquivel has given us a banquet."
   LOS ANGELES TIMES

"Like Water for Chocolate is deceptively simple and simplywonderful. A story of love, sex, war, and the sweep of Mexican historythat belongs to women."
   BOSTON GLOBE

"A mystical, piquant novel. Like Water for Chocolate is a savoryand satisfying tale."
   PEOPLE

Customer Reviews:

Like water for chocolate .......2007-06-13

This book is a story is about a young girl that is in love with this young man. When he wants to go ask her hand in marriage Mama Elena says "No." The reason that she says no is because of a stupid tradition. That says that the youngest girl in the De la Garza family can not get married. They have to take care of there mother till she dies.

So when the young man finds out he thinks that the closes why he can get to Tita is by marring her sister. So he does. When Tita finds out she is heart broken. Not only did she just lose the man that she loved; now she had to live seeing him with her sister. What really hurt her most was that she had to make the wedding cake. When she was making some of her tears got into the ingredients and that mad the cake go bad. While her sister was eating it she felt sick and throw-up all over her white dress. Rosaura said that Tita was trying to ruin her wedding night by making her sick.

I really like the way that the author describes everything so good. Like when Tita was making dinner, how she was cutting the chilies, and the sound that the meat made when it touched the hot pan. I also liked the setting that the author had. Some thing that I would change would be the ending. But I had to read it two times to get it. But this is a really good book so you should read it if you like soap-opera romance,and fairy- tale.

magical mystical ride..........2007-05-30

Like Water for Chocolate is a wonderful, magical even mystical ride. A lyrical tale of food, love, romance and heartbreak. Highly recommended.
Laura Esquivel writes a beautiful story that will stay with you for years.

Like Water for Chocolate.......2007-05-27

I've read this book three times and on each occasion I've been as enraptured by the story as I was upon my first reading. Tita is the youngest daughter of Mama Elena, and according to tradition Tita is forbidden from marrying her sweetheart, Pedro, because she is destined to take care of her mother until the day she dies. As a result Tita is relegated to a lonely life, with only her beloved recipes as an outlet for her emotions; and what happens in Tita's kitchen is magical. For instance, when Mama Elena decides to marry Pedro to Tita's older sister, Tita is ordered to make the couple's wedding cake as punishment for daring to hope for love. Tita obeys, but can't stop herself from weeping as she makes the icing, working her tears into the meringue. As a result, when the cake is served to the wedding guests each person is suddenly overcome with an intense longing, for all the loves they've lost in their lives, for all the opportunities missed and sacrifices made. Mama Elena is convinced that Tita has vengefully poisoned the cake, but in reality Tita's emotions have inadvertently become tied to the dishes she creates in her kitchen. "Like Water for Chocolate" is filled with uncanny scenes and succulent recipes, all of which are narrated in the deft, enchanting voice of Tita's great-niece, who learned of her aunt's recipes by discovering her handwritten cookbook. Lively, entertaining and enchanting, if you haven't read this book - you must!

Like Water for Chocolate Review.......2007-04-27

I had to read this book for a school project and I had no clue what it was about. At first I didn't really want to read it, but as I delved into the book, I really started to like it. Laura Esquivel really captures the reader's attention and got the reader to feel each character's emotions. She uniquely tied in recipes to the plot of the story since the book centered around the kitchen. This is really an intriguing book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Still a wonderful read.......2007-01-04

I'd first read `Like Water for Chocolate' about 10 years ago and had found it simply amazing. Then again, it had been the my first contact with a book so unique ... the first novel to talk about the "magical" power of food, a combination which is now much more common thanks to writers and books like Joanne Harris' wonderful `Chocolat', Lily Prior's `La Cucina', Anthony Capella's `Food of Love', and Isabel Allende's `Aphrodite' and many others. In fact many of my favourite books fall into what has now become a genre in its own right.

`Like Water for Chocolate' may have lost some of it's uniqueness over the years but much of its magic and power is still there - even for a reader that's become much more jaded over the years. Well worth a read.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Puffin Novels)

Average customer rating:

Charlie and the choclate factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The candyman can!
I thought there was more of a book

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Puffin Novels)
Roald Dahl
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Puffin Novels)
Charlotte's Web (Trophy Newbery)
The BFG
Matilda

ASIN: 0141301155

Product Description

The gates of Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory are opening at last--and only five children will be allowed inside.

