So many books . . .

In Cooked, Jeff Henderson recounts his unlikely rise from a crack dealer in San Diego to a well-respected chef in a prestigious Las Vegas restaurant. His ambitions and inspiration came to him while serving a drug-related sentence in federal prison, and upon his release he put 100% of his efforts into educating himself, gaining experience, and convincing influential people in the restaurant business to take a chance on him.

Jeff’s gritty memoir was fascinating to me, someone to whom most of his life experiences are completely foreign, and I had a difficult time putting it down between sittings. One can’t help but admire his strength and resolve in making his dreams come true despite a past he wasn’t proud of.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Henderson's homepage

 

Written in the form of letters to a person whose identity is never revealed, Wallflower is a fun, engaging and poignant read detailing Charlie's freshman year of high school. As Charlie shares his new social experiences with the reader there are many moments that resonate, and probably any reader, regardless of what one's social status is or may have been in high school can identify with Charlie on some level. One of his more endearing characteristics is his introspectiveness, and this work reminded me of both The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Catcher in the Rye.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Stephen Chbosky (wiki)

What a charming book! It had been on my to-read list for some time, and I regret that it took me so long to get to. Precious Ramotswe is a clever, plucky woman in her 30s who decides to open a detective agency -- the only such agency run by women -- in her native country of Botswana. Although business is initially slow, the locals soon warm up to the idea and Mma Ramotswe takes on cases ranging from missing husbands and stolen cars to false fathers and fraudulent doctors.

Getting to know Mma Ramotswe is a hoot, as is meeting her friends and clients. Throughout it all, Botswana's beauty and charm subtly take center stage.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Smith's homepage Alexander McCall Smith (wiki)

I surprised myself at how well I enjoyed this book about the production of a television program bringing American culture, values and, yes, meat into Japanese households. Although it is a work of fiction, if even a fraction of the information presented about the US beef industry in the book is true, we should be terrified.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Ozeki's homepage

Rebecca is recuperating in Nepal after a mountain climbing accident when she learns that Therese, the daughter she gave up for adoption thirteen years ago, is suspected of setting the fire that killed her adoptive mother. She concludes that her best chance of helping Therese is to reappear in her life as a nanny, telling no one her real identity. Rebecca soon realizes that something is not quite right with the entire family. Unfortunately, Marius Gabriel is not at his finest in this book. The first three quarters were excellent, with a fantastic buildup of suspense and intrigue. The ending was a bit of a let-down, and it felt incongruous with respect to the rest of the book.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: The art of Marius Gabriel