Everyone has at least one souvenir sitting on a shelf or hanging on a wall. Why do we buy them? What do they represent? How did the practice start? All these questions and more are answered in this cute little information-packed book. There are three types of souvenirs discussed inContinue Reading
Really two books in one, this book includes a full book on graphite pencil drawing and a second on drawing using colored pencils. Only requiring pencils, paper, erasers, blending tortillions and stumps plus spray fixative, the author’s technique creates well shaped images that appear 3-D. The book begins simply withContinue Reading
Filled with 200 recipes from breakfast to dinner to dessert, who knew cooking with an Instant Pot could be so simple. The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook is a great resource for those people lucky enough to own an Instant Pot or other brand of electric pressure cooker. The author explainsContinue Reading
Style guide for the social media generation and those that want to communicate with them. Based on the Buzzfeed Style Guide (https://www.buzzfeed.com/emmyf/buzzfeed-style-guide?utm_term=.lmm2Yq31eo#.eezqxB8Lnl) and written by the same author, A World Without Whom goes further by explaining the whys behind the rules. Emily also pokes fun at herself and fellow copyContinue Reading
Meticulously researched history of punk rock. If you ever wanted to know what punk rock stood for and emerged from, pick up this excellent book. No Future covers the punk scene in England and Ireland from 1976 to 1984. It uses material from the time as its source material thus avoidingContinue Reading
Like Beetlejuice’s The Handbook for the Living and the Dead, “this thing reads like stereo instructions”. But if the stereo instructions show Prince behind the scenes, it is worth spending a bit of time reading inconsequential details. Prince and the Purple Rain Era Sessions: 1983 and 1984 describes what PrinceContinue Reading
Stay Fit for Life provides quick workouts for older, rehabbing or sedentary adults with little additional equipment required. With 62 exercises, 20 workout routines, and three levels of fitness programs, Stay Fit for Life covers all aspects of older adult fitness. There are modifications for most to make them easierContinue Reading
Pretty pictures but recipes are less than awe-inspiring. Readers have abundant choices for vegan cookbooks. Most can be separated into quick and easy or complex and expensive. The Vegan Cookbook falls into the second category. It has mouthwatering pictures of the completed recipes. However, all the recipes include a multitudeContinue Reading
Interesting, but pretentious, essays and memoirs about punk rock’s beginnings in England. The essays here vary tremendously in readability and point of view. Quite a few emphasize the punk “scene” and how awesome it was for the writer to be a part of it. Others interpret punk as a reactionContinue Reading
Intriguing look at modern human trafficking victims, their abusers and customers. Hidden in Plain Sight addresses the many ways to exploit humans to make money. It includes those forced into prostitution, paid little for domestic work or to work on produce and cocoa farms, and coerced into solicitation crews. SexualContinue Reading
Interesting dip into the head of someone who isn’t me. Literally Me is a hodgepodge of cute illustrations and seemingly random life observations by a slightly famous Instagrammer. Four Horsewomen of the apocalypse is the best story as it has a plot with a surprisingly religious twist on fame. AnotherContinue Reading
Heartfelt graphic memoir shares interesting insights about the trauma of having a sick child. Spot 12 shares the author’s story of a child, Asa, who is born with trachea issues. It especially addresses the parents’ conflicting feelings when surgery may cause immediate pain to their child while only possibly providingContinue Reading
Practical ideas for improving your writing. Telling Stories covers most areas of writing short fiction, novels and memoirs. It has sections on structure, characterization, detail, point of view, language and revision. It also has a short section on the writing life, which includes how to start writing and defeat writer’sContinue Reading
Not just for bathrooms anymore! I’ve read many previous Bathroom Readers in paperback format in, of course, the bathroom. This is my first Kindle version of the long-running series. It opens up the reading possibilities substantially. The varying lengths make this a good choice for grocery store checkout lines, doctor’sContinue Reading
Scattershot book about a real 1948 double murder. Supposedly about a double murder in 1948 in a small town in Illinois, this book diverges from its topic about 2/3 of the time. The author is obviously trying to make the fourteen newspaper articles that he wrote in the Chicago TribuneContinue Reading
If you have ever thought about starting your own business or finding a nice side gig to augment your day job, Entrepreneurial You is for you. In just 272 pages, Entrepreneurial You contains enough tips for a stack of business books and several classes. The format is simple. EachContinue Reading