The Day Saida Arrived

The Day Saida Arrived is a beautifully and simply written and illustrated story of friendship. Due out 15th Sept 2020 from Blue Dots Kids Press, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a wonderfully written and illustrated story of two young girls who don't have a common language to express themselves but don't let that stand in the way of their friendship. They each learn words of all shapes and sizes in each others' languages (Arabic and English). The book is illustrated bilingually with both English and Arabic letters for the things the girls see and experience.

I liked that the author actually writes about some of the differences in the sounds in each of the languages and how the girls find it funny and challenging when their tongues get into tangles trying to roll their 'r's and, and how Saida's 'e's sound like 'i's sometimes.

This is a beautiful book about breaking down barriers and celebrating cultural differences. The ethereal art incorporates lettering in both English and Arabic in context to illustrate how learning another language encompasses more than just learning a glossary.

I really enjoyed this book. It would make a superlative selection for classroom or library, as well as a beautiful gift for a young person.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Secret Gardens of Somerset: A Private Tour

Secret Gardens of Somerset is a beautifully photographic record and intimate tour of 20 different stately and informal gardens in Somerset. Due out 15th Sept 2020 from Quarto on their Frances Lincoln imprint, it's 144 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is an inspiring and educational book, full of ideas for garden lovers no matter what the scale of their own green spaces. Very few gardeners will have the space to recreate the famous gardens pictured, however, there are so many good takeaways which can be adapted to readers' own gardens. Since the book is absolutely full of color photographs and the text is relatively small and densely packed, the hardcover format is a must. 

The gardens represent a wide array of design and execution. The expected stately home gardens are represented, of course, with long alleys of topiary boxwood and formal layouts. What was equally welcome and more unexpected however, were the working farms, informal gardens, cottage gardens, historical landmarks, and a surprising amount of humorous interpretation and unexpected juxtaposition inviting a close look. The Morris mini car as a garden installation absolutely bursting with blooms really made me smile.

Four stars. Lots and lots (and lots) of inspiration. Aesthetically an enjoyable read with some nice takeaways.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne is a period murder mystery by Elsa Hart. Released 4th Aug 2020 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is an extremely well written and entertaining historical murder mystery set in the early years of the 18th century. The protagonist is an intelligent, determined, and logical amateur sleuth who has a deep and abiding sense of justice and wants to see the truth revealed about the murder of a renowned collector of ephemera.

The disparate plot threads intertwine more closely as the book progresses until they merge about 3/4ths of the way through. The beginning of the book was slow for me because of the necessary framework-building and background setup. It more than repaid my diligence for sticking with it. The world building and settings along with the interactions and societal background are all on point and well rendered. One of the biggest standouts for me with this book was the expert way the author managed to explore perception. Motivation from one character's perspective which seems perfectly logical to -them- may not appear so to characters from other classes or backgrounds and the author's ability to highlight both viewpoints was exemplary. The dialogue is well rendered and pitch perfect (and will be fairly archaic and formal to readers who prefer more modern mysteries).

The clues are found and sifted and the denouement is satisfying and well written. The ending of the book strongly suggests that this is the first book in a series. I'm looking forward to more adventures for Cecily and Meacan.

Four stars. Very well done.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Let's Fix Lunch: Enjoy Delicious, Planet-Friendly Meals at Work, School, or On the Go

Let's Fix Lunch is a neat tutorial and recipe guide to planning, making, and enjoying lunch. Due out 15th Sept 2020 from from Chronicle Books, it's  144 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I'm a healthcare professional in my "day job" and as such, I continued to work during the lockdowns. For a while, we were advised against buying food in the hospital restaurant or convenience stores, so my choices for lunch pretty much consisted of hospital vending machines or bringing it myself. This book was a lot of fun to use and review and at the end of the month, I was really *shocked* how much money I had saved. (Like, embarrassingly much). 

