Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts

Saturday 22 January 2022

Sweet Chocolate Candies and a Yummy Book – Part 2 – Reading 8

Slowly, I am slowing down to chew all those my favorite candies


Fig 01- Other chocolates

The sweetener give me extra calories that I might need them not that much at the moment.

Another words, I am trying to watch my weight by


reducing sugar intake.

Instead of chewing chocolate candies, I am churning chocolate books. I got one of chocolate books.

It does not a cookbook, it is a novel.

A yummy book Chocolate Magic by Zelda Benjamin. This cute book is a kind of light drama, clean romance, and sweet story like a cup of chocolate milk.


Fig 02- Chocolates with brands of Jojo and Brookside


Fig 03- One of groceries to sell chocolates


Fig 04- Lindt chocolates, produced by USA

Moreover, here the summary from the book:

Chloe Brandeau, a magical chocolatier struggles to maintain normalcy in her world that suddenly turned upside down with the inheritance of her aunt's run down apartment building.

When a friend insists that having a man in her life could help, Chloe goes on a series of outrageous dates.

Along comes Ethan Behar, a master of acquisitions with no time for trivial pleasures such as chocolate.

Ethan makes an offer for Chloe's building, but ends up bidding for the one thing not on the market -- Chloe's heart”

Finally, doesn’t you like chocolate?

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Friday 7 January 2022

Sweet Chocolate Candies and a Yummy Book – Part 1 – Reading 8

I had never missed chocolate candies every after meal. Any kinds of chocolates always stick with me, either one bites or bars.

The most chocolate candy that always in my lunch box is the almond chocolate one bite Hersey's Kisses.


Fig 01- Cover book of Cholate magic.

I love Kisses because of the fancy shape with little chunk almonds.

It said this shape is a teardrop shape, but the way I see seems like the top of baby bottle.

Any way, I always appealing about the smooth of the tips, perfectly cute and nice.

In the photo at below is how the Kisses ' tip should be. Since a couple bags I bought months ago I found almost all tips broken.


Fig 02- Almond chocolates


Fig 03- A chocolate

Even the taste is still the same, but they did not look good, aesthetically disturbance image.

And undesired effects were my taste buds hurt when the crack tips were landing on them.

Sure, it is subjective feeling

I was thinking that the sensory was not in taste buds but in mind only. I just avoided Kisses and grabbed Hersey's Miniatures with many varieties of one bite chocolate flavors in small rectangular shapes.

# To be continued to part 2

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Friday 31 December 2021

“The Madness of Crowds” and Omicron – Reading 7

It is the last day of the year 2021. Wishing you all in a great spirit to welcome the coming year.

I just finished my reading, a mysterious novel by Louise Penny, “The Madness of Crowds”.

This book is one of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. He is the head of the homicide department at Montreal’s Surete de Quebec.


Fig 01- A Novel: The Madness of Crowds

In this book, the covid vaccine has ended the pandemic. The pandemic restrictions are over. Being crowds are not illegal anymore.

The residents of the Three Pines village have come out from their isolation. Their activities resume to normal life.

Abigail Robinson, a statistician Canada, has been invited to give lecture in the Universite d Elstrie.

Mr. Armand Gamache is assigned to oversee Abigail Robinson.

Her report about the effects of Corona Virus in Canada is a very controversial conclusion.


Fig 02- This novel is dedicated to our heroes


Fig 03- The author Louise Penny

Then, someone is murdered. Inspector Gamache and his colleagues investigate the case.

This book a sweet tribute from the famous #1 New York Times Best Selling author, Louise Penny, to all those first line when pandemic Covid 19 attack.

When I got this book, the new variant, Omicron, was soaring.

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has confirmed that Louisiana has reached a threshold of greater than 80% Omicron variant sequenced to Covid-19.

For the new onset positive result of Covid-19, we can have Pfizer’s new oral medication Paxlovid for the treatment at home, but the supply of this medication is very limit.

So, better to prevent the Omicron exposure, keep the mask up.

Happy New Year 2022! 

