The Nordic Cook Book by Magnus Nilsson

About the book: The Nordic Cookbook (2015) offers an unprecedented look at the rich culinary offerings of the Nordic region with 700 recipes collected by the acclaimed Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson featured in the Emmy-Award winning US PBS series The Mind of a Chef and the Netflix docuseries Chef's Table.

The Nordic Cookbook, richly illustrated with the personal photography of internationally acclaimed chef Magnus Nilsson, unravels the mysteries of Nordic ingredients and introduces the region's culinary history and cooking techniques.

Included in this beautiful book are more than 700 authentic recipes Magnus collected while travelling extensively throughout the Nordic countries – Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – enhanced by atmospheric photographs of its landscapes and people. His beautiful photographs feature in the book alongside images of the finished dishes by Erik Olsson, the photographer behind Fäviken.

With Magnus as a guide, everyone can prepare classic Nordic dishes and also explore new ones. The Nordic Cookbook introduces readers to the familiar (gravlax, meatballs and lingonberry jam) and the lesser-known aspects of Nordic cuisine (rose-hip soup, pork roasted with prunes, and juniper beer).

Organized by food type, The Nordic Cookbook covers every type of Nordic dish including meat, fish, vegetables, breads, pastries and desserts. These recipes are achievable for home cooks of all abilities and are accompanied by narrative texts on Nordic culinary history, ingredients and techniques including smoking and home preserving. Additional essays explore classic dishes made for special occasions and key seasonal events, such as the Midsummer feast.

The Nordic Cookbook joins Phaidon's national cuisine series, which includes Mexico, India, Thailand, Peru and others, and is the most comprehensive source on home cooking from the Nordic countries.

About the author: Magnus Nilsson is the head chef of Fäviken Magasinet restaurant in Sweden. After training as a chef and sommelier in Sweden, he worked with Pascal Barbot of L'Astrance in Paris before joining Fäviken as a sommelier. Within a year, he had taken over the running of the restaurant, which was ranked the 57th best restaurant in the world and won two Michelin stars in 2016. 

Magnus is the author of the Fäviken cookbook (2012) and Fäviken: 4015 Days, Beginning to End (2020), also published by Phaidon. He features in the Emmy-Award winning US PBS-TV series, The Mind of a Chef, and the Netfix docu-series, Chef's Table. In 2015, he was awarded the White Guide Global Gastronomy Award. In May 2019, Nilsson announced that he plans to stop working as of 14 December 2019 and focus on his family and his hobbies.

Way Of The Ascetics: The Ancient Tradition Of Discipline And Inner Growth by Tito Colliander

About the book: The Way of the Ascetics (1960) is an introduction to the narrow way that leads to life. It is a simple yet profound exposition of the spiritual life taught by the Orthodox Church for two thousand years. 

It is a portal to the vast spiritual experience of the desert fathers, and an insight into the spiritual lives of the saints. Reminiscent of the Ladder of St. John Climacus, "Way of the Ascetics" compels us to again begin the struggle to climb away from the world to the Kingdom of Heaven.

In our era of new-age spirituality and homemade religion, the simple patristic style of this work is consoling. In our age of spiritual naiveté, the simple and understandable instructions offered herein are enlightening and inspiring. 

We also offer this text here on the internet for the first time, so that all spiritual neophytes in need of simple and easy to follow instructions may once again set out on the time-tested way that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Note from the Author: This work is based on the holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church and consists largely of direct or freely rendered extracts from their writings, together with some necessary interpretation and practical application. Scriptural quotations are from the Authorized Version, except those from the Psalms, which follow the Prayer Book Psalter.

About the author: Tito Fritiof Colliander (1904-1989) was a Finnish Eastern Orthodox Christian writer.

Converted By The Devil: Pierre Le Gouvello de Kériolet (1602-1660) by Fr Athanase, ODM

About the book: A hardened sinner is saved from hell thanks to a small remnant of Marian devotion.

Pierre Le Gouvello, Lord of Kériolet, was a Breton penitent born in Auray on 14 July 1602, who died in the odour of sanctity in 1660. He was ordained a priest on 28 March 1637. He transformed his château into a hospice for the poor.

Born into a wealthy noble family, Pierre de Kériolet seemed to be in the grip of the devil from childhood. He loved doing evil. His studies with the Jesuits in Rennes did not help, on the contrary. Always short of money, he stole from those around him.

At the age of twenty, he tried to join the Ottoman Empire to become a Muslim. But obstacles stood in his way, and he never succeeded. He fell victim to brigands while crossing Germany: the only survivor of the attack, he implored Our Lady of Liesse to save him. Granted his wish, he did not keep his promise and, for over fifteen years, led a debauched life, during which he may have signed a pact with the devil. 

