A Wahaca (Cookbook) Review by Liz and Mark

A mad divergent blogpost this - about FOOD and RECIPE BOOKS which I hope you won't mind tooooo much.

We've been visiting the Wahaca Mexican Restaurant for several years now.  We started off at their main branch on Chandos Street but now our favourite branch has to be the Soho branch.  We've also visited the Canary Wharf branch and although it's big, and spacious and has great views, it's not my favourite of the three restaurants as it feels "too new" - I know, silly of me! Regardless though of where you go though, you are guaranteed good food at great prices.

We've taken Sarah and her hubby there a few times now.  We recently introduced our good friend Darren, from Bookzone, to Wahaca.  Matt the Librarian revere Mark and I for taking him there a few years ago.  We had a massive table at the Covent Garden branch a few years ago after the signing at Forbidden Planet where we met Guillermo del Toro.  It's become a place to go for us to chill out and relax and we love the food.

Wahaca is always busy - mostly because the food is so good.  Today sees the publication of Tommi's new cookbook but Mark and I thought we'd tell you how much we love their existing cookbook:

Our tattered copy of the first cookbook by Tommi

 Our copy is falling apart.  We have bits of paper sticking out of it.  It's got dirty finger prints all over it and we use it at least once a week.  Some of the recipes (refried blackbeans) is so embedded in our minds, we merely cast an eye over the recipe but do everything from memory.

We use our cookbook to entertain our friends - both Alex Bell and Amanda Rutter love the quesadillas and the tacos Mark makes when they visit.  And as Alex is vegetarian, there are some great no-fuss recipes in the cookbook we can use to cater to her dietary requirements.

And the best thing about Wahaca's recipes: you are the boss of how spicy you want to make it.  And at their restaurants you can ask the waiter for advice as to what food you should steer clear of if you aren't too keen on the spice.  But even so, the spice is spice and not there to blow your mind - the recipes are all about taste experience and if your taste-buds are flaming, then where's the sense?

At the back of the Wahaca cookbook is a list of suppliers and I think what people tend to forget is once you've bought a few ingredients, they keep on your shelf for a while, and that you won't be restocking on a  weekly basis, unless perhaps you fall for the recipes in a big way.  Like with all good recipe books, there is advice on how to prepare various salsas, sauces, condiments.  Tommi gives a good write-up on chillies, what to use, the types available and the important bit is: always wash your hands thoroughly after chopping them, right Mark?

A lot of the things described can be bought easily enough in supermarkets but making them from scratch, if you have the time is so great.  It gives you a sense of accomplishment and complete bragging rights.

I can't urge you guys enough to give any of the restaurants a try or if you don't come to London often, and you feel the urge to buy a new recipe book, give the Wahaca cookbooks a try.  My copy of the new one should be waiting for me when I come back from my holiday to Morocco.  This is the official Wahaca blog that's packed with the occasional recipe and general news.  And if you like spicy food, head over to the Chili Fiesta taking place later this year.  Mark and I go every year - the last time we went, I ate far too many chillies and I thought my face was sliding off.  Thankfully I was saved by delicious ice-cream, packed full of chillies.

The shiny NEW one that will soon become tattered and loved up!

Happy eating, friends!

The Killables by Gemma Malley

Synopsis

Everyone accepted that people were different physically. But inside? Inside, they were different too. You just had to know how to tell, what to look for.

Evil has been eradicated. The City has been established. And citizens may only enter after having the 'evil' part of their brain removed. They are labelled on the System according to how 'good' they are. If they show signs of the evil emerging, they are labelled a K . . . But no one knows quite what that means. Only that they disappear, never to be seen again . . .

Fresh from seeing The Hunger Games on the weekend I was ready to read a new dystopian series and was over the moon to have a copy of this. However, I was ready for a different slant on the pattern that we've seen in some books of late. I did find that in The Killables. We meet Evie and even at the start she's already having doubts about the system. She has bad dreams, bad thoughts, questions when she knows she should be calm, accepting and obedient. I didn't like Evie's mother at the beginning but when she called in the Brother to discuss Evie's dreams I really started to hate her. Then we meet her intended future husband Lucas who's both beautiful but cold. Her work environment in the government buildings is equally difficult and so we start to get an idea of what life is like for Evie.

