Steve Berry (2)Reseñas

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3113539.html

This was a fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Research UK, complied in 2012 and updated in 2013, which does what it says on the tin - 100 celebrities with one or two pages each about their own ealiest memories of Doctor Who, with an introduction by Terry Pratchett (who is much politer about Doctor Who than I remember him being in person). I think the standout for me is Anneke Wills’ reaction to one of her old episodes being found, not quite what was requested but very moving in terms of recovering lost memories, which is the hope behind the compilation of the book. But it’s all very nice, and I think non-Whovians might enjoy it too.½

Two food groups: Chocolate—and everything else

A Brief History of Chocolate by Steve Berry & Phil Norman (Harper Collins Australia, $3.99 ebook).

With threats to the world supply of chocolate from rising prices and—thanks to Ebola and political chaos in West Africa—stability in the supply chain, it seems like we ought to know more about this wonder food.

But, while an intriguing look at the history of selling chocolate as candy, don’t expect to get much information about the foundational ingredient of human bliss from this very brief (44 pages, roughly the size of a Kindle single) history.

Instead, the form in which chocolate is sold as candy (bar, drop, kiss, filled) is the organizing principle, and Berry and Norman provide a historical look at the way that confectioners and businesses shaped candy.

It’s full of interesting tidbits, like the name originally given to Snickers or how Cadbury’s has packaged, named and sold their candies, but it’s not at all a comprehensive look at chocolate. If you want to know about Mayan ceremonial uses, the power of chocolate in trade, or even the dramatic public relations uses of chocolate in war-time—not to mention the appalling fact that most of our chocolate is produced by children in near-slave labor conditions—well, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com½

This book was a 30th Birthday Present and it was soo much fun reliving my childhood with friends the next morning. If you have any sense of nostalgia for the toys that were great when we were kids in the 80's this is a treasure.