What is "A Tome of Fire Or Ice"?
Okay, so I took a chance and took my adventurer across the fiery-side orange-rimmed tile and received a buff to his fire damage output (+2) and his fire resistance (+6).
Good enough for me... oh, and I didn't die!
if you step on either side it gives you a buff related to the appropriate element. The flavour text when you click the book is a reference to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books by George R.R. Martin, which revolve mainly around the nobility of a fantasy world and features lengthy descriptions of the meals they eat.