Amazon.com

For the first time in a decade, Willy Wonka, the reclusive and eccentric chocolate maker, is opening his doors to the public--well, five members of the public to be exact. The lucky five who find a Golden Ticket in their Wonka chocolate bars will receive a private tour of the factory, given by Mr. Wonka himself. For young Charlie Bucket, this a dream come true. And, when he finds a dollar bill in the street, he can't help but buy two Wonka's Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delights--even though his impoverished family could certainly use the extra dollar for food. But as Charlie unwraps the second chocolate bar, he sees the glimmer of gold just under the wrapper! The very next day, Charlie, along with his unworthy fellow winners Mike Teavee, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Augustus Gloop, steps through the factory gates to discover whether or not the rumors surrounding the Chocolate Factory and its mysterious owner are true. What they find is that the gossip can't compare to the extraordinary truth, and for Charlie, life will never be the same again. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, another unforgettable masterpiece from the legendary Roald Dahl, never fails to delight, thrill, and utterly captivate. (Ages 9 to 12)

Customer Reviews:

Charlie and the choclate factory.......2007-06-13

Have you ever wanted to see inside of a chocolate factory? Well in this book a kid named Charlie gets that chance. He finds a golden ticket in the rapper of a chocolate bar. So he and his grandpa along with all the other kids that found tickets get to go to take a tour of the factory. Why they are in there some pretty interesting things happen to all the kids. Each kid finds a way to get in trouble in there own way.
My favorite part of this book is when Charlie and his grandma get in trouble. They drink so soda that makes them float and have to find a way down. Then they think no one saw them but they get caught in the end.
I believe that the theme of this book is that "good things happen to good people. I think this cause Charlie is a nice boy and very good things happen to him. He is quickly rewarded for performing good deeds.
Overall this was a pretty good book. The beginning is a little long and boring but after that it is good book. This is probably a book meant for kids 10 to 13. This book has a lot of imagination in it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.......2007-06-06

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about a boy named Charlie Bucket, a small boy who lived a very poor. Until one day, as he walked alongside the road, his eye caught a dollar bill. What do you think he does with it? He spends it on two bars of chocolate. One of them contained a golden ticket to Mr. Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, and Wonka is the world's greatest chocolate maker. Charlie gets a tour of the factory with four other children: Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee.

I would most likely recommend this book to children because it's whimsical and funny. I'd rate this book a five because it really gets my attention. This is also the reason why I like this book. If you think you might like this book, then try reading it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.......2007-06-06

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about a boy named Charlie Bucket, a small boy who lived a very poor. Until one day, as he walked alongside the road, his eye caught a dollar bill. What do you think he does with it? He spends it on two bars of chocolate. One of them contained a golden ticket to Mr. Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, and Wonka is the world's greatest chocolate maker. Charlie gets a tour of the factory with four other children: Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee.
I would most likely recommend this book to children because it's whimsical and funny. I'd rate this book a five because it really gets my attention. This is also the reason why I like this book. If you think you like this book, then try reading it.

The candyman can!.......2007-03-22

This timeless classic by Roald Dahl is better to read than both movies made to date. While I love both movies, I just find that the story is extraordinary, funny, charming, and delicious.
I found that this book allows a child's imagination to run free, beyond all boundaries. What could be better than to read a story about a contest, candy, and the great Willy Wonka. My children and I have read this story over thirty times and it never loses its charm.

I thought there was more of a book.......2007-03-16

When I was a kid and much taken by Gene Wilder, the Candy Man, as Willy Wonka, I considered buying the original Charlie book, as having a fuller exposition of the tale.

Then comes 2005, with that horrid Johnny Depp portrayal, and I finally say, "enough!" and buy the Dahl book. Well, they're right; the Charlie movie is a more faithful recreation of this book, which isn't saying a lot. It's a little kids' book, and I suppose that was Dahl's intended audience, but I always thought there was more to those characters.

Maybe it was just an illusion, and the work of David Wolper in 1971. I should have stopped there.

Call this one 3.4 stars.

Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate

Average customer rating:

Great Book on Chocolate!!!
Book Review
Mouthwatering in Michigan
FABULOUS EASY TO MAKE CHCOLATE C AKE
Very useful info about chocolate

Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate
Robert Steinberg , and John Scharffenberger
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Chocolate | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Making Artisan Chocolates
Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner
Tartine
Baking: From My Home to Yours
Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor

ASIN: 1401302386

Amazon.com

Established in 1996, Scharffen Berger has become America's preeminent maker of cooking chocolate. Essence of Chocolate, by the firm's founders and food writer Susie Heller, offers more than 100 recipes for a broad selection of delights like Chocolate Pudding Cakes, Chocolate Marbled Gingerbread, Cocoa Caramel Panna Cotta, and Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake, as well as savory edibles made with chocolate like Tortilla Soup and Chile-Marinated Flank Steak. Unusual recipes also include the likes of Chocolate Chunk Challah and TKOs, a homemade version of Oreos that leaves those favorites on the supermarket shelf.

Arranged by chocolate intensity, the recipes come from the company's files and from chefs including Flo Braker, Jim Dodge, Thomas Keller, and Stephanie Hersh. Although the formulas vary in difficulty, most are within the range of all cooks interested in making something terrific. Readers should note, however, that the recipes require chocolate with specific cocoa-solids contents--62% semisweet, for example--that may be difficult to find. Most cooks will know, however, that one high-quality chocolate of similar cocoa content can usually replace another. With narrative sections in which Steinberg and Scharffenberger trace (at perhaps excessive length) their career trajectories, interesting asides such as "Bread and Chocolate," lots of chocolate lore, and a good primer on how chocolate is manufactured--plus color photos--the book makes a happy addition to the chocolate lovers' kitchen library. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

The first cookbook from America's premier chocolate makers, filled with recipes, kitchen tips, and dazzling photographs

As Americans have become fascinated by chocolate, and especially high-quality chocolate, one name has risen above the rest: Scharffen Berger. Founded in 1996 by Robert Steinberg, a physician and amateur chef, and John Scharffenberger, an award-winning vintner, the company's confections have won a following among food professionals and home cooks alike. Now, in their first cookbook, the duo shares their passion with the world.

The Essence of Chocolate features more than one hundred spectacular -- and often simple -- recipes drawn from the Scharffen Berger files and from two dozen top pastry chefs. It is divided into three sections: "Intensely Chocolate," which includes such decadent treats as That Chocolate Cake, in which the sumptuous flavor of chocolate is the star; "Essentially Chocolate," with lighter chocolate desserts like White Velvet Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache or Brown Butter Blondies; and "A Hint of Chocolate," with recipes that use chocolate's spicier qualities to their best effect, like Vegetarian Chili and John's Cocoa Rub. And all will work magnificently with any high-quality chocolate. Filled with helpful tips, sumptuous photographs, and the story of how chocolate is really made, here is a book that is every bit as seductive as its subject.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book on Chocolate!!!.......2007-06-20

I have learned a lot about how chocolate is created with this book. I have not tried the recipes yet but I have learnt what going into making chocolate. From selecting the beans to fermentation... I also like how the book give some nice tidbits about the history of chocolate such as how Devil's Food cake got its name and how Hershey started out.

Book Review.......2007-05-28

This is an excellent book with great recipes. It is well
worth buying. I loved it. Here are two men who have a
passion that is translated into a well written book that makes
you want to delve into their passion as well and bake.

Mouthwatering in Michigan.......2007-05-25

This cookbook is one of the most beautiful, delectible, irresistable books on chocolate I have ever seen. The photographs are stunning and the recipes are to die for. I just received it and can't wait to make wonderful treats for my family. You can tell the author's have a special passion for what they do. It is evident even in the quality of the paper used in this book. It is truely a work of art, even if all you do is dream of making the many wonderful recipes. I have many cookbooks but this one is my new favorite!! Purchase and enjoy!!