What I found interesting about The Killables is the differences. I've got used to dystopians being a bit of a slow burn. We see how society runs and the main character initially is quite happy, or doesn't really want to leave the stability and normality that they've become used to. Then, gradually, they start to question things, or are manipulated by the system. Normally the crisis is at the end, the resolution of the massive build up. With The Killables, Evie is already acting out and is at a point of crisis from the beginning. I found this refreshing and it made the book fly along. A great deal of thought and planning has clearly gone into the world building. I believed it, could see it happening and found it disturbing and fascinating at the same time.

The only thing, or rather character, that I didn't like was Raffy. He's the brother of Lucas, Evie's intended. Where Lucas is a robot of the system, emotionless and ever-obidient - Raffy is the rebel. If it wasn't for Lucas's guidance everyone believes that Raffy would have been made a K class - a Killable. While I'm all for the quiet yet brooding types and I loved him initially, later on I couldn't see what Evie saw in him. However, I'm not the one going through the upheaval of a nightmare regime so I suppose she could well cling to what she knows. I'm very interested to see how she develops and what decisions she makes in later books.

The denouement was particularly satisfying. The System is organised on a computer and I loved the part that this took in the plot and its ending. Although this is the first in the series I was happy with the conclusion of book one, it satisfied my need for revenge although there are plenty of untied ends and interesting threads for the rest of the series.

Advent by James Treadwell

Synopsis

For centuries it has been locked away Lost beneath the sea Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight. But now magic is rising to the world once more. And a boy called Gavin, who thinks only that he is a city kid with parents who hate him, and knows only that he sees things no one else will believe, is boarding a train, alone, to Cornwall. When he arrives, there is no one there to meet him.

I was drawn to this book in my local Waterstone's by its beautiful cover and the blurb which reminded me of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. Gavin is an immensely likeable character although I doubt he'd see himself that way. He's so used to being alone and misunderstood that he turns to a trusted teacher to explain that he's seeing someone that no one else can. Miss Grey has been with him for as long as he can remember but as soon as he talks about it at school his life implodes. Once he gets too old for his, "imaginary friend," even his parents turn against him. So, while they go abroad on holiday, Gavin is on a train to Cornwall to be met by his aunt - although once he arrives she's nowhere to be seen.

I loved the beginning of Advent and the structure of the book. While Gavin's story is obviously in the here-and-now there's another story from the 1500's which starts at a point of crisis and works backwards so that we can see how that character came to be running through the night with a box under his arm. Gavin's journey from confused and isolated teen to a boy who gradually begins to realise that he may not be mad after all is wonderful reading. He meets a whole swathe of interesting characters who neither tell him to grown up or question his sanity. Instead he's accepted instantly as family without question. But there's still the problem of the missing aunt and I have to admit that there's a point, mid-book, that I suddenly got completely lost. I feel now, having finished, that I should have twigged what was going on but if you do read Advent don't lose heart! It does all come together around the time of the snow storm and makes perfect sense.

I think that the mid-book confusion is intentional. In a way the reader becomes Gavin and we get to feel an ounce of his bewilderment - both us and the character have a moment of discovery at the same time. At least, that's what I'm telling myself! From this point onwards the book flies and I was just happy to know what was going on and to watch Gavin grow in confidence and find his true self. This isn't to say that the climax of the book is in any way run of the mill. There are many supernatural side characters that play a great part through the book and I became as attached to Holly and Corbo as I did to Marina and Gavin.

Throughout the book I was touched by how caring Gavin was despite his isolating childhood. Once he gets to Cornwall his true self is unlocked and he's finally able to think and feel for himself. What makes him gain confidence is watching regular members of the public experience the same things that he does which makes him realise that everything his parents told him is wrong; that he needs to grow up, get real, get a life. I think this is one of the messages from the book that I cherished most. I'm looking forward to more from the Advent Trilogy.

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

Synopsis

In the good old days, magic was powerful, unregulated by government, and even the largest spell could be woven without filling in the magic release form B1-7g. But somewhere, somehow, the magic started draining away.

