Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Rad Women, Rad Baby

I grabbed this book thinking that it would be a cool topic to discuss with my 2 year old. Following the #HeForShe movement closely, I want to make sure my baby boy grows up nurtured in the right way. I thought this book might be too high level or too intense for him until I read the last paragraph of the description.
This progressive and visually arresting book is a compelling addition to women's history and belongs on the shelf of every school, library, and home. Together, these stories show the immense range of what women have done and can do. May we all have the courage to be rad!
So I thought I would give it a chance. It's neat to see the women illustrated in black and white so that their ethnicity is more obscured and that the focus is on their profile/resume. There were profiles of women I had heard of like Malala, Marie Curie, Venus and Serena Williams, and Frida Kahl, but the great thing is there were dozens I had not heard of which means the author is bringing them to life.

This book is phenominal and one I will certainly pass on to my children, friends, and family.It really wasn't a great read with the 2 year old - there aren't really eye catching pictures to keep him involved so I passed it onto an 8 and 10 year old - they LOVE it!


Friday, December 9, 2016

Striking Book for a Joke Gift

I grabbed this book as a joke for a friend. Since we love Arrested Development and the cover is one of the stars of the show, I thought what better than to give this to him as a prank. Had I flipped through the actual book, I would've realized my mistake.

The book is EXTREMELY interesting. It challenges the role of tradition, gender, and stereotypes by mixing celebrity males with women's fashion and settings. It takes a very unconventional approach to women's rights. The book might be portrayed as an art form, but I like it better as a political and cultural statement.

The book itself is heavy as a truck. It probably weighs a good 5 pounds so shipping it would be expensive. It's bigger than a normal size sheet of paper - definitely oversized which makes the images have a more lasting impact.

Exploring masculinity and femininity through this book is a neat concept and made a prank into an actual experience.


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Sayings for the Mom


I grabbed this book for mom for Christmas. I thought for the woman that likes to hang sayings and signs on the wall, what better than an illustrated book of sayings. Judging from the picture online it appears to be a wider coffee table book.

It's actually a lot smaller. It's a little bigger than the width of a school notebook and about half as tall.


The book is funky, whimsical, and a little odd! It contains 50 sayings from around the world and does a great job displaying or illustrating (to steal from the title) these sayings to help articulate exactly what they mean. The book does a nice job of portraying the language so that it is easy to grasp. I am a little disappointed in the content. I was hoping for something a little lighter and happier, but some of the sayings are just too strange.

The other weird thing about the book is it seems to have no order. The sayings are all done randomly. I wish it would've been alphabetical by language, grouped by continent, or even time-period.

If you like funky world culture, then this book is a neat gift.

Monday, November 7, 2016

Fairies Fairies Everywhere

We ordered this book for our younger cousins who absolutely love everything to do with Fairies. They love the typical fairies Disney has produced as off shoots from Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, but more so they love them in general. They've created little fairy gardens at their home, bed sheets, curtains, and have statues all over.

I've received books from Christopher Hart in the past and have loved his instructional perspective. This is another gem in the series. It covers everything from very detailed drawings that will take a lot of skill and practice, to those just beginning.
After covering the basics of rendering these characters, Hart sets us loose to interact with the book’s many exercises and challenges.
I highly recommend this book to any aspiring artists or those just loving the fantasy world. I am excited to give this book away!

OTHER BOOKS AND REVIEWS

Doodletopia: Cartoons by Christopher Hart

Thursday, April 21, 2016

The I Quit Sugar Cookbook

This book does a good job of using everyday language to explain scientific ideas with some really great recipes.

I've been getting a lot of these cookbooks lately. My sister has been on a long term health kick and this was to help keep that going. The recipes in here were definitely hit or miss for me, but she really enjoyed all of the ones she has tried. I think there is something that changes when you are on the long term health kick that helps trick your body into thinking one way. I could definitely tell there wasn't sure in the recipes, but my sister insisted it wasn't noticeable enough for her.

The ingredients were a huge challenge when initially starting this recipe book. We have a local Kroger's and after they remodeled and added a specific organic section it made finding the ingredients so much easier. I would definitely keep this in mind when picking up the book.

Overall it's worth picking up just for the deserts if you like fruit. The natural sugar in fruit definitely makes the deserts delicious. If you've ever had homemade apple pie without sugar then you know what I mean.




Synopsis:
When Sarah Wilson gave up sugar for good, she developed a new repertoire of inventive, go-to dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With 306 satisfying recipes for one-pan wonders, grain-free breakfasts, leftover makeovers, smoothie bowls, and more, this comprehensive cookbook makes living sugar-free easy, sustainable, and delicious.