FABULOUS EASY TO MAKE CHCOLATE C AKE.......2007-05-12

I RECENTLY BOUGHT THE ESSENSE OF CHCOLATE AND IN IT WAS A WONDERFUL CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE AND IT WAS REALLY EASY...WHAT I DID NOT EXPECT WAS FOR IT TO TURN OUT SO GOOD AND NOT TOO SWEET.I ALSO TRIED THE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE AND IT TOO WAS WONDERFUL.SO GLAD THAT I BOUGHT THIS BOOK.CLEARLY THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK IS NOT ONLY A SPECIALIST IN CHOCOLATE HE TOO IS A GREAT BAKER !

Very useful info about chocolate.......2007-04-14

An excellent book on chocolate that covers all the information that you ever wanted to know about chocolate. Includes lots of delicious recipes using chocolate.

Average customer rating:

Romance Novel Cliche
An unpredicatable story
Fantastic!
Not for me...
Meh

Blood and Chocolate
Annette Curtis Klause
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Silver Kiss
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ASIN: 0440226686
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Amazon.com

Characterizing the adolescent experience as monstrous is not exactly a new idea. M.T. Anderson's woefully confused teen vampire in Thirsty and Jean Thesman's reluctant young witch in The Other Ones serve as excellent examples of this metaphor set to fiction. But no one really captures how our hormones make us howl as well as Annette Curtis Klause. Blood and Chocolate chronicles the longings and passions of one Vivian Gandillon, teenage werewolf. Her pack family, recently burned out of their West Virginia home by suspicious neighbors, has resettled in a sleepy Maryland suburb. At her new school, Viv quickly falls for sensitive heartthrob Aiden, a human--or "meat-boy," as her pack calls him. Soon she is trying to tame her undomesticated desires to match his more civilized sensibilities. "He was gentle. She hadn't expected that. Kisses to her were a tight clutch, teeth, and tongue... His eyes were shy beneath his dark lashes, and his lips curved with delight and desire--desire he wouldn't force on her... he was different." But Vivian's animal ardor cannot be stilled, and she must decide if she should keep Aiden in the dark about her true nature or invite him to take a walk on her wild side.

Klause poetically describes the violence and sensuality of the pack lifestyle, creating a hot-blooded heroine who puts the most outrageous riot grrrls to shame. Blood and Chocolate is a masterpiece of adolescent angst wrapped in wolf's clothing, and its lovely, sensuous taste is sure to be sweet on the teenage tongue. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.

Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really--human or beast? Which tastes sweeter--blood or chocolate?

Customer Reviews:

Romance Novel Cliche.......2007-06-15

Vivian is a teenaged werewolf. She has lived her entire life with the pack, including her parents and extended family. Vivian loves being a part of them and being able to change into a wonderful night creature at will. She has gotten a bit tired of her agemates recently, though, a group of boys who call themselves the Five. They are all trying hard to win her for their mate, but they are getting far too competitive.

To make matters worse, their pack is in turmoil. They are forbidden to harm humans but at their last home one of their members was hunting humans and was caught. The hunter was killed but rumors of what they were leaked out and the inn the family ran as their business was burned down. Vivian's father was killed in the fire, and she is still angry and unsure about the pack, especially the Five, with their impetuous ways. She just wants to find someone she can count on.

At school Vivian meets Aiden, a kind and gentle boy who seems open-minded about dark types of magic. The pack is against her dating him, as they think it's ridiculous to date someone she could never mate. But Vivian finds herself drawn to Aiden and his love for her.

But when Vivian accidentally wins a pack fight to earn the right to mate Gabriel, a powerful and intense wolf, her life becomes much more complex.

I liked the way the author was able to imagine the pack mentality, and what it would be like to be part wolf. These descriptions of mating and sex through the wolf mind were interesting. I liked seeing the relationships Vivian had with those around her, and it was interesting to see the ways in which her relationship with Aiden didn't match up with her relationships with the pack.

However, there was a distinct feel of a romance novel to this book, with the brooding, dark and dangerous character of Gabriel, the one the heroine hated but then would grow to love, of course. I thought that part was much overdone.

An unpredicatable story.......2007-06-02

It was a bit slow in the beginning and dragged on a bit but a few chapters later, it picked up! This story wasn't like those girl meets boy and they live happily ever after, and that's what makes is stick out from most stories. With the characters, you think you know somebody but then they turn out totally different. I loved how the main character loved who she was. She was proud of what she is. And the ending caught me by surprise. I enjoyed this book a lot. I recommend this book!

