The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

Read the book then see the movie! Movie comes out Friday, August 8, 2014

"That skinny Indian teenager has that mysterious something that comes along once a generation. He is one of those rare chefs who is simply born. He is an artist."

And so begins the rise of Hassan Haji, the unlikely gourmand who recounts his life’s journey in Richard Morais’s charming novel, The Hundred-Foot Journey. Lively and brimming with the colors, flavors, and scents of the kitchen, The Hundred-Foot Journey is a succulent treat about family, nationality, and the mysteries of good taste.

Born above his grandfather’s modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy pushes the family out of India, they console themselves by eating their way around the world, eventually settling in Lumière, a small village in the French Alps.

The boisterous Haji family takes Lumière by storm. They open an inexpensive Indian restaurant opposite an esteemed French relais—that of the famous chef Madame Mallory—and infuse the sleepy town with the spices of India, transforming the lives of its eccentric villagers and infuriating their celebrated neighbor. Only after Madame Mallory wages culinary war with the immigrant family, does she finally agree to mentor young Hassan, leading him to Paris, the launch of his own restaurant, and a slew of new adventures.

To reserve this book, please call the Information Desk (856) 794-4244 ext. 4243

Book Review for Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

I was super drawn to the sequel to The Shining because I couldn’t wait to see what became of little Danny Torrence after the infamous events that took place at the Overlook Hotel. Dr. Sleep is largely Danny’s story, but we do get some snippets of information about what became of Wendy, Dick Hallorann, and even some of the nasty ghosts. We quickly find out that Danny’s life has been far from spectacular.

Danny has fallen into the footsteps of his father; he is an alcoholic. He can’t hold down a job and ends up being particularly haunted by events that took place during a drunken escapade and a one night stand. Luckily he starts attending AA, lands a job at a nursing home where he uses his shining abilities to help dying patients cross over, and eventually stays sober. I expected that Danny’s life would not be picture perfect considering his nightmarish childhood, but was completely surprised and fascinated about the introduction of new characters!

Abra is a young girl who begins showing signs of especially strong shining at a very young age. The True Knot is a group of ghouls who feed off of shining powers. King’s ghouls are obsessed with Abra and will do anything to get to her. Once King adds Danny into the mix as a mentor and protector things become action packed. Dr. Sleep provides a deeper understanding and back story of the shining power and has readers scared of a whole new set of creeps! It is definitely worth the read!

Book Review for The Shining by Stephen King

The film version of The Shining is definitely eerie and quite a horror classic, but the book is well worth reading even if you have seen the film already. In the movie version there is less emphasis placed on important aspects of the plot that King laid out in the novel. Growing up watching the movie, I always thought Jack Torrence went crazy just because of cabin fever. I recognized Danny Torrence’s shining capabilities, but was not entirely sold on their significance to the story, or at least did not see them as significant enough to warrant naming the story after them. It all makes much more sense now that I read the novel

Jack gets a job taking care of the historic Overlook Hotel in Colorado during the bitter cold and snow covered winter months. He and his family are virtually trapped in the hotel once the snow sets in. Yes Jack develops cabin fever, but his eventual insanity and desire to kill his entire family also stems from some serious deep rooted personality flaws. He is a recovered alcoholic with serious anger problems. Drinking destroyed his career and nearly destroyed his family.

Danny shines, or has psychic/telepathic abilities. This capability also allows ghosts to connect with and torment him. The Overlook is chocked full of ghosts from various eras with some really tragic and sometimes criminal background stories. The ghosts take a special liking to Danny and go out of their way to get to him. The family’s struggles and Jack’s eventual drinking binge and insanity largely revolve around the ghosts and their need for Danny. The Shining has a little bit of everything in it. It has drama, it is thrilling, and it is also downright creepy!

If you are looking to read the sequel, Dr. Sleep, I recommend reading The Shining first because some of the original’s lesser known characters make appearances in it.

Kelly's Review: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King

          Imagine tripping over a small piece of metal as you walk through the woods. On closer inspection you find that it is embedded in the forest floor. Most of us would be annoyed and perhaps grabbing at our stubbed toe, but inevitably we would walk away and likely forget about it. This scenario plays out early on in King’s novel for Roberta “Bobbi” Anderson. Bobbi can’t simply walk away. Bobbi investigates the metal and soon finds that she must unearth whatever it is. Curiosity turns to obsession, and the obsession soon rubs off on others throughout town. Strange mind reading powers start to possess the people, and they begin to manipulate small devices/electronics and change them into inventions unheard of.

          The Tommyknockers will appeal to King fans as well as fans of aliens. While I am a King fan and did enjoy the book, I would not say it was my favorite. The ending seemed quite drawn out and I felt the book would have been a bit more enticing had the altered machines had a bigger role. Perhaps what makes the book most interesting is Bobbi’s eventual realization that her obsession and complete change of self was all for something that was not nearly as wonderful as she pictured it to be. 

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Chinese Whiskers by Aiyar Pallavi

While Chinese Whiskers can be appealing to both cat lovers and readers interested in Chinese socioeconomics and politics, I really feel it mostly appeals to feline fans. Two cats, the main characters, each speak to us in their point of view about their lives and experiences closely preceding the 2008 Beijing summer Olympic Games. Soyabean and Tofu begin life under drastically different circumstances, but come together when adopted by a foreign family living in China. Tofu begins life as a stray cat that lives in a dumpster. Soyabean’s life begins living with a grandmother who adores cats, but wishes to adopt him, her newest kitten, out. Once they come together they become caught up in exposing a poisoning scheme, and seeing that those responsible are brought to justice.

The tale touches upon the unfairness of the class structure in China. Tofu is rounded up to be euthanized when a disease believed to be caused by cats sweeps Beijing. When she is able to escape, she becomes acquainted with several poor workers who are hungry and making little money building the Olympic villages. Tofu relates to this man and wishes there was something she could do to stop injustice dealt to the poor by the hands of the extremely wealthy. Tofu and Soyabean both take down two rich, conniving men who threaten the lives of millions of cats in China; therefore, bringing hope to the impoverished people who constantly are brought down by rich companies and manufacturers.

Although the cats spend most of the book dealing with these problems, I still think it appeals more to cat lovers. Being someone who loves cats, it was a little hard to think too seriously about the story because it was told through the eyes of cats. Other bits cat lovers will enjoy is that the cats’ intense interest in the poisoning scheme involves cat food, and that there are cat gangs that roam the streets. Who couldn’t smile at a “devious” gang of cats whose main worries revolve around food? I recommend this book to anyone looking for a tale of an unlikely hero.

Interested in Chinese Whiskers? Call (856) 794-4244 ext. 4243 to put it on hold.

Kelly’s Book Review