Jennifer Strange runs Kazam!, an employment agency for state-registered magicians, soothsayers and sorceresses. But work is drying up. Drain cleaner is cheaper and quicker than a spell. Why trust a cold and drafty magic carpet when jetliners offer a comfy seat and an in-flight movie? And now potions are eligible for VAT...

But then the visions start. The Last Dragon is going to be killed by a Dragonslayer at 12.00 on Sunday. The death will unleash untold devastation on the UnUnited Kingdom, setting principality against dukedom and property developer against homesteader. And all the signs are pointing to Jennifer Strange, and saying"Big Magic is coming!"

The Last Dragonslayer is fizzing with all the creativity and genius Jasper Fforde's fans delight in, and will appeal as much to the young at heart as to the younger readers for whom it is written.

I've been a big fan of Jasper Fforde since my dad introduced me to The Big Over Easy a while back. I then got into the Thursday Next books which, if you've never tried then I urge you to give them a go. What I love about Jasper Fforde is that his books are clever, innovative and funny but he never lets this get in the way of a good story or a tight plot. I don't know why I haven't got around to reading and reviewing his first children's book. Just to get the negatives out of the way first I just want to talk about the cover. The hardback had the most gorgeous cover (which I've used for this review) but the paperback cover is a bit blingy and yuck. Okay, that small point over with let's get to the story.

Jennifer Strange is an orphan and has two years left to run of her servitude for Kazam which is an employment agency for magicians who all live in-house. She's joined by a new foundling to train - a boy of twelve called Tiger Prawns. Just as she's trying to show him the ropes and explain the Transient Moose which haunts the building , Jennifer finds herself involved in a state event of much importance - the fate of the last dragon in the land. Jennifer's under a massive amount of pressure as the fate of the magicians of Kazam is down to her, as is Tiger's future and now she's involved with the last dragon.

Like all of Fforde's books The Last Dragonslayer is brilliantly funny; from the marzipan addicts, the child catcher or the fact that the Isle of Wight is now a floating isle powered by engines. I defy anyone to read this book and not want their own Quarkbeast (who only says, "quark," but is immensely clever and can eat metal). There's a lot going on in this book but Jennifer's story still manages to shine through. The world-building is interesting too - Troll Wars have left hundreds of orphans which is why Jennifer and Tiger are in servitude until they're eighteen. Troll War widows are everywhere and there's little support for people on the edge of society. When Jennifer suddenly becomes more important she doesn't forget her background or her passions and it's this aspect of the story that I found very touching.

I'll definitely be reading the next in the series - The Song of the Quarkbeast. If you've loved Fforde's adult books then definitely give this one a try as it has all the little touches that make his work special with the added attraction of a whole new world to discover.

Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver

Fresh from Afghanistan, James Bond has been recruited to a new agency. Conceived in the post 9/11 world, it operates independent of Five, Six and the MoD, its very existence deniable. Its aim: to protect the Realm, by any means necessary.
As Liz mentioned before, the hardback is a striking book, and weighs in at a pleasing 428 pages. The cover proclaims that it is “the new James Bond novel”, and it’s true on two fronts: this is a new James Bond novel, and it’s a new James Bond. This contemporary take on Bond has nothing to do with the Connery/Moore era, or Craig’s, or even the Faulk’s Devil May Care incarnation, although it does hold to some core traditions of the James Bond enterprise.

Carte Blanche sees Bond on the trail of a creepy villain with quasi-necrophiliac tendencies and his delightfully ruthless assistant, working against the clock to uncover the nature of the chaos they are planning to unleash. It’s a pursuit that ranges from London to the outskirts of Belgrade, from the heat of Dubai to the streets of Cape Town, the trail littered with red herrings and near misses.

Deaver is accomplished writer and Bond is an institution, a byword for high stakes thrills. The child of this happy union, however, doesn’t really live up to the pedigree of its parents. All of the elements are there- M, Q, Moneypenny, fast cars, silenced Walthers, beautiful women and exotic settings, with the added twist of being set in a world dogged by the legacy of Al ‘Qaeda and its cohorts.

And yet, if you replaced ‘Bond’ with ‘Smith’, you wouldn’t really take much away from the story.