Side Note: Don't judge this book based on watching the movie. The movie is totally different. The only thing the movie and the book have in common is the title and the character's names.

Fantastic!.......2007-05-10

I love this book, this is the second book I read from this Authur. She gives a different perspective to werewolves. The movie that is comming out looks bad and I hope it doesnt discourge people to read the book.

Not for me..........2007-04-27

I tried to read this, but found the crudity (lust) and cussing a little too much, especially for a young adult novel. I'm surprised it's so popular, really... the characters weren't even likeable.

If the story would have been good enough I would have read it anyway, but it wasn't THAT good.

Meh.......2007-04-26

Blood and Chocolate, in my opinion, was a book not to waste your time with. The whole "love" situation with Aiden and Vivian is not real love. It's lust and sexuality, and is telling teens that it's perfectly fine to go and have sex with someone that you don't give a crap about. All the teens in this book did drugs, smoked, and had sex. That's it. There wasn't one, what they would call, "goody two-shoes". What, is it cool to go out and get drunk and doped up now? I thought drugs were illegal.

I'm 15 years old, and I hated this book. It makes teens look bad, and gives them the okay to be doing stupid crap that they shouldn't be doing.

Not to mention the overall writing was just horrid. I didn't like the way she wrote, and you can tell Anette is one of those women who misses her teenage hood so bad, that she writes about being a teen so she can re live those days.

I don't know. The book was horrid. I definitely reccomend "Twilight" and "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer if you're looking for Vampire/Werewolf fantasy. This book had nothing but sex and swearing and drugs in it. Whoo hoo. Cause we don't get enough of that on a daily basis.

Average customer rating:

Chocolate recipes
A great guide book
A Real Gem for the serious chocolate maker
Making Artisan Chocolates
Lots of fluff and no substance

Making Artisan Chocolates
Andrew Garrison Shotts
Manufacturer: Quarry Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

Chocolate | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Fine Chocolates: Great Experience

ASIN: 1592533108

Book Description

Forget milk chocolate molded into childish candy bars. Today's chocolate candies use chocolates with high cocoa content and less sugar then previously available and are molded into highly decorated pieces of art. Once only accessible to pastry chefs and candy makers, home cooks can now purchase high-end domestic and imported chocolates in their local specialty stores. The recent availability of bittersweet chocolates coupled with our access to a global food market and unique ingredients has created an increased interest in artisanal chocolates. Drew Shotts has been at the forefront of this renaissance because of his daring use of unique flavor combinations not typically associated with chocolates, such as chili peppers, maple syrup, and spiced chai tea. Making Artisan Chocolates shows readers how to recreate Drew's unexpected flavors at home through the use of herbs, flowers, chilies, spices, vegetables, fruits, dairies and liquors.

Customer Reviews:

Chocolate recipes.......2007-06-11

I recommend this book to all who love to make chocolate, has great recipes also.

A great guide book.......2007-06-08

The explanations are very understable and easy to follow. For example, I had always struggled with the correct way of tempering chocolates. This book has explained it so thoroughly. So also other methods and even recipes. I recommend this book to any aspiring chocolatier to have it with them.

A Real Gem for the serious chocolate maker.......2007-05-13

This is definitely a book for the experienced chocolate maker written in a clear and thoughtful style that reflects a true devotion to the art of chocolate making. Having studied the art of chocolate making in France, I can attest to the fact that the techniques outlined in this book are accurate and classic. I have heard rave reviews of Garrison chocolates in Providence and based on what's presented in this lovely book, I cannot wait to make a field trip!

Making Artisan Chocolates.......2007-05-12

A good overall beginning level chocolate book. If your just starting out learning to temper and work with chocolate this book is a great investment.

Lots of fluff and no substance.......2007-04-23

This book is not what I expected. He skims over things, but doesn't really delve into information. If you really want a good book on the subject, I recommend Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner, or fine chocolates, great experience by Jean Pierre Wybauw.

Relax Your Way to Thin! Hypnosis Weight Loss Motivation

Average customer rating:

Very Soothing Voice and Music
Fantastic!
Didnt work
Very impressed!!
Amazing Changes!