The layout is logical and easy to understand. The introductory chapters make the case for meal-prep, saving packaging, minimizing litter and waste, and efficiency. The tips are clear and basic, and the introductory tutorials are easy to implement with a little planning.

The recipe chapters are arranged thematically - snacks on the go, sauces and condiments, soups & salads, sandwiches, and grains and pastas. Each of the recipes includes an introductory description, ingredients listed in a bullet point sidebar (US measurements, with metric equivalents in parentheses (yay!)), and step by step instructions. Many of the recipes are photographed, and they are photographed well and clearly. Serving suggestions are attractive and appropriate. Special category listings (building block, school lunch friendly, make ahead, etc) are provided in the recipe headers. 

The book also includes a short resource list and cross referenced index. There are a fairly large number of recipes included which provide the building blocks for varied and tasty lunches. 

Four stars. There are a lot of really good tips here for reducing waste and making enjoyable meals on the go. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Ernest Shackleton

Ernest Shackleton is a new biography for young readers in the Little People, Big Dreams series. I've reviewed a number of these titles and all of them are delightful and exuberant little books which cover the lives of famous cultural, science, arts, and innovative icons while maintaining an age-appropriate level of detail.

Due out 1st Sept 2020 from Quarto on their Frances Lincoln imprint, it'll be 32 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

Written by Isabel Sánchez Vegara it's well written in clear accessible language.  The gentle and vibrant illustrations were well done. The art by Olivia Holden is appealing and colorful and supports the story very well. The illustrations are bold and simple.

Well written and appealing, I am really enjoying all of these little books. This one is a worthy addition. I also appreciate that there are suggestions for further reading in the back of the book with the timeline of Shackleton's life.

Four stars. This would make a superlative reading circle book, classroom library book, or gift.  Shackleton was obviously a brave and incredible explorer, but the book also highlights his accomplishments as a leader and optimist and hero to his men. This book is a tribute to an icon who still represents the ideals of exploration and discovery. It's nice to see him being introduced to a new generation of kids.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Botanical Art Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide

Botanical Art Techniques is an encyclopedic tutorial instruction guide to multiple different media for rendering botanical subjects. Due out 15th Sept 2020 from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint, it's 416 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a jaw-droppingly beautiful book. The techniques are advanced and the whole really aimed at advanced students (and professionals), but it honestly feels like a book which can be grown into with sufficient dedicated practice. It's a comprehenshive reference full of tutorials and techniques.

The introductory chapters include tips for preparing specimens to keep them fresh whilst being drawn, working in the studio and in situ, tips for setting up a studio, and a crash course in botanical Latin.  The tutorials begin with rendering in black and white (graphite, and pen & ink), then in color (colored pencil, watercolor (on paper and vellum), and finally an advanced compendium of specialized techniques and composition.

This is a very very comprehensive guide. The applied tutorials are well written, but advanced. I would suggest that art students of all levels of expertise will find good takeaways here, but it will be most efficiently utilized by advanced to professional artists. This would be a superlative choice for libraries, reference, art/makers' studios and collectives, or a wonderful inspirational gift for an aspiring artist.

Really beautifully made. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Skin Deep (Siobhan O'Brien #1)

Skin Deep is the first novel in a sharp new American PI series by Sung J. Woo. Released 21st July 2020 by Agora, it's 325 pages (print version) and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a well written modern PI procedural with a strong intelligent female protagonist whose straightforward missing persons case turns into a tangled web of conspiracy and corruption. Interestingly there's no murder in this one, so it's can't precisely be called a murder mystery, but it is fast paced, moderately action filled, well written and with a convoluted plot of numerous interwoven threads. The author has also included a light romance subplot which, happily, doesn't threaten to overpower everything else which is going on (and it's a fair effort to keep the disparate threads and secondary characters straight, but the author does a good job).

