Daalder's Chocolates: A Novel

Book Description

Joop Daalder, Dutch immigrant, has been an outsider from the first. Raised in a family of intellectuals and musicians, for which food was of no interest, he developed his taste buds on the sly, finding his vocation and true happiness as an apprentice to master-chocolatier Sorel in France.

Our story begins years later, with Joop a long-time, celebrated chocolatier in Toronto. Then a super-deli is built next to his shop where three trendy "chocolatiers" steal his clients. The last straw is when the deli's car park is expanded and his shop has to be destroyed. Joop fights against it, alienating his wife and incurring the mockery of his son.

In his search for perfection, Daalder's Chocolates is the fascinating tale of the bittersweet life of a real connoisseur.

Customer Reviews:

An unusual protagonist.......2006-10-11

Joop Daalder is as interesting a protagonist as I can recall in the last few books I've read. Crusty and judgmental, Joop's outlook on life is at odds with almost everyone he comes into contact with, especially his devoted and long-suffering wife, Emma. Although unconventional, I was really rooting for Joop to finally be happy and satisfied with some aspect of his life.

The writing style, as translated from the Dutch, is somewhat "choppier" than we Americans are used to, but I didn't find it distracting. The author's dry sense of humor is prevalent, especially when he points out something ridiculous about Joop. A character study of a dysfunctional family and a humane and forgiving treatment of an emotionally empty individual, "Daalder's Chocolates" was a satisfying read.

Tiresome!.......2006-06-03

This book starts out in a very promising manner--good storyline, interesting situation, an intriguing main character. About halfway through, though, the story gets predictable & dull, the main character (Joop) becomes a cardboard cutout of a despicable human being who lives only for his own passion for making chocolate, and the story just goes downhill. I started skimming quickly through the book just to see how it ended. The book just ends, leaving you with a bad taste in you mouth. Chocolate shouldn't do that! This book could have been excellent if the level of writing had continued throughout & the author had not reverted to stereotypical characters and a plodding plot line. Maybe next time!

An antidote to "The Shop Around the Corner" and "You've Got Mail".......2006-01-15

At the start of this entertaining and uncompromising novel, Daalder's Chocolates in an old storefront on St. Clair Avenue in Toronto is being closed to make way for a larger parking lot for its modern competition across the street, a gourmet megadeli. You'd think that the result would be a sentimental, nostalgic trip into the beauties and wonders of a marvelous old store, driven out by crass American tastelessness.

Then we flash back through all of Joop Daalder's life, from his birth as an unwanted and unloved child in a family that cares for music and literature but not a whit for food, his "First Supper", when he realized what food could be, his time in college studying art history by day and learning to cook by night. Fortuitously offered an apprenticeship by master chocolatier Jerome Sorel in Avallon, France, he turns his back on his family (and they on him) and learns the craft from a man who treats most of his customers with contempt and lives only for his chocolates. When Joop wonders if Sorel has other plans for him as well, he distances himself from his master and runs into a beautiful woman whom he at first thinks is a married French mother whom he calls Nathalie, but who turns out to be a single Dutch au pair named Emma who had called him Marcel in her dreams. He and Emma conceive a child (eventually to be named Marcel) and when he rejects her, Sorel kicks him out of his apprenticeship. He leaves France and returns to his homeland, marries Emma and is resigned to a life of slavery as an employee of a terrible Dutch chocolate maker, revered in The Netherlands but a joke to one who had learned from the great Sorel.

Joop's chance encounter at his father's funeral with a cousin who had emigrated to Canada changes his life, and he and his small family move to Toronto where he opens his own shop. But his emulation of Sorel leaves his wife unhappy, himself lonely and apart from the vast new country, and his son so alienated from his upbringing that he changes his name to Mark, takes up hockey and seeks to emulate the lives of their wealthier bourgeous neighbors. At a Thanksgiving dinner, Joop insults his hosts by making fun of their turkey and Canadian wine.

Daalder's Chocolates does begin to prosper because Canadians take his insulting treatment of them and their tastes to heart, but then the new competition becomes the flavor of the month. Joop enters the new store, intent on having it out with the people who had taken away his passion, only to discover that they and their customers are not such terrible people, but that he is. His attempt at reforming his ways, however, is unsuccessful with Mark, who has moved on to other interests and leaves for Texas with his family, including one granddaughter who clearly has her grandpa's tastes and interests.