Relax Your Way to Thin! Hypnosis Weight Loss Motivation
Beverly Hills Hypnosis , and Trevor H Scott
Manufacturer: Beverly Hills Therapy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0976313820
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Book Description

Hypnosis Weight Loss. Fast - Easy - Effective!
Imagine craving salad instead of chocolate or an apple instead of ice cream simply by listening to this Hypnosis Weight Loss CD as you drift to sleep each night!
Weight loss can be that easy!
Your impulse to eat unhealthy food originates in your subconscious. This weight loss hypnosis CD stops these unwanted cravings at their source. When your subconscious mind supports your weight loss goals, you will naturally make healthier choices.
Permanent Weight Loss has never been easier!
Why is "Relax Your Way to Thin!" so effective?
By creating direct access to the most powerful part of the mind, the subconscious, you can teach your subconscious mind to automatically act in the ways that best suit your goals, rather than relying on poor habits that you've built up over the years.
When you align what you consciously desire with your subconscious motivations...your possibilities are endless!
Can everyone be hypnotized?
Yes. Have you ever been driving a familiar route home and suddenly arrived at your destination without remembering the last few minutes of the drive? This is one example of our subconscious mind taking over the routine details of life. Our subconscious mind handles most of our day to day activities. That is the subconscious mind's job - to handle the details of life, while our conscious mind handles the more important needs.
Most clients are amazed at how quickly they accomplish their desired results. Unlike traditional therapies, Hypnotherapy is able to help you reach your goals without going through years of self-exploration.
When You Are Ready!
Reach your goals faster than ever! You can and will make permanent, positive changes in your personal and professional life. Beverly Hills Hypnosis offers an effective, relaxing, drug-free choice for change.

Customer Reviews:

Very Soothing Voice and Music.......2007-06-11

I would have to disagree with Karen K who said the voice and music were irratating. I found the narrators' voice to be extremely soothing and the music to be beneficial and relaxing. In fact, for all the hypnosis tapes I've ever used, this is by far the most relaxing. I'm able to go into an extremely deep trance and always come out with the suggestion at the end (that's how I know I didn't just fall asleep). I only gave it 4 stars so far, but will update it in a couple of weeks when I see how well it works. I've been using it twice a day for two days, today is the third, and haven't seen any changes in my appetite or eating yet. It says to use it for 21 days. I don't know if that means you'll only see significant results after 21 days, or what, but I'll keep this review updated to let you know if I've lost any weight. If not, then at least I have had some incredibly relaxing sessions while I'm listening to the tape.

Day Five: I found when I went to the market I chose only healthy foods and stayed away from the junk food without even thinking about it. I checked the fat content on all food even if it said "light" or "low fat." When I saw chocolate and thought I'd like some it was immediately followed up with the thought that I didn't want to buy it. The hardest part is getting out of the store without the junk in the cart. At home, I've noticed I have not wanted to eat between meals.

Fantastic!.......2007-01-28

After having so much success with Trevor's cd "Your Power Within" I had to try "Relax Your Way to Thin." I've lost 17 pounds so far and it is fantastic! I've never wanted to say I'm on a "diet" and I didn't really want to change my eating habits. But, after listening to the cd, my whole attitude about food and healty eating habits started changing. It made me realize that I wasn't denying myself anything by eating healthier, I was actually giving myself more. The weight started coming off, I'm feeling great and I'm sleeping soundly. Awesome CD, I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to loose weight.

Didnt work.......2007-01-12

This didnt work for me. Maybe because everytime I turned it on I fell asleep. Good way to fall asleep if you are having trouble. Bad way to lose weight.

Very impressed!!.......2006-11-06

I had gone to a Hypnotherapist before to lose weight and did not have much luck. However, I decided to try Trevor's method...and it works!! My eating habits changed dramatically after only listening to the cd twice. It is the most relaxing experience I have ever had. This cd allows you to fall asleep, so I listen to it while I am going to bed. It says that even if you do fall asleep your sibconcious will receive the messages that Trevor sends, without a doubt, it does! I am really amazed by this cd! I am getting ready to order his cd's for exercise and to quit smoking.

Thank you Trevor!!!

