Although this blog mainly reviews candy and tweets about candy news, as a family, we are interested in all things candy. So, periodically SugarMama will write about non-edible, candy-related topics. Her first contribution will be to review the book True Confections by Katharine Weber, which I gave to her for Christmas.
Hello, Sugar Pressure Readers. True Confections is a great read, especially if you love candy or are interested in the candy industry. Written from the voice of a woman giving an affidavit, it is like listening to a person tell one long, wonderful story without a single interruption. The narrator is an employee/part-owner of a small family candy company, Zip’s Candies. She married into this business, by accident really, when an unfortunate event detoured her from college and landed her, serendipitously, at Zip’s. In order to give the lawyer all relevant information, she tells the company’s story in full—from its humble (and slightly shady) origins to its status today as popular regional candy company.
Along the way, candy lovers will enjoy the way her fiction blends so well with fact. She tells about their visit to the All Candy Expo, about how the candy machinery works, about how smaller companies get eaten up by conglomerates, and about the hardships facing African workers who harvest cacao beans. While reading, you can almost smell the chocolate wafting from the pages. This may be due to Weber’s use of confectionary terms in her writing, my personal favorite was: “A badly tempered marriage become dull and brittle, and then it breaks” which doesn't describe my marriage in any way, but it shows how she uses candy terms as it pertains to real life.
This book is a treat to read. You can read just a few pages and set it back down or you can curl up with it (and a bowl of candies) and savor its humor and humanity for a few hours. I do have to warn you, she is very critical of Oompa Loompas in a few passages, so if you are an Oompa Loompa fan, brace yourself.
Great Review by NPR HERE.
Rating: 5/5 Loved It
Calorie Counter: Depends on how much candy you eat while reading it! The book is 0 Calories.
Price: $14.96 purchased at Amazon.com
Thank you so much! Be sure to visit the website for Zip's Candies, www.zipscandies.com, where there is a jingle contest with many prizes still on offer!
Posted by: Katharine Weber | 03/20/2010 at 11:25 AM
But please do note the spelling of my name!
Posted by: Katharine Weber | 03/20/2010 at 11:34 PM
I am very, very sorry about that. I'm also a bit embarrassed and have corrected both spelling errors. Thank you very much for pointing that out.
Posted by: Sugarpressure | 03/21/2010 at 12:46 AM
Mr. Sugar Pressure, I can see that your family is truly committed to the candy project! Even your non-candy Christmas gifts are about candy! Mrs. Sugar Mama must think you are so SWEET!
I really enjoyed this book too. I liked the sense of humor, and of course I loved all the candy making and candy history. And it was this book that inspired my Tootsie Roll muckracking, so that's an added bonus!
Posted by: Candy Professor | 03/21/2010 at 05:20 PM
Thank you! I really appreciate the review.
I will be at the Candy & Snack Expo, will you? And you too, Candy Professor, wiull you be there?
Posted by: Katharine Weber | 03/21/2010 at 07:16 PM
I am planning on making it to the Candy & Snack Expo, I'm only 5 hours from Chicago so the location is very convenient for me. I'm really looking forward to it, I've never been to one. Thank you for asking. Will you have a booth for autographs Katharine Weber? I'd like to have my book signed by the author.
We are always looking for good books to read and this book was a great AND candy related, that's a double great book in my opinion.
Thank you for the comments.
Posted by: Sugarpressure | 03/21/2010 at 08:15 PM
I will be signing books at a booth, not my own (not sure this is public information yet or I would say more). I really look forward to it.
Posted by: Katharine Weber | 03/22/2010 at 12:11 AM