If you have a family member or friend that loves all things Japanese or sushi in particular, you can’t go wrong in gifting them The Art of Sushi. The book tells the tale of how a French manga artist learns everything about sushi from two Japanese chefs and their suppliers.Continue Reading
While we all look forward to another pandemic winter (not!), many of us will dream of future vacations. If your idea of fun is seeing businesses shaped like giant dogs, picnic baskets, or train cars, The Impossible Road Trip is the perfect escapist treat. Surveying three unusual attractions in eachContinue Reading
Looking for some new books to read? Need a gift for the reader in your life? Around the World in 80 Books solves both issues! With five suggested books in each of the world’s sixteen regions, there is something for everyone included here. Books as diverse as The Divine ComedyContinue Reading
What will The Next Apocalypse look like? Will it follow the plots of a multitude of books, movies and television shows? An archaeologist looks at three “collapses” in modern times to determine how societies react to drastic events. Can the Mayan, Roman, and Eastern North American indigenous societies tell usContinue Reading
“By senior year of high school, I felt like I knew who I was as a person. I knew I didn’t care what people thought about me, I knew I liked playing with the meaning of gender, and I knew I wanted to be an actor.”—from My Name’s Yours, What’sContinue Reading
I consider myself both a language nerd and a puzzle lover. So, The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book is definitely in my wheelhouse. But others beware, some of these 100 puzzles are devilishly difficult. But all are fun! And most will teach you something whether you can solve the puzzle orContinue Reading
Want to feel the Disney magic from the comfort of your home? Use The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book to craft your own Dole Whip or Blue Milk. There are also many cocktails from Oga’s Cantina to surprise guests at your next Star Wars party. For younger Disney fans,Continue Reading
Feel like eating something comforting but quick and easy to make? Trying to feed a crowd without breaking your wallet or missing the kick-off? Look no further than Scrumptious from the Girl Who Ate Everything, a cookbook for those who like to eat more than to cook. From one-pan dinnersContinue Reading
Originally, I thought Tacky would be a psychological or nostalgic look into millennial pop culture of the 2000s. While that culture is described here, it is used solely as a backdrop to the author’s personal memoir. The book also emphasizes sex and bad relationships that may be inappropriate for youngContinue Reading
Samuel L. Jackson is one Bad Motherfucker—especially in Pulp Fiction, my favorite Jackson movie. However, I knew nothing about his life outside of film before reading this book. Beginning with his birth and concluding in 2021, this book tells Jackson’s story. However, the majority of the book describes every JacksonContinue Reading
Banksy: Completed is, of course, about Banksy the provocative street artist. The book attempts, rather well I think, to explain how art critics view art differently from the public. And critics have almost unanimously hated Banksy from the start. It also investigates the nature of art itself. Can graffiti evenContinue Reading
Being fired from your job is a scary, frustrating and confusing experience. Involuntary Exit is an empowering guide to what to do next. It includes numerous examples of how the ultimate result can be better than if you stayed in the original position. It also includes suggestions on how toContinue Reading
Before unmanned drones high in the sky were the main US offensive weapons, more rudimentary strategies were used. Travel back to 1944 when steel and men fought surrounded by relentless seas. Learn about The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, a brave but highly outmatched small naval group, asContinue Reading
Thinking Better is a history of how shortcuts have opened our eyes to better, and faster, methodologies. It advocates for outside-the-box thinking. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t contain ways to create these shortcuts for your own problems in either life or math. I’m disappointed and feel misled by the publisher’s blurb.Continue Reading
Are we living within a huge computer simulation? Does it work like a video game that can be replayed, over and over again, to attain a better conclusion? Is that replay effect giving many of us deja vu? In The Simulated Multiverse, a MIT computer scientist tries to untangle theContinue Reading
Want to learn how to increase sales by marketing your product to the people who are most likely to buy it? You could take a semester class in college—like I did. Or you could just read this book. And the only final exam is how well its Brand Hacks workContinue Reading