It’s a decent enough espionage thriller, with a couple of nice twists, but apart from one notable exception it never really convinced me that (the somewhat metrosexual) Bond was in true danger. And Bad Guy no. 1, Hydt, doesn’t really gel with the emphasis that has been given to the book being set in the modern world, given the ever present spectre of counter-terrorism that it has become synonymous with. Hydt’s quite a character, but he feels like a throwback to the villains of the age of Connery et al.

While I can appreciate what has been attempted here, I don’t think it’s worked. Not for me at least. In a word: meh.

Carte Blanche - Jeffery Deaver

I was so sad that I could not make the champagne reception for the new 007/James Bond novel by Jeffery Deaver yesterday.  I swooned when I saw the photos of the event, with the marines rapelling down from St Pancras Station ceiling - the car, the bike, the dolled up ladies and the hunky boys in uniform.  It sounded fabulously over the top and great fun.

I am waiting to receive some high res images from yesterday so will upload those shortly.  But it looked fantastic. 

However, I have just received - into my grubby paws, the actual book.  Now, I don't do this often and this is honest to goodness not bragging, but it is a gorgeous looking book.  Hence this blogpost.  Imagine the Marks & Spencer voiceover lady as you read this, with dramatically swoony music in the background and the smell of gunpowder and blood up your nose:

Front cover / dust cover

The dust-cover is lovely thick paper and it's matte. The print as you can see is a wonderful rich red with Jeffery Deaver's name being partially faded out by the "smoke". The smoke itself has this glint to it that says "touch me". The circle and 007 at the top of the page is glossy red and embossed. It looks and feels great.

Actual cover of hardback



End papers

I took the dust-cover off and a tiny gasp of surprise. The cover itself is embossed with the circle and 007. I am a geek, I know. I love it. The end-papers are silvery with a muted gloss, and the smoke from the dust cover is echoed inside.  


Back cover of Carte Blanche

And that has to be the best quote ever: "Our mission is simple.  We protect the Realm...by any means necessary."

Spine

 I love the look and feel of this book - it feels rich and well made in your hands.  Does this sound odd?  I think not.  I know a great many of my booky friends examine books in the exact same way.  I've not read a single word of Carte Blanche as yet and have no idea if it lives up to its glorious cover, but one thing is for sure, if looks could kill...

And thank you for allowing my very self-indulgent post. That lady from M&S can stop speaking in her dramatic breathy voice now!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure.

Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable ...

I think I mentioned in my review for Matched by Ally Condie that I found dystopian novels uncomfortable reading (they make me feel a bit breathless and claustrophobic) ever since I read Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Handmaid's Tale. However, I loved Matched so buoyed up by this success I couldn't wait to read Delirium. The first thing I thought was what a brilliant idea, love as a disease. Lena Haloway is counting down the days until she gets her cure. Until then she lives within the confines of the rules of her community afraid that she may get infected. She's witnessed people screaming and struggling as they are dragged to be cured and even remembers a day when a girl threw herself from the laboratory roof so she wouldn't have to go through with it. In the opening chapters of Delirium Lena is content with her life and accepting of her future.

Lena's best friend is Hana and she's wild and vivacious, determined to make fun of everything and enjoy life. Whilst Lena loves this about her she also fears Hana's wild streak. After all, we know from the opening chapters that there was something wild and different about Lena's own mother which didn't serve her well. At the edge of town there's the perimeter fences beyond which lies the Wilds where the Invalids live - a place to fear. Everywhere Lena looks are cautionary tales about what could happen if she doesn't toe the line. Almost everyone else that surrounds Lena has been cured and she yearns to join them. However, one day she meets security guard Alex who shows her that there's another way of thinking, of living, despite the constraints that society is attempting to force upon them.

I realised something about myself whilst reading Delirium. Lena is initially so concerned with protecting herself that she prevents herself from living. The very thing she fears becomes her whole reason for being and enables her to see her surroundings for what they are and question everything she's been told. I felt a range of emotions whilst reading this book and yes, I did feel fearful for Lena (and scared that I may cry at the end) but it's a beautiful book and I'm grateful to have read it. I discovered that it's important for me to read things that I feel I may not enjoy or, god forbidden, might upset me. If I hadn't read Delirium I would have missed out on a brilliant, thought-provoking and well-written book. I wouldn't have read passages that have stayed with me long after I closed the cover. So, thank you Lauren Oliver for a wonderful reading experience.