What moved me about this book is the way that Joop is portrayed without a hint of sentimentality. Yes, the Dutch lack certain refinements, but that does not excuse the way he dismisses their tastes. Yes, his parents and sisters are cruel and indifferent, but he is no better in the way he reacts to them, particularly his refusal to say a word at his father's funeral. Yes, Emma doesn't understand him, but she caters to his every whim and does not accept a customer's advances, while Joop accepts the shop assistant (until he finds his relationship with her yet another absurdity and rejects her). Joop is, in the end, a man who was unloved as a child but unlovable as an adult, and the irony of his son's rejection of him in the end makes this a novel that is closer to real life than the usual tidy story. A good read and an excellent study of a difficult character.

Book Description

With the beautiful and fierce Isparana at his side, Conan must cross a brutal and deadly desert in order to deliver their precious cargo-a magical amulet known as the Eye of Erlik. But rather than collecting untold riches for their rare treasure, they are betrayed by a ruthless tyrant and his evil mage.Conan has faced many mortal dangers, perils of magic and perils of steel. But when the treacherous prestidigitator unleashes the bloodthirsty Sword of Skelos, a weapon of both magic and steel-a sword that can fight on its own-Conan faces one of his most dire challenges.How will Conan survive this battle, when there is no foe to slay?

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Conan The Sword Of Skelos

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HYTNR0

Average customer rating:

Conan the Sword of Skelos
Andrew J. Offutt
Manufacturer: Bantam Books, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RSNM64

Savage Sword of Conan Vol 1 Number 56 Sword of Skelos (Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1)

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Savage Sword of Conan Vol 1 Number 56 Sword of Skelos (Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1)
Robert E. Howard
Manufacturer: Marvel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Marvel | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OLIYIK

Product Description

Fantastic black and white illustrations of the adventures of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian.

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Sword of Skelos :Conan
Andrew Offutt
Manufacturer: BANTAM DOUBLEDAY @ DELL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000Q1AYEK

Customer Reviews:

the ship who won.......2007-10-02

Just not enjoy this story as much as all the other stories about "the ship who ---". Just could not get into the story.

What happened, Anne?.......2007-08-14

I love the "Ship Who Sang" series, and have read all of them (more than once). I can really say, without a doubt, that this one and the city who fought are my least favorites. I hated the way the story unfolded and I really hated the "part two" books that were written without Anne McCaffrey.

This book is only better than "the city who fought(which is really bad)," and lacks soooo much when compared to "the ship who searched," "PartnerShip," and "The Ship Who Sang."

I can not reccomend this to anyone...

Not the best in the series, but a good read.......2002-01-01

I am a reader who likes to follow all the books in a series in order to get a good feel for the world the author is trying to create. I have just completed my second read-thru of the "Ship" series and I tend to think of this book as the weakest one. I found the story line exciting as it tries to unravel a few mysteries, but I didn't find myself as connected to the characters as I have in previous books. In other books in the series you have more insight into the feelings of the "brains" or the "brawns" or sometimes both. This books tends to be more of a description of events.

I was also disappointed that both this book and "The City Who Fought" seemed to leave some loose ends that Anne McCaffery didn't follow-up on herself. The sequels were authored solely by the contributing authors and require reading if you really want to finish up those stories. For instance, if you want to find out what really happened to Carialle in this book while she was drifting in space and on the brink of insanity (which was a primary point in this book) you will have to read "The Ship Errant" by Jody Lynn Nye.

A few legs short of a centipede.......2001-10-02

This book was good, but I was a little disapointed after reading "The Ship Who Searched". I guess it's worth more like a 4 1/2. I think I like Mercedes Lackey better, although I've never read any other books by Jody Lynne Nye. Don't pay too much attention to us critics, though.

Science fiction with a little fantasy thrown in........2000-10-14

From the same universe as Nancia (Partnership), Tia (The Ship Who Searched), Simeon (The City Who Fought), and Helva (The Ship Who Sang), comes Carialle. Because she was deformed at birth, Carialle underwent surgery and is enclosed inside a shell. As a "shellperson", Carialle is placed inside a spaceship which she controls entirely with her mind. Her and her partner (a "brawn" named Keff) then blast off on a dangerous mission to find intelligent life in the universe.

