Books Like Chocolate

A chain-blog post seems to be making the rounds on the Internet comparing favorite books to fine chocolates. Recently Debra at dayya.wordpress.com wrote her take on vampire chocolate love and tagged  me to continue the trend. Thus, I've decided to throw my rather unexotic tastebuds into the mix.  

Let's begin.

Aria of the Sea by Dia Calhoun (YA/ Fantasy)
Symphony Toffee Bar

 The first time I got a Symphony bar in my Christmas stocking, I thought it was just a stock chocolate bar.  But the more I ate the more I thought it was subtly elevated, smooth and delicious, with the surprising crunch of toffee.

Aria of the Sea seemed straight-forward to me as well.  Thirteen year old Cerinthe leaves her small town and family to compete for a rare position at the Royal Dance Company. I thought I knew where the story was going. I was wrong. The story grew more complex and delicious the more I read. Nuggets of wisdom provided sweetness and texture and made the story all the more memorable

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (Mystery)
See's Raspberry Truffle

Picking up an Agatha Christie mystery is a lot like choosing a truffle out of a See's Candies sampler. I might not know what I'm going to get, but I know it will be good.  Reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was like biting into a raspberry truffle--the absolute best of the lot, in my own humble opinion.

When industrialist Roger Ackroyd is stabbed in the neck right before learning the name of his wife's blackmailer, it's up to Hercule Poirot, detective extraordinaire, to solve the case. Sweet, tart, and perfectly balanced, it's a classic that needs no extra fuss or unnecessary complication.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Literary)
Andes Chocolate Mints

When I go to restaurant and see an Andes mint on my bill (instead of the usual hard candy), I instantly warm. The green wrapped chocolate is small, but it packs a tremendous punch before melting beautifully in my mouth.  It's perfect end to a meal.

The Remains of the Day also deals with endings. Stevens, an aging butler, takes a trip across the English countryside to reunite with an old friend and evaluates the course of his life along the way.  A simple yet intense story that will melt your heart.

* * *

I'm going to tag LJ at eljaezoutlook.weebly.com/blog.html and Christy at rainbow-unicorns-ate-my-dog.blogspot.com and challenge them to compare chocolates to books.