In 1635, he returned to France to collect his father's inheritance, and bought a position as councillor at the Parliament of Brittany. He used his power as a magistrate to foster hatred between litigants, taking satisfaction in doing evil.

On several occasions, he escaped death, as if an invisible, all-powerful protection were extending over him. Instead of reflecting on this, he congratulated himself on his exceptional good fortune.

In the hope of being noticed by the young Duke of Orléans, brother of Louis XIII, Pierre de Kériolet accompanied the latter to Loudun in 1636, along with other members of parliament. A case of witchcraft was rocking the town. During an exorcism in the church of the Holy Cross in Loudun, the devil, speaking through the mouth of the possessed woman, publicly called out to Pierre de Kériolet, revealing who had protected him and explaining the reasons for this, citing the miracles of protection from which he had benefited. In closing, the devil made it clear that he was there to take him to hell, shouting, “If it hadn't been for Her (Mary) and your angel, I'd have taken you away!”

The next day, the devil exclaimed on seeing Kériolet again: “Well, here's the gentleman from yesterday again! If he keeps on like this, he'll rise as high in Heaven as he would have sunk with us in Hell. Ah, if you only knew! She (Mary) put her arms in the mire up to her elbows to pull him out of his filth, just because he still had a tiny bit of devotion left for her! And to think we're ourselves are damned for one sin!!!”

In fact, Kériolet was saved for having, all his life and whatever his faults, kept the promise he had once made to his mother: to say a Hail Mary every day, come what may, in honour of Our Lady. Although he was renowned for his avarice, he always gave generously in alms, even if he claimed it was not for the love of God. But “almsgiving covers the multitude of sins”, in the words of St Gregory the Great.

Kériolet eventually became a priest. He continued to experience demonic attacks for the rest of his life, as hell hates to let go of its prey, but it was all in vain. You cannot take from Our Lady what is rightfully hers.

© Marie de Nazareth 2024

Association Marie de Nazareth 75 rue de Lourmel 75015 Paris – France

Converted By The Devil: Pierre Le Gouvello de Kériolet (Second Edition, 2009) is translated from the French. 

My Malaysian Food Journey by Kalsom Taib

About the book: My Malaysian Food Journey (2024) had its genesis in a fortnightly column on ‘Culinary Inspirations’ that appeared in The Star newspaper during 2023 and into 2024. The author, having previously co-authored and published three cookbooks, each the recipient of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, decided it was time to pay tribute to her personal food heritage-to her hometown Muar, where she was brought up by both her maternal and paternal grandparents among a wider family interested in the best of traditional Malay cooking, especially Johorean cuisine, and well-known for its exceptionally talented cooks.

Although an avowed ‘armchair cook', the author pays special tribute to Mak Li, her family’s exemplary long-time cook, who first inspired her food journey as she watched Mak Li make dishes when she was a teenager and jotted down what she saw. This led to a lifelong interest in collecting cookbooks and recipes not only of her forebears but also from friends.

The chapters in this collection range from individual specialities perfected by family members to personal favourites, and from culinary inspirations drawn from Malaysia’s multiethnic heritage to reminiscences and stories of family gatherings, all centred around food. Many of the original articles in The Star have been expanded, with more information, recipes and photographs, while others have been added.

About the author: Datin Kalsom Taib holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History and a Diploma in Education from the University of Malaya. She taught in secondary schools for five years before joining the private sector, in human resources, in Shell Malaysia, Malaysia Mining Corporation and Nestle Malaysia. After her retirement in December 1997, she became a writer and publisher, starting with three books about family members.

She then co-authored three Gourmand award-winning cookbooks: Johor Palate: Tanjung Puteri Recipes (2015), a compilation of hard-to-find Johor dishes; Malaysia’s Culinary Heritage: The Best of Authentic Traditional Recipes (2020), a compilation of 230 recipes that capture the unique flavours and textures of Malaysian food, including 213 foods that had been gazetted as traditional foods by the Department of National Heritage Malaysia under the National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645); and Recipes Are For Sharing (2022), a compilation of 200 Malaysian Recipes that are simple and speedy to make.

Kalsom has been a columnist for The Star since 2023. She has compiled her articles in My Malaysian Food Journey (2024), which marks the culmination of her rich and colourful career in heritage cookbooks. This book is on the list of nominees for the 30th Gourmand Awards in the Food Heritage category.

Chopsticks Or Fork? by Jennnifer Wong & Lin Jie Kong

About the book: Chopsticks or Fork? (2024) is a collection of stories and recipes from Chinese restaurants in regional Australia, based on the six-part ABC series created by Lin Jie Kong and Jennifer Wong.