The pacing is even and despite being a little over the average length for the genre, it never dragged and I finished it in one setting. It's an easy and engaging read, although the denouement was unexpected and not entirely satisfying. I'm looking forward to future installments to see what the author has in store. I liked that Siobhan is unexpected in a lot of ways and not some superwoman who figures everything out instantly. She's plucky and intelligent and a little bit sarcastic and I liked her very much.

Four stars. This one will appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels and similar.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is a pictorial guide to Egypt during the Old Kingdom (ca. 2700-2100 BCE) through the Greco-Roman period (332BCE-395CE). Due out 14th Sept 2020 from Amber Books, it's 224 pages and will be available in flexibound format.

I found the photographs fascinating and well curated. Many of them are of "lesser known" antiquities and historical persons from a wide historical period. I have long been interested in Egyptology but didn't recognize very many of them.

The commentary text by author Trevor Naylor is engaging and accessible and provides a loose timeline history to tie the beautiful photographs together into a surprisingly cohesive whole. This would make a good choice for library, classroom library, homeschool, and similar uses. It's also a lovely book of photography in its own right and would be a nice gift for a student of ancient history.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Part-Time Vegetarian's Year: Four Seasons of Flexitarian Recipies

The Part-Time Vegetarian's Year is a book of lifestyle philosophy with recipes by Nicola Graimes. Due out 8th Sept 2020 from Nourish Books, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I found the book easy to understand and persuasively written. Chapter 1 covers the background and concepts/vocabulary for the concept of the flexitarian/localivore lifestyle along with carbon footprints, and living seasonally with available foods. The diet and lifestyle make use of preserving by freezing and other methods as well as emphasizing a diet based on fruits/veg/beans/nuts/seeds & grains, with moderate consumption of eggs and dairy, and rare (if ever) consumption of meat, shellfish, fish, and poultry.

The bulk of the book contains the recipes arranged by season,

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in metric measures with US standard in parentheses. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. The ingredients are all easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store or preferably sourced locally (it's one of the main points the author makes in the book).

The photography is sufficient; roughly 20% of the recipes are pictured. The photos which are included in the cookbook are well done, clear, appealing, and (for tutorial photos) easy to follow. There is also an index included.

Well done. This book would make a great gift/housewarming for someone looking for more Earth-friendly recipes as well as fans of food prep planning and local cuisine. Self-sufficiency seekers will find a lot to love here as well.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Big Love Cooking: 75 Recipes for Satisfying, Shareable Comfort Food

Big Love Cooking is a recipe collection by Little Owl restaurateur Joey Campanaro. Due out 268th Sept 2020 from Chronicle Books, it's  272 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The introductory chapter is followed by the recipes arranged thematically: brunch, soups & salads, vegetables, pasta, meat & poultry, fish & seafood, Sunday supper, and desserts. Each of the recipes includes an introductory description, ingredients listed in a bullet point sidebar (US measurements, with metric equivalents in parentheses (yay!)), and step by step instructions. Many of the recipes are photographed, and they are photographed well and clearly. Serving suggestions are attractive and appropriate. 

I was impressed by the level of detail in the preparation instructions. They're meticulously elucidated no matter how complex. I found the well written instructions reassuring and felt like I could achieve a good consistent result by following them closely. Many of them are deceptively involved; there are some which are definitely outside the realm of after-work-cooking. Ingredients are very specific, including specific cheeses and varieties of vegetables or types of meat. Some ingredients will require access to specialist grocers or cheesemakers. 

The book is peppered with family photos and reminiscences which I found charming and fascinating. Mr. Campanaro's love for his culture and family background shines through in his writing. These reminiscences add a lot of flavor (sorry) to the book and provide anchoring context to the family and restaurant recipes he shares with a wider audience in his book. The website of the Little Owl restaurant refers to their customers throughout as "family" and reading this book, it really has the ring of truth. These are many of his treasured family recipes.

Wonderful Italian American comfort food recipes. These would grace any special gathering or special meal. 

