Review: Chocolate

Chocolate : A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light 

by Mort Rosenblum 

This is the sort of book that is both satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time. Besides leaving you hungry, it touches on a lot of topics (history, agriculture, botany, cooking, manufacturing, marketing)and covers several continents. Because the author tackles so much, the text often feels fleeting. But I was excited to discover many new leads in reading and eating. A great place to start on "the chocolate trail," but may not satisfy the experienced foodie or the in-depth historian. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

I love this quote which could apply to so many things in life:

"But as I listened to my various mentors argue away the afternoon, I finally caught on to the basic point of it all. With chocolate, there are no straight answers. There are only strongly held opinions."

Review: Skipping Christmas

Skipping Christmas

by John Grisham

I wanted to like this story, but eh. I didn't. Loved the first half of the book until the plot-pivoting phone call. The main characters plan on skipping Christmas for one year to give themselves a break from all the stress and the debt. Except, they don't skip it, and they still get stressed out and spend money. I guess the moral of this light-hearted story is... if you're going to be stressed and broke, better to do it together with your neighbors than alone during the holidays. Plenty of people will like this story's finale, but an introvert like me has a hard time warming up to it. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

Review: 500 Bento Lunches

500 Bento Lunches: 500 Unique Recipes for Brillant Bento 
by Korero Books

This was a lovely book to look at. Small but densely packed with photos, recipes, and directions. The only reason I got rid of my copy is because of the guilt I had for owning such a beautiful cookbook but being too lazy to use it! (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

Review: Unschooling Rules

Unschooling Rules: 55 Ways to Unlearn What We Know About Schools and Rediscover Education
by Clark Aldrich

This book is really a well-written list of ideas about what is wrong with our current "education-industrial" model, not an exhaustive argument about the benefits of unschooling. It helps to be familiar with the concept of unschooling. The author does not waste any time over-explaining the movement or it's history. This book would be great for school boards and administrators to use for inspiration and brainstorming.

It's a quick read as each "rule" or observation takes no more than 3 pages and is written to lead right into the next one. In the back is a very useful index with a section each for school administrators, parents, or policy makers. I'm a staff member at a small college and a new parent, and this brief book gave me new perspectives from both angles. I enjoyed it enough that it's jumped from my library list to my PBS wishlist. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)