The book lovingly captures the stories of ten very different families who run Chinese restaurants, from Queensland's Hervey Bay to Western Australia's Dunsborough, and features 32 classic Australian Chinese recipes. 

As well as revealing the secrets behind everything from sizzling Mongolian lamb to deep fried ice cream, Chopsticks or Fork? includes trivia on the lazy Susan, encounters with the country's biggest Chinese restaurant fans, a game of Chinese restaurant bingo just waiting to be played on your next night out, and more Chinese restaurant 'takeaways' than you can poke a (chop)stick at.

Chopsticks or Fork? is a unique celebration of an integral part of Australian cultural and culinary history.

About the authors: Jennifer Wong is a writer, comedian, and presenter of Chopsticks or Fork?. Jen's writing on food, culture, and mental health has been published by Monocle, ABC News, ABC Everyday, SBS News and SBS Food. She has appeared on ABC TV, ABC Radio National, SBS TV and Al Jazeera, and has performed sold-out stand-up shows at comedy and arts festivals in Australia, Shanghai and Edinburgh.

Lin Jie Kong is a cinematographer, production allrounder, and director of Chopsticks or Fork?. To help her learn English as a child, Lin Jie's parents let her rent as many movies as she wanted from Blockbuster during the school holidays, which kick-started a lifelong obsession with telling stories. Lin Jie has produced and directed a vast range of shows and documentaries for the ABC, including Good Game, What is Music and Comedy Next Gen.

Sama Sama by Julie Lin

About the book: 'Season the dish until the ghost of our ancestors tells you to stop!'

In Malay, sama sama (‘same same’) is a way of saying ‘you’re welcome’ to reinforce the idea of togetherness and equality in this everyday exchange. 

From successful restaurateur and Saturday Kitchen favourite Julie Lin, Sama Sama (2025) celebrates all parts of Julie’s identity (Malaysian, Chinese and Scottish) through 90 delicious recipes and heartfelt tales of self-discovery.

Always encouraging simplicity for maximum joy in the kitchen, Julie teaches us to cook with soul, trust our palates and broaden our ideas of authenticity. 

Enjoy accessible dishes with explosive flavours, such as Chilli Crisp Puttanesca, Steak au Sichuan Poivre and Kaya Croissant-and-Butter Pudding.

About the author: Julie Lin is a Malaysian-Scottish chef, writer, TV presenter and restauranteur. Julie has a successful restaurant in Glasgow, GaGa, Michelin recommended and named Best Restaurant in Scotland in 2022. Some of her recent work includes regular appearances on Saturday Kitchen, featuring on The Hairy Bikers Go Local and hugely popular Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, as well as cooking for Judi Dench on Countryfile. Julie has also contributed to several publications including the Guardian, Observer, BBC Good Food and Vice. She has a Substack and accompanying podcast, Use Your Noodle, on which she shares recipes and anecdotes from her week. In 2024, Julie was named Food Influencer of the Year at the Golden Chopsticks Awards and was named Women of Influence’s Woman to Watch.

Find her online at julielin.co.uk and on Instagram @julielincooks and @gaga.glasgow

Convents Of The Saint Maur Sisters: A Nostalgic Road In The East by Chen Yen Ling

About the book: Retrace the road of progress for women pioneered by the St Maur Sisters, visit their convents to experience nostalgia in pictures and marvel at their achievements for more than 170 years. Known presently as the Infant Jesus Sisters, their epic journey through Malaya transitioning into Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Thailand was one filled with perils, hardship and sacrifices in their early days.

Still they prevailed, operating numerous schools to educate girls, raising countless orphans and caring for the abused, sick and desolate. Every country has its own story, greatly influenced by its political and social developments. In Malaya – then including Singapore – increasing territorial control by the British created the need for English medium education; while in Japan, learning European languages gained popularity as the country westernised following the Meiji Restoration.

World War II was cruel to all. In Malaya, English education was forbidden while in Japan most of the sisters’ buildings were flattened by bombs. But it did not break the spirit of the survivors and soon their schools were flourishing again. In Thailand, consequent to the unavailability of Malayan schools following a surge in demand by locals, the sisters’ mission and schools were re-established.

Convent school education continues to present day, albeit in varied manner in each country. But all remain unified to the principle of being “Simple in virtue and steadfast in duty”, promulgated by the no nonsense nuns.

Convents Of The Saint Maur Sisters: A Nostalgic Road In The East (2024) is written in memory of Mother St Mathilde, the pioneer sisters and all who have risked, laboured and sacrificed to change the lives of others through education.