Carte Blanche - Jeffrey Deaver's take on Bond, James Bond

I had to share this with you this morning.  It's a bit of promo from a PR company about Jeffrey Deaver's new James Bond novel,  Carte Blanche.  And as I'm a fan of Deaver and I love the contemporary setting for this one, I think I'll definitely want to read it.  Also, I love the grittier take on Bond in the new movies made and I'm very pleased that the new Bond flick will be going ahead!

***

The new James Bond book, due to be published later this year and written by best-selling thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, is to be called Carte Blanche. Its title and cover artwork are unveiled today (Monday 17th January), at a special launch event at the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai.


Like Fleming, Jeffery Deaver takes inspiration from exotic locations around the world, and after visiting Dubai for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature last year he decided to set part of Carte Blanche in the United Arab Emirates City.

Carte Blanche is due to be published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK, a few days before Fleming’s birthday, on 26th May 2011. It has been commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

Jeffery Deaver comments, “I’m really excited about being back in Dubai. It is an inspirational and awe-inspiring city and makes a perfect Bond location—especially for a novel that pushes our hero to new extremes.”

Regarding the book's title, Deaver added, “In the world of espionage, giving an agent carte blanche on a mission comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement. Part of the nonstop suspense in the novel is the looming question of what is acceptable in matters of national and international security. Are there lines that even James Bond should not cross?”

Unlike the most recent James Bond book, Sebastian Faulks’ period piece Devil May Care, Jeffery Deaver’s Bond will have a contemporary setting. As part of his latest assignment, the modern-day secret agent travels with Emirates Airline and spends a number of thrilling hours in Dubai both meeting up with an old friend and tracking a very disturbing villain.

The novel’s setting encompasses Deira and Port Saeed, and the history of the Emirates provides an exciting backdrop for some heart-stopping action.

Bond is renowned for visiting the most exotic and glamorous of cities and this is the first time Dubai has featured in a James Bond novel.

Jeffery Deaver will be making a special appearance at Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, on Tuesday 18th January, when he will be speaking about his love of Bond and his experience of writing Carte Blanche.

Carte Blanche also features Fleming’s favourite car – a Bentley. Historically, Bond owned three Bentley cars in the course of the fourteen original novels written by Ian Fleming and, bringing the plot completely up to date, Bond drives a Bentley Continental GT in the new book.

Jeffery Deaver has written 28 novels and sold more than 20 million books worldwide. He is best known for his Kathryn Dance and Lincoln Rhyme books, most notably The Bone Collector, which was adapted for film in 1999, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Before becoming a full-time author, Deaver was a journalist, like Fleming, and attorney. He started writing suspense novels on the long commute to and from his office on Wall Street. His books are now translated into 25 languages and he lives in North Carolina.

***

Some fun Bond Book factoids:

• Over 100 million Bond books have been sold (and over half the world’s population has seen a Bond film)


• Ian Fleming wrote 14 James Bond books: Casino Royale (1953); Live and Let Die (1954); Moonraker (1955); Diamonds Are Forever (1956); From Russia with Love (1957); Dr. No (1958); Goldfinger (1959); For your Eyes Only (1960); Thunderball (1961); The Spy Who Loved Me (1962); On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963); You Only Live Twice (1964); The Man With The Golden Gun (1965) and Octopussy and the Living Daylights (1966)

• Fleming’s other works include the children’s favourite, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964), which was made into a film and stage musical, The Diamond Smugglers (1957) and a collection of travel writings called Thrilling Cities (1963)

• Charlie Higson is author of the Young Bond books which are published by Puffin. He will also be appearing at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in March.

• Samantha Weinberg, writing as Kate Westbrook, is the author of the Moneypenny Diaries

• Other previous authors of official James Bond novels include Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, Raymond Benson and Sebastian Faulks, whose book became the publisher’s fastest selling hardback fiction title