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Auntie Poldi and the Handsome Antonio (Tante Poldi #3)

Auntie Poldi and the Handsome Antonio is the third Auntie Poldi mystery by Mario Giordano. Originally published in German in 2018, this English translation released Aug 4th 2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is 352 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the first in the series) is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

The titular character, Isolde Oberreider, aka Poldi, has retired from film/tv (where she was a costumer) to Sicily to drink, soak up sun, enjoy seeing attractive men in uniform and live out her twilight years whilst solving the occasional murder. She's a beehive wig wearing (a la Winehouse), Maserati driving Venus of Willendorfian force of nature, cutting a wide swath through the Carabineri and the local mafioso alike. Her Watson is her nephew, who dutifully records her exploits and tries not to get run over whilst trying to write his own epic multi-generational historical novel in the style of James Michener. Between the scenes background is provided by three Italian aunties who serve as a Greek chorus for the narrative.

At 352 pages, it's a more substantial read than many contemporary procedurals or cozies. The length allowed the author to richly develop the setting and characters without suffering from book bloat at all.  The plotting was tight and the pacing was perfect and never dragged for me.

This is a really charming book with very appealing and sympathetic characters written with humor and heart.  I really cared about them.  It should be noted that there is a fair bit of double entendre, sly sexual asides, and fairly clean mentions of male genitalia in this book. The characters drink, swear, and some of them smoke cigarettes (and sometimes cannabis). The whole is exuberantly and warmly funny. There is some discussion of death and suicide in the book which could be triggering for some readers. 

Although originally released in German, the translation by John Brownjohn is seamless and nuanced and certainly doesn't seem to detract from story at all. Poldi is smart and funny, quirky and outspoken and I adore her. It doesn't read like a translated work. I generally prefer to read in the original language, but my German isn't up to the task, and this series depends so heavily on pacing and deftly sparkling narrative. I'm thankful the translator is up to the task.  I'm really looking forward to future installments (foreshadowed in the book, and already released in German and hopefully coming soon in translation). 

Four stars, really enjoyable read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

The Infographic Guide to Grammar: A Visual Reference for Everything You Need to Know

The Infographic Guide to Grammar is a neat graphic primer on proper usage for English grammar. Due out 2nd Sept 2020 from Simon & Schuster on their Adams Media imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

When I was an admittedly nerdy kid, I used to love diagramming sentences, playing with writing exercises, keeping journals and all those sorts of assignments. I would have absolutely coveted this book. It's full of graphic charts, diagrams, colorful bullet lists, and punchy illustrations showing the parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, style, and common mistakes.

It's not really aimed particularly at school aged kids; I found quite a number of salient points which I had either forgotten or not learned the first time around. This is a comprehensive book, but not an encyclopedic one, so for all of the subjects it covers, it does so in a perfunctory (somewhat incomplete) manner. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it as a useful desk reference, especially for visual learners. The book also includes a cross referenced index to access charts quickly and easily.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

CRISPR: A Powerful Way to Change DNA

CRISPR: A Powerful Way to Change DNA is a primer on the CRISPR family of sequences and their biotechnological applications aimed at providing layman accessible explanations for the science and theory behind the concepts. Due out 8th Sept 2020 from Annick Press, it's 116 pages and will be available in hardcover and paperback formats.

Ostensibly aimed at young people, this is a good introduction to the science for middle grades up through adults. The author has a facility with science writing and renders the concepts fairly easy to understand for the average reader of whatever age. The layout is logical: a background capsule survey of genetics leads into specific areas where applications of the biotechnology has potentially world changing outcomes. The author's explanation of CAS proteins (and CAS9 in particular) is one of the simplest and best I've come across.The language is not unnecessarily scientific, though it is factual and requires some effort to really assimilate.

The book is well illustrated with line drawings throughout which give a more easily assimilated graphic representation of some of the salient concepts. It should be noted that this book is written about advanced biotechnology and for readers without any background at all, some moderate effort will be needed to understand the concepts.