Amazing Changes!.......2005-08-04

This is an amazing CD with incredible results! I have always had weight problems, tried all the fad diets and always gained the weight back. Trevor has a soothing, reassuring and relaxing voice that has helped me to really start losing the weight. I have never looked or felt better, and I'm keeping the pounds off. This program has truly changed my life and I owe it all to Trevor. Thank you!

Average customer rating:

Excellent content, impossible translation
For advanced users only
The only chocolate book you need!

Fine Chocolates: Great Experience
Jean-Pierre Wybauw
Manufacturer: Uitgeverij Lannoo Nv
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 902095914X

Product Description

This extensive and practical manual produced by the famous Master Chocolatier, Jean-Pierre Wybauw, includes a theoretical section with vivid illustrations. It tells you everything you need to know about chocolate and sugar processing, rheology and shelf life. More than 100 mouth-watering and original recipes are described in detail and illustrated with superb photographs by Tony Le Duc. The introduction of an 'aW' value for chocolates is unique. This is a standard handbook for professionals and experienced amateurs alike.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent content, impossible translation.......2007-05-11

It is never a good thing to have to read a book that has been translated, but cookbooks that have been translated into the English language are usually quite acceptable. It is a shame that the translation of this book was not revised by a native English speaker. Some of the instructions are true riddles. And the terminology is more than a little odd. This fine edition would justify hiring a qualified translator.

For advanced users only.......2006-03-20

Content: Chocolate processing, rheology, shelf life, sugar processing, starting out, praline recipes, fat-based recipes, ganaches, caramels, Nougat, fruit-in-liquer, marzipan, truffles, fruit dough.

This is an advanced book meant for advanced hobbyists or professionals. For example, there are no sections on how to pipe chocolate or how to melting chocolate - this book assumes you have that knowledge. Even more advanced knowledge such as how to use molds, using the guitar, or the enrobing machine is assumed.

My favorite section is the sections on chocolate tempering (precrystallization as this book calls it) and troubleshooting chocolate coatings. It goes through all the things that can go wrong - patches of dull chocolate, difficulty in unmolding, air bubbles, cavities, streaks - and goes through how to correct these problems and why they happen.

I also enjoyed the section on shelf lives and factors which can change them - such as the effects of chocolate:cream ratio, sorbitol, water, corn syrup, alcohol, and so on. This section was is something I have not seen with this level of detail in other chocolate books. All recipes come with an Aw rating, which measures the humidity of the center and its perishibility.

The second half of the book (in terms of pages) is recipes. The photography here is beautiful. The recipes are for professional and industrial use only, with a heavy bent towards preservation of centers. Ingredients such as sorbitol and invert sugar are used. If you are not professional, you may not use the recipes directly, because you may use simpler ganache recipes. But you still may get ideas from them.

The English translation has some "character" as well. If you are used to buying these translated French pastry books (Patiserrie of Pierre Herme, Au Coeur des Saveurs, and so on) it is about the same. Otherwise it takes some getting used to.

The only chocolate book you need!.......2005-09-30

Yes, it's rather pricey, but this is the only book on chocolate confections that you'll ever need to buy. Though the English translation is a little awkward in places, Wybauw communicates the information in a straightforward manner. And the photography is amazing!

One warning - this book is not for the casual novice. It's geared towards professionals and will be best used and most appreciated by such.

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate: An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery

Average customer rating:

attractive title but boring story (if any)
Something almost happens
A Lesson in Moral Obligation
A GOOD READ!
Charming and Interesting

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate: An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery
Alexander Mccall Smith
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375422994
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Book Description

In this delightful second installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s best-selling new detective series, the irrepressibly curious Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, gets caught up in an affair of the heart—this one a transplant.

When Isabel’s niece, Cat, asks Isabel to run her delicatessen while she attends a wedding in Italy, Isabel meets a man with a most interesting problem. He recently had a heart transplant and is suddenly plagued with memories of events that never happened to him. The situation appeals to Isabel as a philosophical question: Is the heart truly the seat of the soul? And it piques her insatiable curiosity: Could the memories be connected with the donor’s demise? Of course, Grace—Isabel’s no-nonsense housekeeper—and Isabel’s friend Jamie think it is none of Isabel’s business. Meanwhile, Cat brings home an Italian lothario, who, in accordance with all that Isabel knows about Italian lotharios, shouldn’t be trusted . . . but, goodness, he is charming.