She and Keff find other sentient beings on an uncharted planet, but something strange is going on. The inhabitants, who appear to be human, demonstrate awesome magical powers! Ruling over a lower caste of slaves, these people are colorful and passionate, and constantly waging magical wars with one another.

Carialle and Keff discover the secrets this world holds, and find that nothing on Orza is what it appears to be. The magicians themselves don't even know the true mysteries behind their powers. A wonderful novel, I heartily recommend it.

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The Ship Who Won
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Alternate History | Anthologies | Arthurian | Contemporary | Epic | General | Historical | History & Criticism | Magic & Wizards | Series
Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Adventure | Alternate History | Anthologies | General | Graphic Novels | High Tech | History & Criticism | Series | Short Stories | Space Opera
ASIN: 1857233158

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They Couldn't Have Won The War Without Us!: Stories of the Merchant Marine in WW II... told by the men who sailed the ships

Manufacturer: Lead Mine Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1889103039

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The Ship Who Won
Anne & Nye, Jody Lynn McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KBLURG

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The Ship Who Won

Manufacturer: Baen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HIIVPQ

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The Ship Who Won
Anne; Nye, Jody Lynn McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Baen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000QD141A

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Spiritual Resource.......2004-07-05

"The Heart Of Newman" is an excellent spiritual resource. Divided into 21 topics, it provides insights into doctrine, devotion, Sacred Scripture and philosophy drawn from 25 works by or about John Henry Cardinal Newman. Unlike some spiritual books which were written in ancient languages and cultures, Newman's works were originally written in modern English. His style is very familiar and readable.

Father Przywara has done an excellent job in selecting and arranging the selections in this book. It is an excellent combination of devotional prayer, philosophy and probes into the nature of God and His Church. Throughout many of these selections Newman is decidedly Catholic in his outlook. Through these pages we learn Newman's views on the gulf between God and us, the ability of the individual to understand Sacred Scripture, the effect of the Church on the world, distinctions between Catholicism and other Christian faiths and insights into our relationship with and our duties toward God.

As I finished this book I felt more satisfied than inspired. I plan to keep it handy for future reference. I am glad to have read "The Heart Of Newman". I am sure that you will be also.

Book Description

Eating For Excellence makes food fun! Sheri Rose shares her original recipes, her off-beat humor, and her motivational skills in this lively cookbook. This book is for any woman who wants to eat well, have fun, and not feel deprived. Sheri Rose is best known for her ability to educate and motivate people to excellence. Using these recipes and eating plan helped her lose over 50 pounds, conquer chronic fatigue, and regain her health.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Find.......2001-04-02

Those of you who have read Sheri Rose Shepherd's Fit For Excellence, will love this follow-up cookbook. Shepherd has created a plan for health and fitness based on information found in the Bible.

Included in her cookbook are a variety of easy, tasty, healthy recipes. In addition, she's summarized the dieting advice that is detailed in Fit For Excellence. In Chapter 3, you can test yourself to see if you are a "Cherub" or a "Princess." According to Shepherd, Princesses operate at optimum level on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, while Cherubs fare better on complex carbohydrates and low-fat foods. Chapter 4 is devoted to food shopping for the best products. She covers shopping for spices, condiments, meats, proteins, sweeteners, nondairy products, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and vitamins.

Overall, I'd give this book Five Stars! It covers all the bases in a simple, easy-to-follow format. I would reccommend Eating For Excellence to anyone in the market for some good, healthy motivation.

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Eating For Excellence Cookbook
Sheri Rose Shepherd
Manufacturer: Multnomah Publ.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SMVYPU

Average customer rating:

Best as a resource, OK as a price guide

Accepted Standard For The Comic Book Market

Sadly, this IS the most complete published guide...

Good but incomplete

Best comic resource available.