About the author: Chen Yen Ling is a chartered and certified public accountant by profession and presently writes features for the media and non-fiction books. She holds a certificate in freelance journalism, Writers Bureau and also undertook a short study stint in anthropology at the University of Adelaide in Australia. She is the author of Lessons from My School, The journey of the French Nuns and their convent schools, the precursor to this book. 

Participating in all these works is Dr Etta Chatterjee, her great friend and classmate at St Anne's Convent who acted as a discussion companion, editor and advisor. She is a lawyer by profession, graduated from the National University of Singapore and holds a PhD Classics from King's College London, University of London.

Good Friday Meditation

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German Composer and Musician of the Late Baroque Period

Heaven Does Not Block All Roads by Anna Beth Keim

About the book: Heaven Does Not Block All Roads: A History of Taiwan Through the Life of Huang Chin-tao (17 April 2025) is a hundred-year history of modern Taiwan’s challenges and triumphs, through the inspiring life of one man who saw it all.

Huang Chin-tao was born in 1926, when Taiwan was still part of the Japanese Empire. By the time he died in 2019, Taiwan was a bustling, high-tech democracy–and Huang had lived through every twist and turn along the way. He served as a Japanese soldier in China during World War II; joined an armed uprising against Taiwan’s Chinese Nationalist post-war government; spent twenty-four years imprisoned during the island’s decades of martial law; and finally emerged to help lead the pro-democracy movement of the 1980s in his hometown, Taichung.

Drawing upon archives, memoirs, interviews and more, Anna Beth Keim tells the story of Taiwan through the journey of one extraordinary individual. From his childhood scuffling with Japanese children to his transformation into a ‘democracy farmer’, Huang’s life vividly reflects contemporary Taiwanese history, and continues to inspire young Taiwanese today who are fighting to keep their home independent.

Over roughly a century, the island transitioned from an imperial outpost to an authoritarian state to a democracy–one still at risk of being snuffed out by China. 

This story is uniquely Taiwanese, yet illuminates experiences shared by countries everywhere: of colonisation and its aftermath, and the ongoing struggle to be free.

About the author: Anna Beth Keim is a freelance writer and translator, who has been reporting on Taiwan since 2015. Her work has appeared in ChinaFile, Foreign Policy, YaleGlobal and The Foreign Service Journal. This is her first book.

Torn and Thumbed For Comfort Just Designed

Purgatory by Fr Faber

About the book: Is Purgatory almost like Hell? Or is it a place of peace and even joy? The famous Fr Faber explains both of these classic Catholic views of Purgatory, basing his discussion on Catholic teaching and the revelations of saintly souls, especially St Catherine of Genoa, in her Treatise on Purgatory. 

This now famous work (from his All for Jesus) is both sobering and inspiring. For here, Fr Faber discusses whether it is better to pray for the conversion of sinners or to pray for the Souls in Purgatory, how the fear of Hell helps save souls, the influence through supernatural means which God has given us on those in Purgatory, how helping the Poor Souls shows our love of Jesus, how it increases our fear of offending God, how the Holy Souls tenderly love God and are loved by Him, their yearning for God, their desire for purification, their pain of loss, their pain of sense, their joy, their helplessness, the length of their suffering, the Angels' role in aiding them, our false confidence in our own goodness, how some on earth are angered by the thought of Purgatory, how our charity toward the Poor Souls benefits us by increasing Faith, Hope and Charity in us, the other beautiful effects of this devotion on us, and the example of the Saints toward the Poor Souls.

Over all, Purgatory (1854, 2002) is a book to help us appreciate the supernatural treasures at our disposal, both to help the Poor Souls, and to help us avoid Purgatory ourselves: to inspire us to use wisely the rest of our time on earth so that we ourselves one day will not have to go there.

About the author: Father Frederick William Faber (1814-1863) was born in Yorkshire, England in 1814. He was converted from the Anglican ministry to Catholicism in 1845. Ordained a priest in 1847, he joined the Oratorians in 1848 under John Henry Cardinal Newman. In addition to numerous fine hymns, Fr Faber authored nine books: Spiritual Conferences, All for Jesus, Growth in Holiness, The Blessed Sacrament, The Foot of the Cross, The Precious Blood, Bethlehem, The Creator and the Creature and Notes on Doctrinal Subjects, plus a volume of poems, essays and other minor works.

In addition, he published a series of 49 Lives of Modern Saints (the "Oratorian" Lives) which highlight the Saints' growth in sanctity under the operation of grace. Fr Faber died in London in 1863. He is considered a master of the theology of the spiritual life.

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