That makes two mysteries of the heart to be solved—just the thing for Isabel Dalhousie.

Customer Reviews:

attractive title but boring story (if any).......2007-06-18

I was attracted by the storyline: after a heart transplant, a man had some "new" memories, and suspected that the transplanted heart carried with it the memories of the donor. Attractive story, isn't it? But I'm sad to find out the story unfolded was quite boring *_*

Something almost happens.......2007-05-11

I have to admit that, although I enjoyed reading this book, I was disappointed when I reached the end and realized that nothing much had really happened. There was the prospect of a juicy hit and run murder, perhaps the question of questionable transplant ethics, perhaps something supernatural and outside the realm of rationality - but, no - nothing really comes of any of it. It reminds me of Virginia Woolfs 'To the Lighthouse' with much internal rumination and complex social mores and not much actual action. I would prefer if there were even a small crime or mystery, such as those solved by the Botswana detective lady in the midst of her gentle African ruminations. This was more just leaping about to wrong conclusions, and Ms. Dalhousie is much too intelligent for that.

A Lesson in Moral Obligation.......2007-05-10

I really enjoyed this second installment in the Isabel Dalhousie Mystery series. The book is frought with moral dilemmas and observations regarding human behaviour related to organ transplants and the concept of "cellular memory," May-December romance, and unrequited love.

Does a recipient of an organ donation have the ablity to remember the last moments of the donors life? Also, should the family of the organ donor be made aware of this, or even know who received the organ? What if the donor died under suspicious circumstances? Or perhaps we are all jumping to conclusions?

This is a great read that makes the reader question the morality of each situation, turning the reader into an armchair philosopher!

A GOOD READ!.......2006-11-10

AS BOOKS IN A SERIES GO, 'FRIENDS. LOVERS. AND CHOCOLATES' WAS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS 'THE SUNDAY PHILOSOPHY CLUB.' PERHAPS THEY WERE NOT QUITE AS MUCH FUN AS THE 'NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE' SERIES BUT MORE INTERESTING THAN 'PORTUGUESE IRREGULAR VERBS' TRIOLOGY ALL BY ALEXANDER MC CALL SMITH.
THE CHARACTERIZATIONS WERE VERY GOOD, THE NIECE, THE HOUSEKEEPER, JEREMY, AND ISABEL ALL LEAPED OFF THE PAGE AS LIVING, VERY REAL AND INTERESTING.
IT WAS A QUICK READ, I KEPT TURNING PAGES WANTING TO REACH THE CONCLUSION, BUT VERY MUCH ENJOYING THE STORY ALONG THE WAY. I ALSO ENJOYED THE PEPPERING OF W.H. AUDEN QUOTES THROUGHOUT!

Charming and Interesting.......2006-08-25

I finished all of McCall-Smith's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" novels and they were so entrancing that I had to try his "Dalhousie Mysteries." At first I was put off, since they are so different in tone than the African novels, but by the end of the first chapter I was hooked in a completely different way than I was with Precious Ramotswe. The plot of the story has been divulged in other reviews, so I will not belabor it. The real depth, I believe, comes from the "mmhmm" moments. As a woman entering middle age I found myself nodding when Isabel mused about the way youth defines a woman's desirability and she can do little more than watch it ebb away as she ages, even if she remains attractive. Isabel's chronic self-reproachment as she considers her words and actions against ideals she cannot live up to was too close to comfort for me. I realized that I think many of the same things she does as she goes through her day -- "was I too bold?" "Should I have held my tongue?" "Does anyone even know I'm here?" Her affection and feelings of longing for a man about 15 years her junior is conveyed in a very stoic, tight-upper-lip sort of way, and it makes Isabel even more sympathetic to the reader. Isabel does not do so much navel gazing that it irritates, however. She is a philosopher, after all, so she has the tendency to practice more mindfulness than the rest of us, but she also throws off the rational philosophy and follows her heart at times, shaking things up a bit. All the characters in the novel are believeable and interesting. I would recommend this novel, a hot cup of chai, and a cozy couch to anyone.

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