Saturday 18 December 2021

A Novel of Arian - Then The Fish Swallowed Him - Part 2 – Reading 6

You may read previous posting (Part 1):

- A Novel of Arian - Then The Fish Swallowed Him - Part 1 – Reading 6

His name is Yunus Turabi, a protagonist in this novel. He is a bus driver in Tehran.


Fig 01- A drawing in the back cover of book.

In a chaos and violence strike of bus drivers, Yunus is arrested, and sent to a jail.

He is interrogated by Hajj Saeed.

The condition of the jail, Evin Prison, is horrible, there is no toilet!

The author details about urine, feces, and his masturbations in the jail.

Hajj Saeed interrogates Yunus with menace and torture, asking his relationship in the past and his adultery.

The interrogations are quite “gross”.


Fig 02- Colorful flowers, illustration.


Fig 03- Night sky, illustration.

Arian pictures Iran straightforward without obstacle, and shy. The condition includes dynamic of:

- life
- power
- and abuse power

It seems this novel contains a bitter “vulgar” humor and is an allegory of post-revolutionary Iran.

Yunus Turabi is not a prophet.

He is an ordinary person. He just like an insect that easily attracted by the porch light.

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Sunday 12 December 2021

A Novel of Arian - Then The Fish Swallowed Him - Part 1 – Reading 6

It is just a light novel

Hang on!

Please, take a little attention to see the picture above. Is there something that remind you to your childhood book?


Fig 01- A novel “Then the fish swallowed him.”

Or any imagination in your childhood about the story from the biblical scripture?

Absolutely!

It is a story about Jonah, a rebellious prophet. Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish, then he stayed in belly fish for three days.

Many versions about what was going with Jonah in the belly fish.

The story in this book is also about Jonah, Jonah of Iran in the nowadays (I think 😊)!


Fig 02- Illustration only


Fig 03- Peppers, just for illustration


Fig 04- Two fish, made from metal.

The author of this book is Amir Ahmadi Arian, an Iranian journalist and novelist.

He is a lecturer at City College and Baruch College and settling in New York City.

This book is his first novel in English.

Talking about Iran, Iran is one of a few theocracy countries globally which is Islamic Republic.

Iranian call Jonah as Yunus, like other Islamic countries call Yunus as Jonah in western world.

# To be continued to Part 2

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Saturday 27 November 2021

A Memoir of Chasten Buttigieg – Part 2 – Reading 5

Fig 01- Books for illustration only

You may read previous postings (Part 1):

7) Repairing abandoned houses

- reached target based on schedule within 1,000 days for 1,000 homes.

8) Almost triple permit in term of values.

- in the first term, permits values for construction projects increasing from US$69 millions to US$190 millions.

9) Raising pay

- city workers got increasing pay per hour

10) Growth of Latino population

- from almost zero to 15% of city population.
- Buttigieg able to communicate in Spanish

Then he became a rising star since he decided to enter the Democratic Party Presidential race in the beginning of 2020.


Fig 02- One of old properties

The New York Times revealed about him: “The first openly gay major Presidential Candidate”.


Fig 03- One of resident homes

Exactly. He is millennial. He is gay, and he is married.


Fig 04- Tall tree in the yard of resident home.

In a perfect moment, when he launched his presidential campaign, he introduced his honored husband, Chasten, to the public.


Fig 05- Chasten Buttigieg (Credit: Pete Buttigieg)

Chasten is always ready on his side, embrace him, and hug him.

With Pete, Chasten feels so loved. In this book, he tells us about his life, his love, and his married.

He talks about his personal life and love in a straightforward way, very easy to follow and understand. He confesses about his feeling at the first moment met his husband.

Reading this book, I felt like I am listening my best friend talking to me who is a warm, funny, and honest human being.

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Wednesday 24 November 2021

A Memoir of Chasten Buttigieg – Part 1 – Reading 5

Fig 01- A memoir of Chasten.

Chasten Buttigieg is husband of Pete Buttigieg.

So, who is Pete Buttigieg?

Pete Buttigieg is US Secretary of Transportation under current Biden’s administration.

