Book Review

Handbook on Making Delectable Pickles

Whenever I make a sandwich the most important items I add is not mayo, or meat, rather it is the pickled vegetables including jalapenos, banana peppers, dill slices, etc. It is true the bread, meats, cheese, etc. provide the bulk of calories and nutrition in a sandwich, but without the pickled vegetables there is no allure to the complete meal. 

Personally speaking I have always bought pickles from the grocery store, that is until now. I just chanced upon the book Super Easy Pickling and Fermentation - 3-in-1 Cookbook for beginners, by Oscar Higgins which details the processes, tricks, and nuances to make tasty, nutritious, and healthy pickles in the comfort of your home. Making pickles at home not only gives us the satisfaction but also saves a ton of money - great in this economy. 

The book divided into three convenient parts for easy reading and learning is a detailed guide for the beginner and a great primer for those with experience. The first part titled Pickling and Fermentation for Beginners deals with the basic questions on how to get started, the science behind pickling, advancing the techniques, and finally a chapter dedicated on tips to create a signature preserves. "Pickling and fermenting offer plenty of benefits, allowing you to preserve some of the food your garden provides," writes Higgins in the introduction to pickling chapter. 

The second part is my favorite section as it details how to make amazing fermented vegetables and the essential tools, ingredients, and techniques. Also included are a few beginner friendly recipes to get started. The section on selecting vegetables for pickling is quite an eye opener, which is indeed the separation between great pickles and mediocre ones.

The last section is dedicated to Japanese Pickled Vegetables and details the different fermentation styles followed in Japan. The introduction also details the cultural significance of Japanese pickling. Different techniques like the Shiozuke, Nukazuke, Misozuke, Sugukizuke, among others are explained in brief detail in this section and provide an appreciation to the special Japanese techniques of fermentation.

Overall I think it is quite a voluminous book that spans across 492 pages of information, instruction, and advise to wannabe picklers and experienced fermentation experts.

Book Review: Swearing Cats Coloring Book For Adults

Cat lovers Coloring Book with a funny Twist

Back in the day coloring books were mostly aimed at children and contained images of nature, trees, cartoon characters, etc. Modern day coloring books are aimed at several niche markets and audiences. There are coloring books for adults, children, religious people, country based, thematic, etc. Several psychological studies have demonstrated the advantages and benefits of coloring as a therapeutic, focus improving, relaxing, and soul soothing practice for adults. 

The Swearing Cats Coloring Book for Adults, like the title says is a coloring book with a twist. Aimed at adults this book is themed after the friendly feline, but there is humor in each page. The expression on the cat's face, the caption, and the surrounding drawings all are designed to evoke a laugh, chuckle, or at least a smile from the user.

I like the presentation of this book, with a foreword that says how to prevent colors from bleeding through the page. The type of color ideal for the paper this book is printed on. There is also a QR code that will lead to coloring inspirations for those that are struggling to start. A page with several shapes and designs to test colors before digging into the actual book. 

With over 35 coloring pages this book will keep you occupied for a while. Every page is bound to evoke a smile, chuckle, or laugh. After coloring you can share it with friends and make them laugh too.

Book Review: Quick Crock Pot Recipes

Quick Crockpot Recipes: A Cookbook Filled with Effortless, Delicious Recipes Designed to Save You Time and Bring Comfort to Every Meal

Author: Willa West

Between work and commute I spend a lot of hours out of the house, which in turn results in eating out a lot. With advancing age and a need to eat more healthy, homemade meals I decided to make some changes. One of the first things I did was to get hold of some practical, easy, and tasteful recipes from different books. This book of crockpot recipes stood out as there was no intense involvement and I could place everything in the crockpot leave for work and by the time I am home the meal is ready and warm.

I have not used the crockpot a lot and was not very familiar with the benefits, use, and preparation. This book gives us details on how to use the crockpot, staples we need to be successful, focusing on nutrition, the benefits of crockpot, etc. The first three chapters focus solely on optimizing our gastronomic lives. Which lays a foundation for effective cooking and meal prep.

Being a vegetarian I was skeptical about the number of recipes this book would present for me. I was pleasantly surprised about the sheer variety of recipes that could be prepared straight or modified to suit my dietary requirements. I particular like the pasta and soup sections of the book. Pasta has been my go to food for a very long time. The recipes in this book such the Lemon Garlic Linguine make it even more tasteful. I have generally used the ready made soup mixes to make soups. This book empowers me with the knowledge to make soups without the high sodium premixes. Looking forward to living a more healthy life with home cooked meals.