The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 30e (Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide)
Robert M. Overstreet
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
History & Price Guides | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 32nd Edition (Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide)

The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 36th Edition (Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide)

The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #37 (Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide)

ASIN: 0060957344
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Book Description

Since 1970, only one comic book price guide has been dubbed "the Bible" for casual and die-hard collectors alike. While others have come and gone, The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide has maintained its stature as the premiere reference source for the hobby, covering more than a century of comic book history. The essential tool for collectors and investors, the Guide is highly regarded for its well-researched pricing, in-depth historical information, and incomparable insights into the marketplace. If you have a comic book collection or are thinking about starting one, you simply can't do without this book!

This 30th Anniversary Edition Includes:

The most complete record of existing comic books from the 1800s to the present
Redesigned feature sections for greater clarity and easy reference
Market reports by Robert M. overstreet and the Overstreet advisors network
Exclusive feature articles on the origin and history of EC Comics, now celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "New Trend" titles, including interviews with Overstreet cover artists Al Feldstein and Al Williamson!
Exclusive 30th anniversary feature looking back at the birth of a comic book fan, the first-ever article written for the Guide by Robert M. Overstreet himself!
Up-to-date directory of comic book fan wbsites
Tips about collecting, grading and caring for your comics
All-new additions to Overstreet Hall of Fame, key sales lists, and exhaustive indices
And much, much more!

Customer Reviews:

Best as a resource, OK as a price guide.......2006-04-02

By the time any price guide is printed it is already out of date. The prices for comics from the 1960's to older is fairly accurate. Older comic prices usually have very little change from year to year. The thing is anybody who has older comics probably doesn't need to purchase a new guide. If you have newer comics the prices in the guide can vary wildly in their accuracy. To me the best part of Overstreet is using it as a shopping resource. It is great for identifying comics.

Accepted Standard For The Comic Book Market.......2001-02-25

I've collected comic books for over fifteen years and I have found through my experience that Overstreet's Price Guide serves the purpose of grading comics best. One the opening articles of the guide is decicated to grading comics. This includes grading terminology with a succinct description of each major grade(Near Mint, Very Fine, etc.), factors that will influence the price of a comic(for example, high-grade comics will generally be sold for 50% to 100% over the listed guide price), tips on how to put a collection together as well as sell a collection ( for instance, the guide indicated which category of books would need to be listed individually when selling to a dealer), and a report of some of the top comic book sales of the previous year, plus much more. In my opinion, these opening articles embody the fundamentals of comic book collecting and are required reading for anyone seriously entering the hobby. The Overstreet Guide is also more thoroughly illustrated with black and white photos of comic covers than any other guide I've seen.

Whether I've bought or sold books (I'm not a professional dealer, by the way, I simply sell books from my collection from time to time to generate cash for a new comic I really want) I've always found that the prices and particularly the grading standards listed in the Overstreet Guide are what is almost universally excepted by collector and dealer alike.

I've consistently found the listings in the guide to be thorough and complete. Overstreet makes a concerted effort to indicated which issues have artists and key events that many collectors are looking for(An example would be: N.Adams art, 1st appearance Ras Al Gul). Of course, everyone has their own opinion of which issues are most important, but Overstreet does a fine job of listing the ones that most people demand, and there are many. A previouse review indicated that the Platinum Age listings may be incomplete. However, I believe there is an article preceeding this listing that indicates that, because material from this period is so rare, the listing is more than likely incomplete. Additionally, the author invites any collectors who have issues from this period that are not included in the listing to contact the author so that the new information can be incorporated into the new edition. Another reviewer felt that the listing for Modern Age comics was also lacking. There may be two reasons for this. First, the edition you purchase takes several months to prepare, and when it is published, it represents the activity in the comic book market for the previous year. The Modern Age issues in question may have been published durning the period of time that the guide does not cover. Second, the comics produced in the last ten years, with a few exceptions, represent, in my experience, a very glutted market. Supply of these books far surpasses demand. Thus, most of these books don't experience much of a price increase. So it's possible that a book published within the last couple of years that hasn't increased above its cover price in value may not be included in the guide. What would be the point? And in either case, these issues will more than likely be included in a future edition.