He was a US army veteran and former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

As a mayor from 2012 to 2020, Pete Buttigieg has succeeded to rebuild the South Bend city.

Some of his legacies are:

1) Stop shrinking city population due to many people fleeing the city

- population has been increased from 101,000 in 2010 to be 109,000 in 2020.

2) Reducing unemployment rate

- from 10% in 2012 to be below 4% in 2020

3) Booster business communities

- city has been developed so fast for business purposes


Fig 02- A city in America


Fig 03- Rose at backyard


Fig 04 – Pumpkins at farmer market


Fig 05- A pet on the street of American community

4) Creating affordable housings

- help poor communities to own a house
- give loan for repairing to whoever own houses

5) Increasing shelter capacity

- help homeless residents

6) Help neighborhood merchants

- these merchants are important, not only to support neighborhood but also big business such as new hotels.

# To be continued to Part 2

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Saturday 16 October 2021

Outlawed - An Epic Western Novel – Part 2 - Reading 4

Red rose in the garden

Previous posting (Part 1):

Her mother begins to worry about Ada.

She finds a man to “help” Ada to get pregnant and said not to think about unfaithful to her husband, but to keep herself safe.

Almost one year is over, and Ada is not pregnant yet.

Then she has been kicked out from her husband and husband’s family where she lives with.

Ada comes back to her mother and younger sisters.

German measles outbreaks and the disease attacks pregnant women and babies.

The folks believe that the deaths and miscarriages caused by witchcrafts, barren women, and one of them is Ada.

Ada must leave the town, then she lives in covenant.


Anna North, the author of Outlawed.

When she was in covenant she learns about the causes of infertility, then learned how to solve it..

She has great knowledge about herbal, frontier medicine and midwifery.

Then she joins a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid, the Hole in the Wall Gang.

Ada learns how to:

- rob highway
- steal cattle
- appear and behave like a binary man.

However, she finds that the gang is the safe place for barren women and gender nonconforming people.

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Tuesday 12 October 2021

Outlawed - An Epic Western Novel – Part 1 - Reading 4

Cover of Outlawed, a Western fiction

Outlawed is a Western fiction by Anna North.

The writer grown up in Los Angeles and lives in Brooklyn. She was a graduate of Iowa Writer’s Workshop.

Ada is the protagonist in this book. The story is set in the late of nineteenth century.

From the front jacket of this book, “In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw. Like a lot of things, it didn’t happen all at once.”

The story begins when Ada feels lucky to get married with a handsome boy from the good family.

Ada’s mother is a midwife and Ada always happy to help her mother doing her job.

Like other her peers, she married at seventeen, and she loves her husband.

Their duty is to have children for baby Jesus since God sent the Great Flu (flu pandemic) to cleanse the world of evil.

Several months after they wed, Ada’s womb is still empty. Meanwhile in her town, the barren women are routinely hanged as witches.

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous posting:

Friday 1 October 2021

Traditional Books versus Electronic Books for Children – Part 2 – Reading 3

Books for children sold out

Better to read previous post (part 1):

It is because reading book able to support their healthy brain development, and important for development of:

- vocabulary
- literacy
- language skill
- then lead to better academic.

Many “busy” parents give tablet or any screen for their children with many books in it, depending to kind of tablets.

Some of interactive e-books can help parents to read the books when busy parents do not have time to read them for their children.

Few other parents give time limit for their kids to access electronic devices, and facilitate them with traditional books.


Wild fruit for birds, just for illustration.

Ms Lynnell is one of them, she always has time for reading the traditional books for Cassie. Cassie' parents also have some times for her bed time reading.

Cassie loves to show all of hers. She like to show her baby dolls, puzzles, and books.

She prefers traditional books because she can show, carry, and pretend to read her books for every body.

She has favorite pages in every single book. Oh-oh she drawn happy faces and little dolls on those pages too.

Finally, what do you think about traditional and e-books?

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Is Meat Not a Main Food of Fox? - Nature 129

We have talked briefly about a fox crossing street at our neighborhood recently at previous posting.  Image 01 - A fox, sitting on the stree...