I've been banging on for decades about the importance of STE(A)M education and this is a well written book which would make a superlative selection for classroom or home libraries, especially for young science interested readers. One (small) quibble with the book is that the author resorts to cutesy alliterative chapter titles (Mutant Mosquitoes, Cancer Cured, Perfect Potatoes, Death Defeated). That might've well been an editorial judgement, who knows, but it doesn't really add anything to the reading. There are other places where the author draws correlations between past innovations in biotechnology such as IVF and shows that they were also controversial at the time and are now seen as mainstream and innocuous (if still miraculous). I understand that combating the more sensationalist reactions in the press and the public over technology which they generally have a faulty and incomplete understanding is important, but I think that education and not comparisons must be the way forward. ( in other words: People freaked about IVF then, but it turned out fine, so don't worry about splicing fluorescent jellyfish genes into your tropical fish, look, they glow green!).

My "day job" is in biotechnology in a pathology laboratory which sees these and other techniques as an unquestionably *vital* step in isolating and treating (and someday curing) a host of diseases. This -is- going to be the way forward in medicine and other areas of biotechnology (plastic eating bacteria, food security and abundance, helping solve climate change, etc).

This will not be a super easy book for most readers. It is a good book for especially science interested young people or determined adult learners.

Five stars mostly for doing a decent job of explaining very complex concepts in a layman accessible manner.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Five Marys Ranch Raised Cookbook: Homegrown Recipes from Our Family to Yours

Five Marys Ranch Raised Cookbook is a wonderful new cookbook and style guide by Mary Heffernan. Due out 8th Sept 2020 from Sasquatch Books, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is such a lovely book, written with warmth and generousity, full of well developed recipes with a quintessentially American farmland flavor and hospitality that it's impossible not to like it. The book is lavishly illustrated, showing the Heffernan family, pets, lifestyle, stock, and surroundings in gorgeous detail.

The book is laid out logically and accessibly. An introduction/bio for the Heffernan's journey from being yuppies (he ran his own law firm, she was an entrepreneur) to ranchers was interesting and provided some salient philosophical takeaways. The recipes are arranged roughly thematically: breakfasts, appetizers/small bites, beef, pork, lamb, sides, beverages, and desserts.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in American measurements only. There is an included conversion chart for metric measures in the back of the book. Descriptions are contained in the header for each recipe. The nutritional information is not included. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in headers with the recipe descriptions. The recipes themselves are beautifully finished with lots of nice unexpected juxtapositions of flavor and texture (citrus and crisp fried Brussels sprouts, lamb loin served with a green olive and orange relish - amazing and delicious). The recipes are (obviously) meat heavy, it's a ranch cookbook. There are a fair number of meat-free recipes however, and the overall quality of the writing and neat and hearty fusion style of the foods will allow vegetarians a surprising amount of use for the recipes in the book - notably all of the sauces, condiments, dressings, marinades, and other flavor enhancers (and there are a pile of them) can be adapted to meat-free uses. 

The production values are top notch, and yes, the book shows a jealousy inducing "instagram perfect" family (as I look around at my messy kitchen countertops and wash my 3rd load of laundry for the day), however, it's honestly written with such warmth and candor that I found myself admiring them reaching for (and apparently working together to achieve) their dreams and raise their lovely family in a gorgeous rural setting. The photography is abundant and gorgeous and adds a lot to the recipes. Serving suggestions are beautifully presented and appropriate.

Five stars. I'll be buying my own copy.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Your Starter Kitchen: The Definitive Beginner's Guide to Stocking, Organizing, and Cooking in Your Kitchen

Your Starter Kitchen is an accessible, clear, and fairly comprehensive guide to getting comfortable with cooking and setting up a kitchen. Due out 2nd Sept 2020 from Simon & Schuster on their Tiller Press imprint, it's 208 pages (paperback) and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
I didn't grow up in a family with any sort of culinary tradition. The facility with cooking and the recipes I've acquired over time have come unevenly and unexpectedly. I definitely would've benefited from a book like this one. It's a basic guide to equipping and using a kitchen. The layout is logical and understandable.