Tagline:
Find your happiest, healthiest self

If you are already a fan of Sarah's writing and her dietary philosophies in general then this book will be a great selection for you. It has some really creative and interesting food ideas that will allow you to eat delicious, healthy, low-sugar foods, that will still satisfy your taste-buds. I have read however that it is very Americanized. For me that is a great thing :) I like the comfort of knowing what everything already is in my food, however I can see that for someone trying to be more adventurous this book might not be for you.

Example Recipes:
  • Bacon ’N’ Egg Quinoa Oatmeal
  • Gift-Wrapped Miso Cod
  • Caramelized Leek, Apple, and Rosemary Socca
  • Green Spaghetti and Meatballs
  • Two-Minute Desk Noodles
  • Broc Bites and Cauli Popcorn
  • Carrot "Bacon"
  • Red Velvet Crunch Bowl
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Crackles
  • Strawberry Cheesecake Mug Cake

 

OTHER BOOKS AND REVIEWS

Fast Metabolism Food Rx

B4B Super Foods Every Day

 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. 

Friday, March 4, 2016

Fast Metabolism Food Rx

The cover of this book is what really grabbed me. It is big, bold, and colorful, but what I really like is the alluding to changing your metabolism based on your diet. I've had this work with me and my tea drinking, so I am very interested in other ways of maximizing what I already do (love eating), and having it be more impactful.




Quick Synopsis:
Haylie Pomroy, celebrated nutritionist, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fast Metabolism Diet, shares a food prescription for the 7 most common ways your metabolism misfires and leads to exhaustion, excess weight, and illness. With her targeted eating plans you can feed your body back to a vibrant, energetic, and thriving state.

Tagline:
WANT TO FEEL GREAT, DISEASE-PROOF YOUR BODY, AND LIVE AT YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT?  THEN, EAT YOUR MEDICINE 


All of that being said, the book really did a nice job of breaking down what types of food help with what. The appendix, oddly enough, might be my favorite piece.

The appendix breaks down the Top 20 Foods for repairing:
  • GI
  • Energy
  • Horomone
  • Cholestroeal Metabolism
  • Mood and Cognition
  • Blood Sugar
  • Immune
Then it also tells you what foods to definitely avoid that will leave you drained.

I would recommend this book to anyone having some of the problems above to get a better idea of natural methods to repairing that or anyone actively working out or trying to be healthier.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. 


Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 (Revised Edition) by Kathleen Kennedy


 Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000 (Revised Edition)
by Kathleen Kennedy gave a lot of practical advice. It would be a great addition to your collection when planning your wedding, being the maid of honor, or maybe even the groom. This book was originally published 10 years ago (I think), but it definitely had current trends from 2015 aka cake pops and cup cakes.

The book focused on a variety of vendors covering caterers, florists, halls, photographers, videographers, djs, photobooths, and more.

Now we had a much larger budget for our wedding, but the concepts in this book definitely helped put things in perspective and help us refocus our efforts on what was more important to us which was a great time and remembering that day forever.

I really liked the example stories and budget breakdowns that were offered throughout the book.








·         All-new chapters on envisioning your ideal event as well as using online resources and apps to find the most creative options and the best deals
·         A questionnaire to help you decide—as a couple—on your top priorities for the day
·         Strategies for making—and keeping to—a budget
·         Dozens of unexpected ideas for booking a low-cost venue
·         Tactics for negotiating with caterers, florists, musicians, and photographers
·         Advice on which elements you can DIY to save thousands (without risking your sanity)
·         Menu plans, recipes, and many other low-cost alternatives for the food and drinks
·         Tips for finding stylish attire at a fraction of the cost
·         Real-life couples’ wedding stories, including complete budget breakdowns

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

B4B Super Foods Every Day

I requested this book for my sister who is a total health nut foodie. She's the person that substitutes honey for sugar, uses whole wheat flower, and finds creative ways with cauliflower to make bread.

The title of book is what originally drew me, Super Foods Every Day, along with the very vivid and bright colors of the food on the cover.

The book is gorgeous.

It has pictures of the food before prep and making the meal on the left, and then it has the final product pictures on the right. I haven't seen this very often when skimming through cook books, but it is a feature that should not be overlooked.

The recipes are good!

I don't say this lightly. I like eating sugar and things that really taste good, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the first 2 meals we had, are delicious!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.