Book Review - I want to feel how I felt when I met you

I want to feel How I felt When I met you

Author: Emily Grace Hart

The title itself throws light on a predicament most if not all modern-day couples in long term relationships feel like. Life has gotten competitive, complicated, and tough. The world is changing constantly, global inflation, political turmoil, social media, 24/7 news channels creating a sense of urgency and panic. All these are putting undue pressure on one of the basic human needs – companionship, love, and attachment. Couples that once felt passionately in love are trying to figure out where things went wrong and how the intensity of their feelings have gotten so dampened.

Neatly organized into three distinctive section I want to feel how I felt when I met you is a great guide to couples who are going through this dampened state of settling into their companionship. Written in a chatty, easy to read style with anecdotes and stories of couples going through this phase, this book provides several insights, ideas, and tricks for course correction and reignite relationships. The first section appropriately titled “Why Love Fades – Understanding the Hidden Forces That Change Your Relationship” sets the context on the science behind relationships. The chapters talk about early love, characterized by the dominance of two neurotransmitters dopamine and oxytocin. Chemicals that create a mesmerizing mix of passion, attachment, and obsession. Overtime serotonin, another neurotransmitter, takes over and creates a stable attachment situation making the couple feel safe, secure, and bonded to each other, writes Emily Grace Hart.

Putting it rather bluntly Hart reveals: “Most couples don’t realize when the shift from passion to routine begins. They expect it to be a dramatic event, some obvious moment when things change. But it rarely works that way. Emotional disconnection doesn’t happen all at once—it happens slowly, subtly, almost invisibly. And that’s exactly what makes it so dangerous.” Then goes on further to illustrate the same with real life examples of couples and then talks about how each couple fixed their relationship and reignited the passion for each other.

Part two titled How to Reignite Passion and Connection gives the reader a detailed ‘do-it-yourself’ style of techniques to revive the playfulness, fun, passion, and emotional connection, in a natural no-pressure style. Writing about the simple art of flirting in a long-term relationship, Hart emphasizes that flirting is “about bringing back playfulness and attraction” into the dynamic of couples.

The last part appropriately titled Mastering Love That Lasts Forever, Hart delves into the secrets of how to keep passion and connection alive throughout and do this without effort and naturally. The book also gives tips to couples to prevent the drift again and grow the relationship into a saga of passion.

The main strengths of this book are in its presentation and writing style. The presentation is almost conversational, casual, and chatty at the same time breaking down the complexities of emotions and feelings. Hart does not use superfluous language of euphemisms in her text, rather she is empathetic and relatable. There is no preaching in the book, rather it offers practical strategies for couples seeking to reinvigorate their relationships. The emphasis is on small daily actions rather than grandiose displays of affection. The focus is on steps to take to reconnect emotionally, physically, and psychologically and build lasting, fulfilling relationships.

Movie Review: Fist Fight

This movie depicts one of the greatest realities of today's America in a highly comical way. Written by Van Robichaux and directed by Richie Keen, Fist Fight (2017) is easily one of the most funny movies in recent times.  I had the opportunity to watch this movie when I got stuck in a long haul flight from California to Florida. Starring Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell and Christina Hendricks, this movie is a laughter riot all the way from the beginning to the end.


It is the last day of school and students are not in any mood to study, in fact they are all set and prepared to play pranks on the teachers. On the management side the school board is looking to fire a bunch of teachers in a cost cutting move. In this chaotic scenario, the English teacher Andy Campbell, married father of one and expecting another child soon, inadvertently causes the dismissal of another teacher Strickland. An enraged Strickland challenges Campbell for a fistfight after school in the parking lot.


The rest of the movie is all about Campbell's efforts to get out of the fight and also be there for his daughter during her talent show, and his wife when she gives birth to their second child. The movie is presented in a hilarious way which makes anyone laugh through the movie.


I would definitely recommend watching with family and having a great time at it.

Movie Review: The Man Who Knew Infinity

Image Source: Web

Based on the life story of ace mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan The Man Who Knew Infinity is a decently entertaining movie for audiences that like history, biographies, academics, mathematics, and Indians. I have always respected Indians who worked hard and gained notoriety despite being under the tyranny of the British rule. Ramanujan was one such individual who won over the British using his mathematical ability. Starting off with the portrayal of a young man working on math calculation using chalk on the floor of a temple the fast-paced film moves on to show his abject living conditions, and the desperation to find a job so he can support his family. But since he doesn't have a formal degree, landing a job proves difficult till he meets his boss how is equally interested in mathematics. Armed with a job Ramanujan rents a modest home and brings his wife and mother from the village to Chennai/ Madras.