The three main sections have different focus. They are: 1) For a small or first time kitchen, 2) For a more grown up kitchen, and 3) For a large and/or forever home kitchen. The sections are self explanatory and suit the focus quite well. They build on one another, with the first covering the most essential and basic equipment and pantry staples, moving to more comprehensive items and finally to the most comprehensive list of gear with additional info about involving kids in the kitchen process, arranging the kitchen efficiently and other tips.  All three of the sections include techniques and primers, recipes, and checklists.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in American measurements only. There's no included conversion chart for metric measures. Descriptions are contained in the header for each recipe. The nutritional information is not included. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in sidebars with the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made with easily sourced ingredients. Many are very simple, none of them are overly complex. The book contains almost no graphics, illustrations, or photography. For a book on basic kitchen setup and cooking, this could be an important consideration for some readers.

Four stars. Worthwhile (general) information to be gleaned here.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Grow Your Own Tea: The Complete Guide to Cultivating, Harvesting, and Preparing

Grow Your Own Tea is a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting, and processing tea from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Due out 1st Sept from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint, it's 208 pages (print version) and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is as advertised, an encyclopedic guide to cultivating, harvesting, and preparing tea. It's laid out logically, and the language is accessible, the instructions achievable (given some determination and favorable climate considerations). The authors are experienced tea farmers and have provided a good groundwork for the curious home gardener to succeed with tea growing.

The introductory chapters cover the history of tea, contemporary tea culture in the USA, and the agriculturally relevant info on the tea plant. Worth noting, this book is concerned with the culture and processing of Camellia sinensis, and not the other plants we often use for infusing drinks and tisanes such as mint, chamomile, nettle, lavender, lemon verbena, etc.

The bulk of the content is devoted to a detailed tutorial for choosing, siting, sourcing, planting, and caring for tea plants. The troubleshooting and diagnostic guides in these chapters are very well done and worthwhile for related plants in the Camellia genus as well. The pictures are very clear and useful. Whilst the bulk of the book seems aimed to a somewhat larger scale gardener blessed with good climate, soil, and other favorable conditions, the authors do include a very interesting subchapter on container growing. I'm definitely going to get a couple of plants and try cool greenhouse cultivation. If I managed to grow peaches and nectarines in Norway, I am hopeful for a positive outcome for tea also.

This is an interesting and comprehensive well written guide to growing and processing tea. This would be a nice selection for tea lovers, serious gardeners, or those who like a horticultural challenge. There aren't many layman-accessible specific guides for cultivating and processing tea (the vast majority are focused on herbal teas or foraged plants), so this is a standout selection in a very small pool of choices. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Healthy Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook: 100 Plant-Based Recipes with Fewer Calories and Less Fat

Healthy Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook is a recipe collection and tutorial book by Dana Angelo White. Due out 1st Sep 2020 from Penguin Random House on their DK imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

The introduction covers the basics of cooking with the air-fryer and essential accessories as well as an intro to the vegan lifestyle/diet, including a basic primer on vegan friendly substitutions for common non-vegetarian ingredients, tips, tools, supplies, how-to. The following chapters include the recipes arranged roughly by category: breakfast, mains, sides, snacks & salads, and desserts.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in American standard measurements with metric measures in parentheses (yay!). The nutritional information:  fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, carbs, fiber content, etc are listed for the recipes as well as serving sizes.  Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients (not all though, some of the recipe ingredients are vegan substitutions for other products (butter, cheese, chorizo, etc)). Many are very simple, none of them are overly complex.

The photography is not abundant; many of the recipes are not illustrated, but the photographs which are included are clear and beautifully well done.  I wish there had been more photographs and serving suggestions, but I do understand that extra photography increases the price of book projects very quickly and the lack is not crippling because this is a fairly simple collection.

