Hunting down his partner's killer and investigating a pair of seemingly unrelated murders, SF Police Inspector Noah Dane stumbles onto a conspiracy that threatens all humanity. Chastity Blume, a celebrated talk show host known as "America's Favorite Virgin" discovers the sinister plot while searching for the mother she never knew. Along with Noah's new crime-fighting partner-a Marilyn Monroe celebudroid-they lead a cast of quirky characters towards a climax of comically sexy proportions, where all the clues point to an insanely popular new virtual reality experience that's "Better Than Chocolate."

Chocoholics rejoice! This little book is dedicated to the 15 out of every 10 of us who love chocolate. Theresa Cheung, one of the 15, was left wondering after a recent episode of utter cocoa indulgence, "What if I could devour life with the same commitment and passion with which I devour chocolate?" After much thought and a good deal of taste-testing, this guide to a richer life was born. Follow Cheung's seven silky smooth chocolate principles and your life will never be the same: Discover the Sweet CenterLet It Melt in Your MouthChocolate Makes You Feel GoodNo Need to Eat the Whole BoxA Little Good Chocolate Goes a Long WayPass the Chocolate (hint, hint: share the joy, spread the wealth, give a little). All combined they lead up to the ultimate seventh principle ”Chocolate Heaven” which offers permanent ways to help you lift yourself up and lead a happy life. But hey, you can't get to the seventh without devouring the first six servings, um, principles. Along the way, Cheung offers up recipes, stories, and trivia -- all about chocolate and improving your life. Did you know that dark chocolate fans tend to be forward thinking and optimistic? Or that the melting point of chocolate is just below our normal temperature, which is why it melts in our mouth? Or that Casanova drank chocolate daily and declared it the elixir of love? Embrace your love of chocolate and while you're at it, grab a bar (or two) and settle in with this book. Better Than Sex will lead you to the creamy center of what's really good -- in life, love, and in food!

In Frankenstein Was a Vegetarian: Essays on Food Choice, Identity, and Symbolism, Michael Owen Jones tackles topics often overlooked in foodways. At the outset he notes it was Victor Frankenstein’s “daemon” in Mary Shelley’s novel that advocated vegetarianism, not the scientist whose name has long been attributed to his creature. Jones explains how we communicate through what we eat, the connection between food choice and who we are or want to appear to be, the ways that many of us self-medicate moods with foods, and the nature of disgust. He presents fascinating case studies of religious bigotry and political machinations triggered by rumored bans on pork, the last meal requests of prisoners about to be executed, and the Utopian vision of Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of England’s greatest poets, that was based on a vegetable diet like the creature’s meals in Frankenstein. Jones also scrutinizes how food is used and abused on the campaign trail, how gender issues arise when food meets politics, and how eating preferences reflect the personalities and values of politicians, one of whom was elected president and then impeached twice. Throughout the book, Jones deals with food as symbol as well as analyzes the link between food choice and multiple identities. Aesthetics, morality, and politics likewise loom large in his inquiries. In the final two chapters, Jones applies these concepts to overhauling penal policies and practices that make food part of the pains of imprisonment, and looks at transforming the counseling of diabetes patients, who number in the millions.

Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. But now it looks as if they're about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank—and that would be a disaster, not only for the family but for the town of Icicle Falls, Washington. Can Samantha, the oldest daughter and new head of the company, come up with a way to save it? After Samantha does some brainstorming with her mother and sisters, inspiration strikes. They'll have a chocolate festival! Time's running out, but the Sterling women are determined and the town's behind them, so everything's bound to go smoothly…. Or not. Events seem to be conspiring against Samantha, and her mother's attempts to help aren't helping. To make matters worse, the fate of her company is in the hands of her archenemy, Blake Preston, the bank manager with the football-hero good looks. It's enough to drive her to chocolate. But Blake's also enough to convince her that (believe it or not) there's something even better than chocolate.

A compact connoisseur's guide, with recipes, to today's cutting-edge array of chocolates and chocolate makers from former Chez Panisse pastry chef David Lebovitz. In this compact volume, David Lebovitz gives a succinct cacao botany lesson, explains the process of chocolate making, runs through chocolate terminology and types, presents information on health benefits, offers an evaluating and buying primer, profiles the world's top chocolate makers and chocolatiers (with a whole chapter dedicated to Paris alone!), and shares dozens of little-known factoids in sidebars throughout the book. The Great Book of Chocolate includes more than 50 location and food photographs, and features more than 30 of Lebovitz's favorite chocolate recipes‚ from Black-Bottom Cupcakes to Homemade Rocky Road Candy, Orange and Rum Chocolate Mousse Cake to Double Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies. His extensive resource section (with websites for international ordering) can bring the world's best chocolate to every door. A self-avowed chocoholic, Lebovitz nibbles chocolate every day‚ and with The Great Book of Chocolate in hand, he figures the rest of us will too.

Third-generation candy-maker Jane Sharrock shares here some 400 recipes for mouth-watering candies, chocolates, pralines, crèmes, fudges, cookies, toffee, and holiday treats. This step-by-step candy bible covers everything from the traditional to the exotic. Complete with instructional chapters on the basics of candymaking, it deserves a place on every cookbook shelf. This collection features such irresistable treats as: Marry Me Toffee € Pistol Pete's Peanut Brittle € Grace's Walnut Butter Fudge € Cherry Almond Bark € Panache Penuche € Raspberry-Fudge Truffles € and something called Aunt Bill's Brown Candy... Plus:€ No-bake cookies € Practical and fascinating information about ingredients and candy chemistry € Dipping candies in chocolate € A basic candy glossary