As the story unfolds we see Ramanujan's boss insisting that he has to show his work to someone who can enable him to make a name and present his skills to the world. Ramanujan writes to Professor Hardy at Trinity College, Cambridge, England and lands a scholarship to go and publish papers on Mathematics. Of course being skeptical and condescending about brown skinned Indians, Hardy's colleagues try and place as many roadblocks in Ramanujan's progress as possible. Like most Indians he toils through these hardships and works diligently on his Mathematics theorems and emerges a winner ultimately. His life in England is not easy, for instance he is a pure vegetarian and there is nothing in the college mess that he can eat. Even potatoes are cooked in lard, so Ramanujan has to depend on self-cooking using the fireplace in his room as the stove. The freezing cold of England is not friendly to the Tamilian who is used to hot and humid weather back home. Being separated from family and wife is hard on the young Indian genius. Winning despite all odds seems to be the message one gets out of this story.

On the downside this movie seems like a half-hearted attempt to tell the life story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, the ace Mathematician from Tamil Nadu, India who was able to overcome the racism and prejudice of the British. The number expert proved to the British rulers that Indians were indeed brilliant in science and were a force to reckon. I call this movie a half-hearted attempt because of several lapses in screenplay starting with the lead character, played by Dev Patel. Ramanujan is a South Indian and Patel looks nothing like a South Indian. The British-born son of Kenyan immigrants has very remote - if any - ties to India and none whatsoever to South Indian Tamil tradition, culture or heritage. Like all other Westerners he doesn't know how to pronounce his own name "Ramanujan", he constantly pronounces it like Westerners as "Ramanoojan". The next fallacy is the portrayal of him wearing slippers inside his living quarters, few Brahmins would do that in this day and age, let alone in 1913. His portrayal as a dirt poor Indian citizen wearing tattered rags looking for a job is interesting, but how can he afford leather sandals? His wife and mother sport gold jewelry and wear only silk sarees which even in those times were pretty pricey to come by. How can someone who wears tattered clothes afford to buy his wife silk sarees, if indeed he had an inheritance that enabled these luxuries, why couldn't he himself wear proper clothes?

The previous paragraph was to vent out my frustrations but now let me talk about the merits of the movie. It definitely presents Indians under British in a positive light and the statement of Ramanjuan about how his god and religion (Hinduism) gives him the inspiration, insight, and the ability to do almost inconceivable calculations in Mathematics is definitely a fantastic narrative.

Book Review: Rider

This is one of the few Romantic or rather erotic fiction stories I have read. I chanced upon this book while playing with the Kindle app on my smartphone and it was free, and related to my favorite topic - motorcycles so decided to read it.

The book tells the story of a former marine (Fang aka ) who has returned wounded and physically broken from Afghanistan. Doctors at the VA are unable to provide him adequate pain relief with prescription drugs which sends him into the world of illegal drugs and into addiction. As he gets deeper and deeper into addiction he also gets entrenched into a motorcycle gang - The Damned. The only difference between this 1% motorcycle club and other outlaws is that this is an organization of ex-military people.

At some point Fang comes to realize the futility of addiction and living the biker life and decides to become a FBI informer. Things start heating up when an actual FBI agent, pretty Claire Powell is assigned as his partner to take down the drug dealing outlaw motorcycle gang that Fang is part of. Not only Claire is stunningly beautiful and sexy, she is also Fang's late friend Greg's wife. Even though Claire and Fang are drawn to each other they are both unsure of where this operation will lead them to. The rest of the book deals with some explicitly smoking hot sex and how the villain "Fatman" is taken down by FBI.

Author Helen Lucas has written a gripping, fast paced, and highly erotic tale of two wounded people, but the lack of attention to spelling and grammar comes as a surprise and in places shock. According to the biography page on Amazon, Lucas is a High School English teacher who writes "trashy books for classy people". I would definitely expect better quality of proof reading and editing from an English teacher or maybe in the era of mobile phones and texting, anything goes so long as the content is gripping enough to hold the reader from cover to cover.

This book is a easy and quick read. I was able to finish it in one sitting over couple of hours on my cellphone as I waited for my car get serviced. If you have some waiting to do in the doctors office or at the car repair place it may not be a bad idea to read this book. Be warned though, parts of this book is heavily punctuated by erotica and may leave you wanting to jump into bed with your significant other for a passionate love making session.