As regards the claim that Mr. Overstreet "fixes" the prices in the guide to suit his personal interests, who can really say? What can be said is this: only a person who has a thorough knowledge of and an avid interest in the medium (i.e. a collector) could produce a comprehensive grading and price guide for the use of other collectors. I can't imagine a guide put together by someone who had absolutely no interest in the hobby. Where whould such a person get his information from? He'ld have to depend on other collectors and thus you'ld more than likely have the same charge of conspiracy all over again. Mr. Overstreet evidently has not only the the knowledge and interest but the experience as well as the knowledge and experience of his many adivsors. He's just as qualified, if not more so, than anyone else.

Let me provide a word of caution. The Overstreet Guide contains numerous dealer advertisements. Some are genuinely strict graders and provide excellent products and service (Four Color Comics and Metropolis Comics are two of these). However, there are many who are VERY liberal in their grading and whose claim of "unconditional money back guarantee" quickly evaporates when you try and make a return (Want List Comics comes to mind). Buy all means, take advantage of these dealer listings, but do so with carefully.

To conclude, I sincerely feel the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is the best available. If your serious about collecting comics, it's a valuable tool for buying, selling, and personal research. I've learned much from just going through the guide page by page and discovering books I never thought existed. Additionally, it's more than likely that at some point in your collecting you'll have to deal with someone who uses this guide a the standard.

Sadly, this IS the most complete published guide..........2000-05-21

Overstreet is the bible for collectors of comic books; a sad fact, considering how lopsided its representation of comic book publishers is. I accept that not everything printed can be represented in a guide, but from the look of Overstreet, everything from either Marvel or DC can be- even a recent Marvel title which had poor sales and remains in low demand is represented here at its original cover price, but where are the independent titles which have enjoyed a substantial share of the same market? Where is the Gold Digger, for example, whose sales held strong even during the B&W bust, and which remains in demand today? It's not a bad guide, really... but for the $22 US cover price, I expect something more thorough.

Good but incomplete.......2000-03-11

I suppose if you collect modern comics this book is all you need. Sadly, it all but ignores the earliest comics published between 1900 and 1935. The token list in the Platinum section is better than nothing but just barely. These early comics deserve more space in the guide. My guess is that Mr. Overstreet owns none of these books so he has no incentive to list them.

Best comic resource available........1999-12-24

As always, The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide proves to be one of the best resources for the comic book enthusiast.

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Relief Carving

Relief Carving Treasury
William F. Judt
Manufacturer: Fox Chapel Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Relief Carving

Step-by-Step Relief Carving: Mastering the Use of Light and Perspective in Woodcarving

Landscapes in Relief: Carving Techniques and Patterns

Wildlife Carving in Relief: Carving and Patterns

Carving the Nose & Mouth: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating Realistic Features and Expressions (Carving Expressions in Wood)

ASIN: 1565230973

Customer Reviews:

Relief Carving .......2006-03-13

I was very impressed with the designs and they are not so complicated that even an inexperienced carver can create a masterpiece. I feel the book is well worth its cost.

Book Description

This book explores the special acoustical characteristics of modern concert halls and opera houses. Thorough and comprehensive, it is an important resource for architects, engineers and auditorium technicians.

Auditorium acoustics.(Book Reviews)(Concert Halls and Opera Houses--Music, Acoustics, and Architecture)(Book Review): An article from: Architectural Science Review

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Auditorium acoustics.(Book Reviews)(Concert Halls and Opera Houses--Music, Acoustics, and Architecture)(Book Review): An article from: Architectural Science Review

Manufacturer: University of Sydney, Faculty of Architecture
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Architectural Science Review, published by University of Sydney, Faculty of Architecture on September 1, 2004. The length of the article is 847 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Auditorium acoustics.(Book Reviews)(Concert Halls and Opera Houses--Music, Acoustics, and Architecture)(Book Review)
Publication: Architectural Science Review (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2004
Publisher: University of Sydney, Faculty of Architecture
Volume: 47 Issue: 3 Page: 313(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Auditorium Acoustics and Architectural Design

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Auditorium Acoustics and Architectural Design

Manufacturer: Chapman & Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0442316836

Auditorium acoustics: The proceedings of an International Symposium on Architectural Acoustics, held at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland

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Auditorium acoustics: The proceedings of an International Symposium on Architectural Acoustics, held at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland

Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0470562846

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