This is an interesting collection of recipes. It struck me however, that many of the recipes were really things which could more easily be made (and in larger volume) *without* the air-fryer. The recipes also rely very much on store-bought ingredients. Cooks who prefer to cook completely from scratch will have to do some pre-cooking to make the necessary ingredients.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Passing Fancies (Julia Kydd #2)

Passing Fancies is the second Julia Kydd mystery by Marlowe Benn. Released 2nd June 2020, it's 331 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the first in the series) is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a competently written period murder mystery set in NYC in 1925. The protagonist is a (recently) independently wealthy young woman who is a publisher of small run special edition art books. In her search for new authors to publish and promote, she moves in social circles with artists, writers, and musicians. The avant garde attend the same parties without regard to race or to the segregation laws of the time and she meets and befriends an author whom she is surprised to find out is of mixed race background.  How their friendship develops is central to the plot. Much of it turns on themes of sexism, racism, rape, segregation, and rigid patriarchy in addition to the murder and subsequent investigation.

Although this is the second book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone. The necessary backstory is given in the narrative and I never felt lost or had trouble keeping the characters straight in my head as I was reading.

Although it seems to mostly be a light period mystery, there's a fair amount of graphic violence, racism, discussion of rape, etc etc. I found myself uncomfortable with some of the discussions as well as the relentless racism (especially in the context of "that's the way it is"). The author is unquestionably a competent writer and I love books with a bibliophile theme. I'm motivated to at least read the next book in the series.  I also found the denouement rather tough going and the resolution left me somewhat dissatisfied.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

Simply Stitched with Embroidery: Embroidery Motifs for Purses and More

Simply Stitched with Embroidery is a tutorial and pattern guide for surface embroidery motifs which is part of a series by Yumiko Higuchi. Due out 1st Sept 2020 from Zakka Workshop, it's 104 pages and will be available in paperback format.
I enjoyed this book. The pictures are all very clear and colorful, the projects are well designed and appealing, and the text is easy to follow. The introduction includes a discussion of tools, supplies, and basic techniques. The bulk of the book is taken up by the 9 purse projects. The projects themselves are varied and attractive, from small to large. Most all of the projects could certainly be easily adapted to other finishes.  All of the templates and stitching diagrams are included. Each tutorial contains an introduction, materials list (nothing too exotic or difficult to source), and step by step line drawn process pictures from start to finish. Tips and alternative finishes are included in the tutorials. The book also includes a supplies and links list (but no index). There are many lovely color photographs included. It should be noted that these projects utilize surface embroidery for decoration (not cross stitch). Many of the designs in the book could also serve as a good jumping off point for dimensional embroider/stumpwork.

Really appealing book with attractive projects for an underrepresented technique. Lovely!

Five stars. Worthwhile for the fabric crafter's library. It's also very nice to see embroidery techniques outside of cross stitch getting some representation.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Doodle It All

Doodle It All is a tutorial guide to doodling a multitude of fun small drawings. Originally published in Japanese in 2016, this English language translation, due out 1st Sept 2020 from Zakka Workshop is 128 pages and will be available in paperback format.

The book starts with a general tips & tricks introduction showing tools and supplies and how to use them followed by chapters building up different items (animals, people, food, flowers & plants, household items, hobbies, etc etc), adding decorations and background patterns, and composition.  The bulk of the book is pages and pages and pages of very simple line drawings which -anyone- can do. 

One of the most brilliant aspects of this book is in showing the would be doodler how to combine and build on simple elements to produce a deceptively simple cohesive piece of art which looks very complex.  I've been using doodling as an awareness/mindfulness exercise and it really does work.  These are cute and good fun.

This would make a really fun rainy day activity for younger kids to, well, adult age.  They're appealing and whimsical and sweet. This would also be a great resource book for anyone wanting to up their drawing-with-young-kids game.

Four stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.